When you talk about getting a flat stomach, most people tend to think of exercises like crunches, leg lifts, sit ups, knee raises, etc., or the ab machines at the gym. These are very good for developing the muscles of the abdominal region, it is true. However, for the majority of people wanting to flatten their stomach, developing their abs isn’t what will get them there.
What these people, and most of the rest of us need, is to lose the fat around their midsection. This will give them that flat tummy, and if they also want defined ab muscles, that will come from the traditional ab exercises such as the crunch.
If you’ve been going to the gym for any length of time, you probably know of a couple of people who spend the majority of their time on the ab machines. But their waists never get any smaller. These people probably have great six pack abs - but nobody can see them under the layer of fat that covers their stomach. And one doesn’t have to be obese, or even overweight, to have this fat layer.
Now, which are the best exercises for losing that layer of fat in order to have a flat stomach? Indisputably, they are the cardio or aerobic exercises. You have a number of choices here. Running outdoors or on the treadmill, bicycling on the road or a stationary bike, using an elliptical machine, jumping rope, playing racquetball or basketball, and many more.
When it comes to cardio exercise, these days you’ll find a lot of experts who blast the long slow distance (LSD) technique that’s been in vogue for the past twenty years or so. LSD requires you to exercise in your ‘fat burning zone’, which is at 50 to 75 percent of your maximum heart rate.
These experts are saying that instead of long cardio workouts in the fat burning zone, we should all be doing intervals for fat loss. To do intervals, you intersperse periods of intense exercise with periods of easy recovery (not stopping, however). The intervals are said to rev up your metabolism so that your body will burn fat around the clock, rather than just during and right after the exercise, as is the case with longer slower cardio.
So which is the best option for getting a flat stomach? Well, that depends on you. If you like to go out for an hour run because it frees your mind and lets you think about things, or think about nothing, then you should concentrate on the longer less intense workouts. If you become totally bored or don’t have the time for these workouts, then you’d want to try intervals.
If you like to get your workouts over quickly, and can concentrate on the exercise and work out intensely during the ‘work’ periods, then intervals might be your best bet. But if you find working at your maximum intensity for short periods to be highly unpleasant, then lean towards longer slower workouts.
Finally, if you’re a person who likes variety in your workouts, then you should consider mixing longer slower runs with interval sessions. This is probably the best option anyway, so if it fits your personality and lifestyle, go for it. Regardless of the exact workout format you choose, remember that fat loss through cardio exercise is the key to getting a flat stomach.
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