So many people fight endlessly to get flat abs without the success they want or the success the effort and time they put in deserves. So here are some great ‘flat abs tricks’ to transform your results without putting in any extra time or effort.

What you want to acheive is the maximum possible fat burn from your abs without spending hours doing sit-ups or other abs exercises (that will not get you the flat abs you are looking for).

Trick 1 – When you are doing an exercise you must ‘brace’ your abs. By this I basically mean hold tension in them. Don’t over-tense, but imagine what you would do if someone went to push you in the stomach. You would tense your abs to prepare for it. This is how your abs should be during every exercise. That way they are constantly engaged and burning fat during your workout, rather than staying relaxed and doing nothing as most peoples abs do.

Trick 2 – Do deep abs work not surface abs work. So do front planks and side planks (see other blog articles for descriptions and videos of these) rather than sit-ups. You work x10/20 more muscles by doing deep abs exercise than surface ones. This means you will burn x10/20 times the fat.

Trick 3 - Get a stability (gym) ball and sit on it instead of a chair. You could do this at home in front of the TV or at work (or preferably both!) When most people sit normally they totally relax their abs and have pretty bad posture. Sitting on a stability ball means your abs have to constantly be engaged and be working. This… Read more->

Today I have a killer Abs Circuit for you. There are 5 exercises below. Do each exercise for 20 seconds, and then rest for 10 seconds in between each exercise. Repeat the circuit twice for your 5 minute flat abs workout.

1/ Horizontal Scissors

Position: Lay face up with legs flat in front of you.

Technique: Raise legs just off mat and alternately raise one leg above the other in a scissors motion. Brace stomach throughout.

Points to Remember: Ensure back does not arch off the floor. Place one foot over the top of the other.

2/ Side Plank w/ leg abduction –1

Position: Lay on your side with legs straight and your elbow directly beneath your shoulder. (Rest on knees if neccessary).

Technique: Push hip off the floor, resting on your feet and elbow. Squeeze the hip as high as possible and hold position still. Raise top leg up and down as high as possible at the same time.

Points To Remember: Keep your body straight, i.e. don’t lean forward or backwards. Make sure your elbow remains directly beneath your shoulder and doesn’t slide forward.

 3/ Side Plank w/ Leg Abduction- 2

Repeat above on other side.

4/ Ab Raise

Position: Lay face up with knees bent.

Technique: Raise knees and squeeze… Read more->

If my number one goal was to lose weight from my stomach, and I was only allowed to do 3 exercises, these would be the three.

1/ Clean and Press (Need Dumbbells)

Position: Have dumbbells on floor in front of you and bend over so your back remains straight.

Technique: Dead lift the weight off the floor keeping your arms straight. Without pausing lift the weight up to your shoulders and flick your wrists over, so you are now standing with the weights over each shoulder. Then press the weight overhead, before slowly lowering back down to the floor.

Points to Remember: Keep you back straight at all times. Engage your core muscles, and keep each stage at a controlled pace.

2/ Squat (Hold weights by your side if you have them)

Position: Stand in upright position with knees slightly bent and feet hip with apart.

Technique: Squat down towards the ground, pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Lower yourself as far down as you can before pushing back up through your heels.

Points To Remember: Make sure your weight is through the heels of your feet at all times. Make sure your knees don’t go forward further than the end of your toes. Make sure you back remains straight.

3/ Front Plank

Position: Raise up on your elbows and toes holding… Read more->

Variation is one of the key ingredients in any exercise regime. The Plank is one of the best abs exercises you can do for toning and fat burning, but if you just keep doing exactly the same exercise time after time your body will get used to it. Try these 3 ‘plank variation’ exercises to keep keeping great results from your workouts;

All the following exercises can be done with your knees down if they are too difficult;

1/ Half Plank – Alternate Leg Up

 Position: Kneel on all fours on the floor. Rest on your elbows and feet holding your body up.

Technique: Make sure your back is flat and you can feel your core (stomach) muscles working. Hold position still and alternately raise 1 leg up.

Points To Remember: Make sure your back remains flat, i.e. your hips don’t sag down, raise up too high, or tilt to 1 side. Make sure your elbows stay directly beneath your shoulders and don’t slide further forward.

2/ Pike Plank

 Position: Kneel on all fours on the floor. Raise up on your elbows and toes holding your body up.

Technique: Raise hips as high as possible so your body adopts a V-shape. Hold position still.

Points To Remember: Make sure you keep squeezing your hips towards the ceiling as much as possible. Make sure your elbows stay directly beneath your shoulders and don’t slide further forward.

3/ Full Plank – Straight Arms

Position: Raise up on your hands and toes holding your body up. The further forward your arms go and further back your legs go the more difficult it becomes.

Technique: Raise hips so your whole body is in a straight line. Hold position still.

Points To Remember: Make sure your back remains flat, i.e. your hips don’t sag down or raise up too high.

Today’s… Read more->