The Best Strategy for a Flat Stomach

One of the things I love about training early morning clients (aside from the waking up part) is the deep philosophical conversation and thought provoking questions which challenge the limits of my still drowsy mind.

In addition to the usual "how many reps again?" and "what time is it?", one of the newer questions I been asked latley is "how is it possible to have a ripped stomach and still have a gut?" This question is usually followed by the inevitable "what is the best exercise for a flat stomach"?

While I think all of us have advised our clients that training the backside of the body (do more pulls than pushes) is a good strategy to improve posture and compliment abdominal training, one thing many fail to consider is that all muscles are not created equal. For example, a major exception to this rule are the Lattismus Dorsi muscle.

The most superficial of all back muscles, the lats have a broad attachment to both the thoracic and lumbar spine, all the lumbar spinous processes and the illiac crest. In plain English, this means that the lats are attached to the pelvis and have the potential to create anterior tilt of this area when contracted.

In the case of your abs, tight and/or overactive lats means an increased lordosis or arching of the back which gives the appearance of a gut. This effect is sometimes seen in bodybuilders with ripped abs but ridiculous protruding stomachs.

While I will get in to specifics in future posts, it is important to consider that because most exercises such as pulldowns, chins, rows and pullovers recruit the lats as the prime mover, these exercises could also be contributing indirectly to a protruding stomach.

With this in mind, stretching the muscles which cause this anterior tilting of the pelvis is undoubtedly the most effective strategy for achieving a flat stomach. Thes include:

1. The Lats
2. Hip flexors (Psoas/quads)
3. TFL

4. Adductors

Only once these areas are free and mobile can we begin to most effectively strengthen the abs without fear of worsening this protruding stomach effect.

So which exercises are best for each area of the sixpack? Check out my article on Fitnessmash next week for our new core training secret weapon. In the meantime, I also invite you to check out an excellent article by Bret Contreas on the best exercises to activate various areas of the abs and try to stretch this weekend!