How To Get A Flat Stomach Fast
“Spot reduction” is a myth and you can’t lose belly fat by just doing sit-ups, nor can you make your upper legs slender by only doing squats. The same applies to your chest, hitting the bench press is not the miracle exercise.
To get a six-pack, you actually have to reduce the overall percentage of fat in your body by following a strict exercise routine and following a healthy diet. However, there is one shortcut you might have overlooked, it has to do with posture. Bad posture makes you look fatter and out of shape.
Correcting a poor posture can make you look slimmer and fitter. Look at the illustrations on the right, This is the perfect example of how important posture is, not just from a functional point of view but from an aesthetic one. The posture shown on the left is called kyphosis-lordosis.
Kyphosis defines an outward curve of the back (hunchback) and lordosis, an inward curve in the lumbar region of the spine (lower back).
Developing kyphosis-lordosis is mainly due to sitting at a desk and working on a computer for prolonged periods since it shortens and tightens the hip flexors. This causes the pelvis to tilt forward and the lower back to curve.
Looking at your computer while extending your head forward (which most people do) causes muscles in the upper back to shorten. This also creates a hunchbacked appearance that’s how posture can give you the appearance of a marked belly.
“This image represents two identical people. They are the same age, height, weight, and body fat. But one figure looks fatter and generally out of shape than the other.”
WHATS THE SOLUTION?
The solution is to strengthen some muscles and stretch other ones. To start with, the main muscles to strengthen are the abdominals and the glutes.
I consider the “get up” exercise as the most exhaustive core workout to stabilize and strengthen these two muscle groups. The “dynamic plank” is perfect for stabilizing core muscles, such as abdominal ones. The main muscles you will want to stretch are the hip flexors and lower back muscles, named the erector spinae.
The optimum all-in-one exercise for correcting the imbalance of the erector spinae is the famous yoga exercise known as “sun salutation”. Correcting a wrong posture could well be one of the first steps to revealing a flat stomach.
Krix Luther is a fully qualified personal trainer with nearly a decade of experience specializing in strength and conditioning. For more information about Krix and his services, visit The Vitruvian Method
