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Let's be honest - most of us have at some point checked out our belly in the mirror and immediately looked up "How To Get A Flat Stomach" on the internet.
People often try countless shortcuts and gimmicks to help them lose weight faster. The simple truth, however, is that there is no easy way to achieve a flat stomach or a six-pack. It all boils down to your diet, exercise routine, and level of determination. Most supplements and fancy workouts promoted on social media are often based on pseudoscience and take advantage of the naive beginner.
Today, we will take a quick look at the fundamental things you need to keep in mind during your weight loss journey. We will discuss the best diet, workout, and lifestyle changes you need to make in order to get a flat stomach, and perhaps even progress to washboard abs.
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How to get started?
Before you embark on this journey, you need to record some key measurements to approximate your body composition:
- Weight
- Height
- With a measuring tape, jot down your arm, waist, calves, chest, hips, and thigh measurements.
Using the above metrics, find out your body-fat percentage using any online body fat estimator. Although you may not get the exact number, you'll have a range to start planning for your next step. Also, find out your maintenance calories beforehand.
In order to get a flat stomach, you'll have to remain in a calorie deficit for months or years, depending on your starting point. For motivation, remember to take weekly videos or pictures.
How to optimize your diet in order to get a flat stomach?
Calories in, Calories Out (CICO) forms the basis of every diet. For men with above 22% body fat and women with above 35% body fat, the vast fat stores in your body allow you to start off with a more aggressive deficit, since you can still build muscle and lose fat at your level of body composition.
If you're somewhere between 15%-22% BF for men and 20%-35% BF for women, you can start by reducing 500-750 calories from your maintenance calories.
However, when your body fat level starts dropping even more, you may start losing muscle. To avoid this, use the following rules:
- Take up resistance training, and try to maintain strength in your compound lifts.
- Reduce your calorie deficit (not more than 0.5% - 0.75% of your bodyweight per week).
- Consume a high protein diet. Consume at least one gram of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.
In order to get a flat stomach, you have to be on top of your macro and micronutrients. Make sure to include healthy greens, fruits, and vegetables that will give you essential vitamins and minerals like zinc, potassium, sodium, B-vitamins, iron, Vitamin D, etc.
When it comes to your macro ratios, using a 40% carb, 40% protein, and 20% fat template is ideal for most beginners. Many people think that you need to avoid carbs to get a flat stomach. However, this is nothing but a common myth. Again, all that matters is whether you burn more calories than you eat.
How to set up the workout routine to get a flat stomach?
While dieting alone will make you lean, it often leaves you without any muscle tone. In fact, many end up with the much dreaded skinny-fat physique.
Resistance training is the best option to gain muscle while losing fat. More muscle mass will make you look more attractive, help you appear leaner, and make you more functional in daily life. It will also enhance your metabolism and burn more calories, which will help you reduce the overall deficit you will need in your diet.
To get a flat stomach, you should stick with basic compound movements like squats, overhead presses, deadlifts, pushups, pull-ups, and weighted carries. Focus on progressive overload and add in additional isolation exercises to spark hypertrophy in key areas. While ab training will not help you spot-reduce body fat, it will help you have a toned abdomen at even higher body fat levels.
You can also use cardio - either steady-state or HIIT - to boost recovery and burn more calories. The type of cardio you choose must be one you feel comfortable sticking with throughout the fat loss process. Cycling, rowing, swimming, walking, and circuit training are all viable options.
What are other lifestyle changes that will help you get a flat stomach?
Here are some general tips you can follow to maximize your weight loss process:
- Aim for a 6000-1000 step count daily.
- Stretching and foam-rolling will help enhance recovery and burn some extra calories.
- Stop drinking - alcohol has been directly shown to influence fat gain and insulin sensitivity.
- Get your partner or friend involved for accountability and support.
- Get a full blood panel before starting your weight loss program. Supplement wherever required.
- Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep daily. This will directly influence your fat loss and muscle recovery.
Takeaway
Contrary to popular belief, you do need to starve yourself or workout like David Goggins in order to get a flat stomach or a six-pack. Incorporate the aforementioned tips to your daily routine and watch your body transform month by month.
