The three things we do wrong on the way to that tight belly
Summer is almost over and once again you haven't managed to show up in a bikini with a flat stomach. And that while you've been doing sit-ups like crazy. How do those angels do it? You better keep reading, because I have the three golden tips for you to strut on the beach next year with a six-pack. And from none other than Justin Gelband, the trainer of among others Miranda Kerr, Karlie Kloss, and Candice Swanepoel. And not only the VS Angels knock on the famous trainer's door; if you’re a bit involved in Hollywood, you’ll be sweating it out with La Gelband. He is the one who knows best how to train flat abdominal muscles the best and fastest. And he tells in an interview with Business Insider which mistakes are most commonly made. Are you guilty?
1. Only crunches
As soon as we talk about abdominal muscles, we all jump to crunches or sit-ups. The two are very similar yet they are two different exercises. With crunches, you only move your shoulders forward instead of your entire back. According to our Justin, both exercises do not work nearly as well as they seem.
‘All the pressure goes to your spine because you use your neck instead of your abdominal muscles. So it’s not only ineffective, but also burdensome for your back.’
Replace crunches and sit-ups with deadlifts, plank variations, and other core exercises. Heavier exercises, but also much more effective because you have to maintain balance continuously, which keeps your abdominal muscles engaged.
2. You don't pay attention to your diet
Abs are made in the kitchen. Strange but true. ‘If you eat healthy and well, you can get a flat stomach. That doesn’t mean you have to eat like crazy and then train like crazy,’ says Gelband.
By eating little fat, muscles become visible faster. There are fats in avocados and nuts too, so if you really really want that six-pack, you’ll have to eat those in moderation as well.
3. You only train your core
According to Gelband, your ‘core’ consists of more than just abdominal muscles. ‘We forget the hips, lower back, and glutes, which form a kind of house around your stomach.’
That’s why it’s important to train those muscles too, so that not all the pressure goes to your back. ‘When you do abdominal exercises, it’s important to rotate with other movements so that you also do something that isn’t as drastic as five thousand crunches.’
