As a Personal Trainer I am used to hearing the following from my clients…
“Can we work our tummy?” .
“We want more ab work”.
“Let’s do some more crunches”
Let’s face it, most people are not asking this to get a strong core or to increase the number of ab crunches they can do. They are asking because they want a nice flat tummy and maybe even to achieve the elusive 6 pack.
If you do NOT have a flat tummy, there may be a number of reasons why.
Spoiler alert… Crunches and ab work wont help you very much.
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5 reasons you don’t have a flat tummy
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1. Extra body fat all over your body
Did you know that most people who exercise regularly, already have enough muscle in their mid-section to achieve six pack abs (or close to it)
The reason you cant see your abs is because of the amount of body fat that you hold all over your body.
Working more and more on trying to build the muscle in that particular area is futile. The muscle is already there.
ie – doing more crunches, sit ups, planks etc
Aim to reduce the all over body fat percentage and eventually the muscle definition will show through. (Assuming that’s your goal)
Obviously a minimal amount of core work is needed to maintain the muscle and strength, but no need to go overboard.
If you can pinch more than a couple of inches of body fat at the side and front area of your tummy AND you can also pinch a similar amount of body fat at your upper arm and / or inner or outer thigh, then you are holding excess body fat pretty evenly all over your body.
This is the most common reason that people hold excess weight around their tummy.
Crunches, sit ups and plank work make little to no impact in regards to you losing weight.
If you could really make just one area of your body smaller (spot reduction) by repeatedly working it, wouldn’t it make sense that a professional tennis players dominant arm would be leaner than the other one?
A study tested this exact theory and guess what ?? No difference in the amount of body fat, despite the fact that one arm was worked 1,000’s of times more than the other one.
Action step
The answer to losing weight is to burn up more calories than you consume each day. Your genetics will determine (for the most part) where the lost weight will come from and in what order. Thanks Mum and Dad. 😉
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2. Extra body fat primarily around the middle.
You can pinch an inch or two of body fat at the side and front of your tummy. However the body fat at the upper arm and / or inner thigh is noticeably less than the tummy and you cannot pinch a similar amount of fat there.
Genetics can play a role in this. Some people just naturally hold more body fat around their middle, compared to others who naturally hold it in the lower body. Particularly people with a shorter torso.
Other factors may include
- stress
- lack of sleep
- lack of movement / exercise
- a diet too high in sugar and / or carbohydrates
- insulin resistance
These factors may impair your hormones and in turn cause you to hold more fat around your middle. It will also be harder to lose weight in general.
The general appearance is of an apple shape body with slimmer arms and legs. Women will lose the look of an hourglass and there will be no distinct smaller waist.
Action steps
- Manage your stress and sleep quality
- Manage your daily carbohydrate intake
- Ensure you consume adequate protein and vegetables
- Move often in whatever way you enjoy
- Exercise just outside your comfort zone a couple of times per week
- Read THIS post – – Insulin resistance and your weight
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3. Bloating
At times the whole tummy will feel full and hard. It may be hard to pinch an area of body fat. You will have periods throughout the day or week when you do not suffer bloating and periods when you do. Keep a journal to determine if you have a negative reaction to certain foods. Bloating is usually caused by food allergies or intolerances.
Action step
Please see your doctor for treatment if you think this affects you.
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4. Posture and bracing your core
You may not have a lot of extra body fat or bloating, but you might stand with a sway back which causes your tummy to poke out. It may LOOK like you have a bigger tummy than you actually do. Correcting the posture by strengthening the core and doing the appropriate stretches will have a big impact on the look of your tummy.
Bracing your core muscles instead of letting them all hang out will have a big impact too.
The above pic is me taken seconds apart. One image is me letting it all hang out, the other one I am bracing my abs and core.
Action step
Pull your tummy in and brace your abs all day long. Every small action that you do will become an ab workout.
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5. Extra skin
This is usually caused after you have lost a large amount of weight. Maybe after pregnancy or weight loss surgery. This area will feel thin and saggy. Unfortunately diet and exercise will have little effect on excessing sagging skin.
Action step
If you are really bothered by this, surgery may be your only option. However it is not to be taken lightly. Do your research and see a trusted professional.
On the other hand you could learn to love yourself exactly as you are right now, extra skin and all. Knowing what is on the inside is way more important and beautiful than what’s on the outside.
🙂
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How to achieve the elusive six pack abs
To achieve visible abdominal muscles, commonly known as 6 pack abs, you need very low overall body fat percentage plus some muscle tone all over your body and in particular around your mid section.
- All over body fat percentage under around 18% for females
- All over body fat percentage under 12% for males
- (estimate numbers only).
As stated above, reducing your overall body fat percentage is achieved by burning up more calories than you consume each day.
Ab crunches, sit ups, planks etc will have a minuscule impact on this.
Chriss Tinslay has been a fitness and weight loss coach for 20+ years.
She coaches regular people how to reach and maintain their healthy, happy weight and shape by making one small habit change at a time.
Chriss doesn’t believe in strict diets, excessive exercise or ALL or NOTHING approaches. She believes in making slow and sustainable progress for long term success.
She coaches regular people how to increase fitness and energy, decrease body fat and stress whilst doing it in a simple way that you can enjoy and continue with long term.
When Chriss is not teaching fitness and weight loss, you can find her hanging out with her family, listening to 80’s music or laughing out loud to Kath n Kim re-runs.