Why sit-ups WON’T give you a flat stomach
- Plenty of us have spent time doing sit-ups and crunches with the aim of getting washboard abs
- But celebrity personal trainer Nicola Addison, who’s worked with stars including Elle MacPherson, says that’s not going to help
- The best way to the stomach of your dreams is through weights, planks and diets
Sarah Mooney For Mailonline
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Plenty of us have spent time sweating it out at the gym, doing sit-ups and crunches til our muscles cramp, with the aim of getting washboard abs.
But, apparently, we’ve being going about it all wrong.
Celebrity personal trainer Nicola Addison shares the secret to a flat stomach
According to celebrity personal trainer Nicola Addison, owner of Eqvvs Training in Knightsbridge, the secret to getting rid of a tummy lies in weights, planks and even the kitchen.
Here, the personal trainer who has worked with stars including Elle Macpherson, Daisy Lowe and Erin O’Connor, shares the truth about why sit-ups aren’t the way to go – and what you really need to be doing to get the abs of your dreams.
The facts
Sorry to break it to you, but sit ups will not get you a flat stomach.
No matter how strong your abdominals are, if they are covered by layers of fat you will simply never see them.
Sit ups unfortunately do not reduce fat from the tummy – as much as you might want to believe it, spot reduction of fat is a myth.
How to get that flat stomach
Celebrity personal trainer Nicola Addison shares the truth about why sit-ups aren’t the way to go if you want a flatter stomach
1. Build muscle
Learn to love weights. Most calories are burnt in the muscles (specifically the mitochondria).
NICOLA’S BASIC BODY MATHS
Heavier weight lifted = more muscle worked
More muscle worked = more strength
More strength = more muscle built
More muscle built = less body fat and more calories burnt
So, muscles are the furnaces – the more furnaces you have fired up (or the greater the mass of muscle that is active), the more calories you will burn – not only in your workout, but also throughout the day as a boost to your basal metabolic rate.
2. Focus on compound workouts
It has been proven that regular weight training can boost your basal metabolic rate by 15 per cent.
So incorporate exercises that challenge numerous muscle groups and multiple joints (compound movements) into your workout routine.
3. Planks
Nicola says doing regular planks will help to compress the abdomen and flatten your stomach
Or more importantly the transversus abdominus. This muscle help protects the back and compresses the abdomen.
Static contractions such as planks will also help strengthen your abdominal wall.
4. Your diet
Sadly, abs are made in the kitchen. You simply cannot out train a bad diet, no matter how much work you do.
A diet that is high in processed foods, sugar, salt, saturated and trans fats will massively hinder that 6 pack.
So focus on cutting down on refined sugar and carbohydrates, and upping your protein intake and – combined with the moves above – you should start seeing some stomach definition in no time.
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