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The abdominal muscles extend from the ribs to the pelvis, and among their many functions are supporting our trunk, mobility, balance, and protection of our internal organs. Therefore, an excellent abdominal exercise routine should consider the aesthetic and functional aspects of this muscle group.
Having a strong core helps maintain good posture, reduce back pain, and achieve better balance and greater endurance during training. If you want a flat abdomen and a strong core, start including these five exercises for a flat stomach.
The core consists of four main muscle groups: the transverse muscles, the rectus abdominis, the internal obliques, and the external obliques. Choosing the right exercises for each part is vital to achieving the desired results, as a toned and flat abdomen requires working all these muscles. Check out these exercises to achieve a flat belly and start transforming your body today.
The plank is considered one of the most complete and effective exercises as it works the abdomen, glutes, legs, and arms. Additionally, various variations can be performed to prioritize certain muscle groups. The types of planks we recommend are:
This version is the most common and involves placing yourself face down, supported on your palms, arms extended at shoulder height, and on your toes. You can maintain this position for 20, 30, or 40 seconds and rest for 10.
To increase resistance, you can also include weights, such as ankle or wrist weights, or dumbbells, and alternately raise your toes or arms.
If you use weights, you can try different types of lifts such as lifting your arms backward (as if kicking with your arm), upward (pushing your elbow towards your ribs as if pulling a band), or forward (lifting the arm to reach a horizontal position at face height).
These variations work the entire core and increase the work of the arm and leg muscles.
The low plank differs from the previous one in that the upper body is supported by the forearms, not the palms. The key to reducing the abdomen in these first two exercises is to keep the body perfectly straight, with the face looking down, without flexing the neck either up or down. In this case, you can also add weight to the ankles for greater resistance.
The side plank mainly works the oblique muscles, i.e., the sides of your core, and the rectus abdominis. The correct position for this exercise is to place yourself on your side, supported on the side of your foot, and on the palm or forearm. The upper arm can be extended or placed on the hip.
To add variations to this exercise, you can try doing hip lifts or twists. For the latter, move your arm towards the empty space between your body and the floor, twist your torso, and slowly return to the initial position.
Mountain climbers are not exactly planks, but they start from that initial position. You should keep your abdomen contracted in a high plank position and alternately bend your knees towards your chest.
You can do this movement slowly and controlled, or at a higher speed for more cardiovascular work. As with the other versions, you can also use ankle weights to increase the effort.
This is probably the king of abdominal exercises and the one we all think of when planning a routine for a flat belly. Its classic version involves lying on your back on the floor and lifting your shoulder blades off the floor while keeping your knees bent with the soles of your feet on the ground.
This exercise works the entire rectus abdominis, and among the crunch variations you can try to focus on different muscles are:
In this version, when lifting your shoulder blades off the floor, you should also alternately bend your knees towards your chest. When lifting, you make a cross-movement, trying to touch your right elbow to your left knee and vice versa. This creates more effort on the obliques. Extending your legs should not touch the floor but remain slightly elevated.
As the name suggests, this variation involves doing a crunch in reverse. Instead of lifting your shoulder blades, you keep your back on the floor and lift your legs slightly bent to the point where your lower back lifts a little off the floor.
The key is to perform the movement slowly and controlled, especially when lowering your legs. You should not slam your feet or back. This variation works more on the lower part of the abdominal muscles.
Leg raises are very useful when we want to work more on the lower core muscles. This basic exercise can be enhanced by adding weights through ankle weights or increasing resistance by adding movements when the legs are raised.
The initial position is lying on your back with your back completely supported. You can place your palms next to your hips, under your glutes, or behind your neck. In the lying position, you should raise both legs together without lifting your back until you reach a 90-degree angle, then lower them slowly without fully resting them on the floor.
If you want to add difficulty, you can open and close your legs several times once they are up or raise them only to a 45-degree angle and alternately raise and lower both legs with a scissor movement.
An essential exercise to strengthen the obliques is the Russian twist. Its basic mechanics involve sitting on the floor with your legs slightly bent, and your torso inclined about 45 degrees from the floor. You should twist to the left and right from this position while keeping your abdomen well contracted.
You can try different variants according to your level of expertise. The simplest is to keep your heels on the ground and not use weights. For more difficulty, always keep your legs elevated and use a weight plate or dumbbell.
Burpees are excellent exercises for reducing the abdomen as they work the muscles and burn fat in that area. They are performed in five simple steps.
As important as exercise is rest and recovery periods. To achieve a flat abdomen, giving your muscles time to recover and rebuild after the effort is vital.
According to Harvard Medical School, performing abdominal strength exercises at least twice weekly is ideal. You can increase this frequency, but always ensure at least 36 hours of complete rest for the muscle group between sessions. The most recommended rest period for the abdominal group is 48 hours. This means that if you do an abdominal routine on Monday afternoon, it is best to repeat it until Wednesday at the same time and then Friday, without forgetting to have a day of complete rest for the whole body.
If you’re a follower of Yes You Can!, you already know that we believe in comprehensive transformation programs, so to achieve a permanent change in your body, we always recommend combining the three fundamental pillars: exercise, diet, and supplementation. Below are some tips in these last two areas to achieve a flat belly.
What to eat to achieve a flat belly? According to ABC, foods that contribute to burning abdominal fat and reducing inflammation are:
On the other hand, it is important to avoid exceeding your consumption of salt, sugar, fats, and ultra-processed foods that promote bloating and the accumulation of adipose tissue.
Because a little motivation and boost always help, we recommend checking out the Yes You Can! products designed to burn persistent fat.
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Don’t delay your body and life transformation any longer. Plan your exercise routine and find your ideal supplement at the Yes You Can! store. Start working on yourself today.
