Even once you've burned off any fat in your midsection, you may not have the definition you've always craved. It's an unavoidable truth that, while getting your heart rate up is essential to losing fat, it doesn't necessarily equate a six-pack. If you want to tone your tummy, you'll need to do strength exercises that target every group of muscles in the abdomen, cinching your waist better than cardio or crunches ever could. To start, try this five-move workout from Kendall Wood, MS, CSCS, coauthor of Core Fitness Solution.
Equipment needed: resistance band
Directions: Warm up with five minutes of light cardio and 10 side bends and woodchops on each side (don't use weights). Complete one round of the workout below, resting for 30 to 45 seconds between each set. Perform the same cardio, side bends, and woodchops as a cooldown.
Exercises:
If you want to see that toned tummy you've been working for, you need to get down to the basics and hit your abs and core muscles. According to Kendall, "the seated Russian twist is a great all-around core move that you can do anywhere."
This challenging exercise harnesses all your core strength to retain stability throughout the movement. "Don't let your inability to do too many reps prevent you from including this move in your workout," Kendall said. "Keep doing the v-sit and build up your strength and tone your stomach while you build your ability to do more over time."
Get ready to really feel your obliques. "Bicycle crunches are a great movement to keep building stability in your core, while also ensuring your obliques are worked just as hard as all the other abdominals," Kendall told POPSUGAR.
Grab a resistance band, because this simple movement is one of the most important things you can do to sculpt your abs. "Flutter kicks force you to target your lower abs while crunching forward just enough to also hit your upper abs — but be sure to keep your entire core braced throughout the set," Kendall said.
This move makes a traditional crunch twice as hard, but it's definitely worth the effort. "The double crunch is another move that will hit your entire core, but it is easy to forget form, so be sure to move slowly through each rep to see optimum results," Kendall said.