This is one of the questions I get asked: All The Time.
“How can I tone up my tummy?”
But before we dive into the reply, let’s be specific. What “exactly” do we mean when we say “tone up my tummy?” or more generally “tone up”?
What does More Toned mean?
In general, it is a combination of two aspects:
- Lowering body fat
- Growing stronger, bigger muscles
In order to tone up, it stands to reason that we should target both aspects. But wait! Doing 100s of crunches is really poor use of time. Because:
- Abdominal muscles are generally really small in women
- Abdominal exercises are generally quite low intensity
- It is impossible to spot reduce fat. So, doing crunches will not burn the fat around your belly. It might marginally make your ab muscles bigger and stronger. But honestly, they won’t be making much of a difference in reality.
So how do you tone up your tummy?
Smart Workout to Tone Up Your Tummy
Instead of doing 100s of crunches you need to work out smart! A much better idea is to work out as hard as you can using big movements, big muscle groups and the heaviest weights you can manage. You guessed it! It’s squats and lunges… Why? Because this type of work out is what will burn the most calories! The bigger the muscle group, the bigger the calorie expenditure. And therefore the more fat being burned. Including belly fat.
In general 80-90% of our group workouts will target these big muscle groups.
Try this simple workout routine, which literally includes all my favourite exercises.
Nutrition is key
The second thing required to tone up your tummy is to decrease body fat. And the best way to achieve this is, of course, nutrition. As the saying goes “you make your abs in the kitchen”… So if you’re working out but not seeing the results in your waistline, then you need to look at your diet. High carbs and high sugars are your abs’ enemy. Try eliminating sugary treats, sugary drinks and alcohol from your diet. Eat more vegetables and protein instead (but don’t completely cut out fats or carbs!)
The simplest tip here is to eat good quality whole foods as far as time, practicality and budget allows.
Do ab exercises work to tone up your tummy?
The jury is still out on this. Ab exercises will help you get a better posture with your tummy tucked in. and this will also help keep your back strong and pain free. Core exercises are particularly important after a pregnancy.
And yes, in theory, completing ab exercises will help grow the muscle. But be warned it’s a slow process and it could take up too much of your workout… If you do wish to spend time on this, choose an exercise that is challenging and that uses the whole core. Like planks, side planks or Russian twist. And avoid ones that isolate upper or lower abs as this makes it an even smaller exercise with an even smaller muscle group.
And finally
Be patient! Often belly fat is our stubborn fat area which means that your body is likely to let go of it last. So make sure you’re practicing consistency and patience. Make sure you’re not obsessing on just one area of your body and look closely for improvements everywhere else too! For example, monitor and track your posture, your strength or how consistently you’re working out or eating well. All these are incredibly good wins for your overall health and wellbeing. And they should be valued and celebrated.
