Flatten your belly

Too often, people try to flatten their bellies the wrong way. They do only one exercise - often abdominal crunch - many times and again. This is not an effective way to flatten your belly!

You have to understand that abdominal crunches work only in the upper part of your abdomen – above the belly button. For most people this happens to be the strongest area naturally, so crunches actually make it even stronger without affecting other weak points that are the true source of your problem.

Not every person enjoys doing abdominal crunches. Many people notices that abdominal crunches make their neck hurt. If you don’t like exercise, there is no need to force yourself doing it. If you want to form slender waist and flat belly, you should work all your abdomen muscles. That means doing exercises for four main muscles.

The Upper Rectus Abdominus

This is a so called “six-pack” of your abdomen. This muscle starts at your sternum and upper part ends up your naval. This is often the strongest abdomen muscle.

The Lower Rectus Abdominus

Your lower area is on the front of your belly below the navel. This area is often weak in women after childbirth.

The Obliques

Your obliques are located along the sides of your abdomen. They start at the tip of your hipbones and end at your rib cage. They help you to twist or bend your body from side to side. Strengthening them helps to minimize love handles and make your waist slim.

The Transverse Abdominus

This corset-like muscle wraps around your pelvis, just below your rib cage. It's the muscle you use when you suck in your gut or cough or sneeze.

A strong transverse abdominus balances and coordinates all of your common movements. When it weakens, it doesn't hold your internal organs in place, allowing your abdomen to bulge.

4 exercises to flatten your belly

The following exercises will address all your four belly areas. These exercises work not just your abdomen, but also other important areas, like butt, back and sides. But before here are several tips to make the most of these exercises.

Exhale as You Contract Your Abs

Exhaling when you contract any muscle will help you unleash an extra bit of internal strength to perform the movement. Exhaling during the contraction is particularly important for abdominal moves. It helps in two ways. First, it will help you to better activate your transverse abdominus muscle. Second, if you inhale on the contraction, you risk outwardly shaping your belly muscles. You may still develop strong muscles, but you'll have strong muscles shaped in the wrong position.

Make It Slowly and Consciously

Don't try to make these exercises fast. Slow down and focus your attention on quality and not on quantity. Research shows that you will recruit more muscle fibers the more slowly you move. This will make your sessions more efficient. Second, moving more slowly will help you to concentrate on using proper form and making the most of each movement.

Keep Your Spine Neutral

In all the moves you must keep your spine long and straight. This will help protect your lower back and neck. To find out what a neutral spine feels like, stand with your back and shoulders against the wall. Because of the natural S-curve in your spine, your lower back and neck won't be completely against the wall. However, everything else—including your ribs, shoulders, and head—should be against the wall. This is proper spinal alignment. Try to maintain it in most of your moves.

Exercise 1: Seated Vacuum
(forms the transverse abdominus)

1. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. As you exhale, suck your navel in toward your spine as far as you can, contracting your belly to squeeze all of the air out of your lungs. Hold for 1 to 3 seconds.

2. Inhale as you reverse the exercise, this time making your belly as round as possible. Continue exhaling and inhaling slowly for 1 minute, then move on to Exercise 2.

Exercise 2: Seated Crossover
(forms the upper rectus abdominus)

1. Remain seated with your feet flat on the floor. Sit tall with a long spine. Bend your arms 90 degrees, bringing your elbows in line with your chest, your forearms perpendicular to the floor, and your fingers toward the ceiling.

2. Exhale as you bring your left elbow and right knee toward one another. Inhale as you bring your elbow and knee back to the starting position. Repeat with your right elbow and left knee, alternating between those positions for 1 minute. After 1 minute, move on to Exercise 3.

Exercise 3: Seated Torso Rotation
(forms the obliques)

1. Remain seated with your feet flat on the floor. Sit tall with a long spine. Grasp your medicine ball (or a bag of flour) at chest level, with your arms extended.

2. Remain erect as you exhale and twist to the right. Keep your head and neck in line with your torso as you twist so that you are always facing the ball. Try not to lean forward. Inhale as you return to the starting position and then repeat on the other side. Continue for 1 minute, then move on to Exercise 4.

Exercise 4: Captain's Chair
(forms the lower rectus abdominus)

1. Remain seated with your feet flat on the floor. Sit tall with a long spine. Grasp the edge of the chair with your fingers on either side of your hips. Reach your palms into the chair to add stability to your torso.

2. Exhale as you slowly bring your knees toward your chest, trying not to arch your lower back as you do so. Hold for 1 to 3 seconds and then slowly lower as you inhale. Repeat for 1 minute, then return to Exercise 1. Repeat Exercies 1-4 once more, and you're done.

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