A 6- Week Plan

The fastest way to a flatter belly isn’t to do hundreds of crunches. Rather, the key is to strengthen your entire core by training a deep abdominal muscle that wraps around your midsection called the transversus abdominis (TA).

- Amanda Vogel

Your TA acts as a natural girdle, and it needs proper training to make your lower abs, in particular, look and feel flatter and sleeker. Plus, a strong, stable TA helps support your back, making it less likely that you’ll be bothered by back pain. “The way you train your abs muscles is how they’ll develop,” explains Linda LaRue, a celebrity trainer based in Los Angeles and creator of the Crunchless Abs workout. LaRue says that doing standard crunches incorrectly can cause you to build your ab muscles outward. The trick to a flatter belly – getting rid of a post-pregnancy or age-related tummy – is to “pull your abs up and in as you work them from all angles.”

For a stronger core in just six weeks, check out LaRue’s Crunchless Abs workout today.

SET UP

To get the most from these exercises, follow these simple pointers from LaRue.

CHECK YOUR POSTURE

Whether you’re standing, lying or sitting, align your ears with your shoulders and hips. Next, pull your shoulders down and lift your breastbone slightly. Feel for equal muscle balance between your front and back.

CONTRACT YOUR PELVIC FLOOR

To help activate the TA, do a soft “Kegel” during each move by gently pulling your pelvic floor muscles – the ones you use to hold back urine when you need the bathroom – upward.

Bonus: Kegels help prevent or lessen incontinence.

GET STARTED

EQUIPMENT

A mat or bath towel, a hand towel and a one- to two-kilogram (threeto five-pound) dumbbell (optional).

WARM-UP

March in place or walk briskly for about three minutes.

REPETITIONS