Most of us can agree that if we want to create lean, healthy muscle tissue in our stomachs, it is not the most pleasant experience on the road. The abs are a problem area for many people, and you may have to shed fat before your stomach muscles become visible.
That being said, not all abs are created equal. Some people need to work their abs to exhaustion (or death for some) before they can even flatten out their bellies, while other people seem to get their abs to shine atop the Everest Mountain without sweating a couple grains of salty body liquid.
But regardless of where you stand on the fitness spectrum, the following exercises below will definitely help to get your abs to show in a short period of time. These workouts target all three planes of your core – frontal, lateral and transverse; and with the circuit style routine, these workouts intensity will remain high and you’ll burn tons of fat – everywhere!
Instructions:
- Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, one after the other with 10 seconds of rest between moves.
- Start with 2 circuits and work yourself up to 5 circuits.
- For maximum results, perform this workout 3 times a week on non-consecutive days.
1. BARBELL ROLL-UP
- Load the bar with 10-pound plates and kneel on the floor behind it. Your shoulders should be over the bar.
- Brace your abs and roll the bar forward, reaching in front of you until you feel your hips are about to sag.
- Roll yourself back.
2. SWISS BALL CRUNCH
- Lie back on the ball with feet shoulder-width apart on the floor. Your lower back should be supported by the ball.
- Place your hands behind your ears and tuck your chin.
- Curl your body up off the ball until you’re sitting up.
3. FLUTTER KICK
- Lie on your back with legs straight and extend your arms by your sides.
- Lift your heels about 6 inches and rapidly kick your feet up and down in a quick, scissor-like motion.
4. FRONT SQUAT
- Set a barbell on a power rack at about shoulder height (if you don’t have a rack, clean it to your shoulders).
- Grasp the bar with hands at shoulder width and raise your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Take the bar out of the rack and let it rest on your fingertips—as long as your elbows stay up, you’ll be able to balance the bar.
- Step back and set your feet at shoulder width with toes turned out slightly. This is important – squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back.
5. LEG RAISE
- Lie on the floor and hold onto a bench or the legs of a heavy chair for support.
- Keep your legs straight and raise them up until they’re vertical.
- Lower back down, but stop just short of the floor to keep tension on your abs before the next rep.
6. MEDICINE BALL RUSSIAN TWIST
- Sit on the floor in the top position of a situp and, holding a medicine ball with both hands, extend your arms in front of you.
- Explosively twist your body to one side and then twist back. Alternate sides.
7. MEDICINE BALL MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
- Hold the ball with both hands and get into pushup position on the floor.
- Drive one knee up to your chest and then quickly drive it back while you raise the opposite knee.
8. ELBOW PLANK
- Get into pushup position and bend your elbows to lower your forearms to the floor.
- Hold the position with abs braced.
9. SIDE PLANK
- Lie on your left side resting your left forearm on the floor for support.
- Raise your hips up so that your body forms a straight line and brace your abs—your weight should be on your left forearm and the edge of your left foot.
- Hold the position with abs braced.



(Keep in mind that even though it looks like people are still eating most of their foods "at home" - this does not take into account the fact that most people are also eating processed foods at home)
Sugar is half glucose, half fructose… and fructose can only be metabolized by the liver in any significant amount.
When you eat a lot of refined sugar, the liver accumulates fructose which is then forced to turn it all into fat.
A number of studies have shown that excess sugar, mostly due to the large amounts of fructose, can lead to increased accumulation of fat in the belly. How about switching out some of the sugary foods and start implementing some fat burn green tea in your diet? You may look into fat burning supplements.
Some believe that this is the primary mechanism behind sugar’s harmful effects on health… it increases belly fat and liver fat, which leads to insulin resistance and a host of metabolic problems.
Liquid sugar is even worse... Liquid calories don’t even get "processed" by the brain in the same way as solid calories, so when you drink sugar-sweetened beverages, you end up eating more total calories.
Studies show that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to a 60% increased risk of obesity in children… per each daily serving. (I heard a liquid diet meal planner can work out well)
Make a decision to minimize the amount of sugar in your diet, and considercompletely eliminating sugary drinks so that you don't suffer from weight gain as well.
This includes sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, various sports drinks, as well as coffees and teas with sugar added to them.
Keep in mind that none of this applies to whole fruit, which are extremely healthy and have plenty of fiber that mitigates the negative effects of fructose.
The amount of fructose you get from fruit is negligible compared to what you get from a diet high in refined sugar.
And if you want to cut back on refined sugar, then you must start reading labels. Even foods marketed as health foods can contain huge amounts of sugar.
The bottom line is this: excess sugar consumption may be the primary influence and growth of belly fat accumulation, especially sugary beverages like soft drinks and fruit juices.




