Simple Ways To Shrink Your Belly

Great abs aren’t built on planks alone. Discover the workout methods that will stealthily fl atten and fi rm your middle— no mat required.

- Janet Lee

You may commit to crunches and planks, Pilates and yoga, all in an effort to target your abs, which they do, but don’t stop there. Broaden your “rep”-ertoire to include some of these other types of moves and methods (some of which you can do at your desk), and suddenly your core is being challenged with every motion—even though your mind is never on your middle.

Stability moves train your core to stay strong and steady. They also target your transverse abdominis, the deep ab muscle that does a 360 around your waist and draws it in, says Brent Brookbush, president of the Brookbush Institute of Human Movement Science in New York City. Try this stabilizer: Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and balance on your left leg. Squat on your left leg as you lower the weight toward your left foot.