3 Key Tips for a Flat, Toned Belly

You’ve seen them in your Instagram feed and on magazine covers: flat, toned abs that just seem to pop right from under a flat tight midsection.

You hit exercise equipment for abs on the regular, but no matter how many crunches and planks you do, you can’t seem to get rid of that little layer of fat that keeps you from seeing the results of all your hard work.

Why You Shouldn’t Stick to Crunches Alone

Here’s the good news: Crunches and ab work aren’t the only way to get a flat belly. In fact, ab work alone isn’t going to get you the results you want. In this article, our fitness consultants will give you a quick rundown of three key aspects of your fitness regimen you can implement to melt abdominal fat and get you the abs you’ve always wanted.

Add these 3 things to your health and wellness routine to get those flat, toned abs of your dreams:

Give HIIT a Try

The key to burning stubborn belly fat is to get your body moving and ramp up your metabolism, not just during your workout, but AFTER. As a general rule, the higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you’ll burn.

Melt Fat Fast

A great way to quickly jump into fat-burning mode is to add high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into your workout regimen. With HIIT, you alternate short periods of high-intensity activity, usually as close to 100% of your effort as possible, followed by periods of active rest or lower-intensity activity.

Fast and Efficient

The beauty of HIIT is that, because you’re giving your all when you’re doing the hard work, a HIIT workout is typically shorter than other types of training sessions, yielding maximum results in less time than it would take to bang out your regular routine on your favorite Kenner fitness and exercise equipment.

HIIT workouts rarely last longer than 20 minutes in total, so they’re easy to fit into your busy lifestyle. Depending on your current fitness level, alternating 30 seconds of work with 1 minute of rest is a good starting point, and then working your way closer to a ratio of 1 minute of work to 30 seconds of rest as you get stronger.

Can be Incorporated Using a Variety of Fitness and Exercise Equipment

HIIT can incorporate almost any activity that you enjoy or that makes you feel motivated to work hard. Running, burpees, jumping rope, sports, you name it. You can even incorporate HIIT intervals into your weight lifting or resistance routines (just be careful not to lose control with moving fast, and always keep good form).

If running is your thing and you want to be able to workout regardless of the weather, invest in a great treadmill such as the BH Fitness S3Ti treadmill. It’s unconventional exercise equipment for abs, but it will help you reach your goals!

On the flip side, other fitness equipment for sale such as the Horizon Comfort U Upright Bike might be more your style and just what you need to shed the fat while engaging your core and helping those abs pop.

Get Your Diet in Check

The phrase “Abs are made in the kitchen” isn’t just a quick quip; making sure your diet is dialled in with healthy, bloat-reducing foods is important to achieving that flat belly you want. What good is working out hard when you’re just going to undo all your work the second you eat a meal?

Fill your diet with whole, nourishing foods (fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains). Kick the processed foods to the curb as best you can, as they’re full of artificial sweeteners, sodium, and other substances that cause you to bloat and feel as if your efforts are in vain. Drink plenty of water and avoid sweet beverages. Avoid alcohol as much as possible, as it’s empty calories and, in the case of beer, full of wheat products that can cause belly bloat.

Your diet doesn’t have to be perfect, but aiming for a healthy eating plan 80% of the time is going to help you achieve your goals. Totally denying yourself that piece of cake at a birthday party, for example, makes you more likely to binge on junk and consume way more than you would have if you’d indulged in that cookie every once in a while.

Exercise Equipment for Abs

When it comes to exercise equipment for abs you have three main categories:

• Cardio – to help boost metabolism and burn layers of fat, exposing abs
• Exercise equipment for abs – fitness equipment designed to specifically work the abdominal muscles and build up core strength and tone.
• Weights and resistance equipment that helps engage your core and associated stabilizer muscles while simultaneously igniting your metabolism

Why Lift Weights or Hit the Resistance Machines?

Lifting weights to lose weight seems counter-intuitive, right? It’s really not, though!

Weightlifting not only makes you stronger, but it accelerates your body’s fat-burning capabilities, torching calories in ways that steady-state cardio such as an aerobics class doesn’t. It also improves your overall fitness, which helps your body burn fat more efficiently, and engages your core throughout most movements.

You don’t have to go all-in with weightlifting to see benefits; even some moderate weightlifting a couple times per week provides benefits. If you want the most bang for your buck in terms of time commitment, focus on moves that engage multiple muscle groups, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. For more focused weight-training, you can split your lifting plans into targeted days, such as one day for back and bicep moves, one day for chest and tricep moves, and a third day for lower-body moves.

No matter what route you choose, leave at least one rest day between working the same muscle group. If you’re doing full-body moves, don’t lift weights at all on the rest days. If you’re targeting groups, you can lift weights every day, but be sure to rotate which groups you work (For example, chest and triceps on Monday, lower body Tuesday, back and biceps Wednesday, chest and triceps Thursday, etc.).

While having a full set of free weights and a barbell rack in your garage may be your dream, most home gym users are short on space. That’s why we recommend looking into a foldable home gym setup, such as the Torque 9 Fold-Away Strength Trainer. You get what you need to get a great weights workout in a convenient folding setup to save space.

Fitness Equipment for Sale in Kenner, LA

If you’re looking for quality and durable fitness and exercise equipment available, look no farther than Fitness Expo Stores in Kenner, Louisiana. Our experienced fitness consultants can match you with the right equipment for your fitness goals, space, and budget to get you on the road to a healthier, happier you! Visit us online or in-store today!