Everywhere you look, you see images of flat stomachs – many of them as part of advertisements promising you can have the same thing, and they’ll show you how. They want to sell you something, and they’re not above making you feel bad about yourself to do it. It’s an ugly racket based on a silly arbitrary standard for how we all ought to look.
Ignore the hype. A flat stomach that looks a particular way is not important to your health. But getting rid of belly fat is good for you. Belly fat is associated with heart disease, more than fat carried on the hips or thighs. Strengthening your belly, which will reduce the fat on it, is good for your health (but getting anxious about how you look is not).
If you’re looking for stomach-flattening exercises, you can find a ton of possibilities online for free.
Looking online for exercises
The quickest and easiest place to search for stomach exercises is online. Just type a few search terms into the search engines – such as “flat stomach exercise” or “flat stomach routine” or “how to get six-pack abs” – and you’ll come up with many websites, some with better offerings than others. Most sites will offer the information for free, but others will be paid sites or will require you to submit an email address for them to send it to. Don’t assume a paid site isn’t worth the cost: some of them offer complete routines for getting a flat stomach, including diet suggestions. they may also offer expert advice tailored to your needs. But sometimes you can scour forums and come up with the very same exercises, plus people’s reactions and results.
The sheer amount of information online can be a little dizzying. As you read, narrow down what you’re looking for and hone your search results to get the specific stomach flattening advice that makes sense (or sounds doable) to you. Remember: all else being equal, the best routine is one you will stick to.
Don’t forget YouTube: search for “flat stomach exercise” or “flat stomach” or “how to get a flat stomach” at YouTube. There are lots of free videos that show you exercises that will help flatten your stomach.
Libraries
Libraries are awesome because they have old books. What’s the advantage of old books to someone trying to get fit? Old exercises! Never underestimate the power of classic exercises. Even classic old-fashioned sit-ups done correctly are great for your stomach muscles without causing any sort of injury. Old exercises are not necessarily better than new (and vice versa), but they’ve been around for years for a reason.
Libraries also offer videos for rent. Most have a fairly large selection of donated exercise videos, because so many people buy workout videos then get bored with them and donate them. These can be a goldmine of exercises and exercise routines to flatten your stomach. If you find one you want to own, you can buy it from a video store or Amazon, but until then you invest no money at all by checking these out.
Netflix
If you have a Netflix or similar account, check out their exercise videos. Just search for “flat stomach exercise” or “stomach workout” and see all they have to offer.
TV
TV is another source for good exercises. You may have to hunt for the right shows and set your DVR to record them while you’re at work, since many of them are on during the day. But I’ve found some very effective exercises by watching shows where instructors show you how to work out.
Doctors
Don’t forget doctors. If a doctor is advising you to lose weight around your midsection, then the doctor certainly should provide detailed instructions or tell you how to find them. Most doctors keep photocopies of helpful exercise and diet instructions they’ve collected over the years.
Personal Trainers
Another option is getting personal coaching from a gym or personal trainer. They can suggest exercises to flatten your stomach, ensure you’re performing them safely (this is important since they’ll involve back muscles and you don’t want to strain your back). If the exercises they give you don’t work as well for you as they have for other clients, the trainer will seek out other techniques and exercises to help you flatten your stomach.
Gyms also offer a variety of machines to help you perform stomach flattening exercises more correctly. They can also compensate if you have a weak back or any other considerations that make stomach flattening exercises difficult for you.
