Yahoo Lifestyle Ab workouts: you're doing them wrong
Photography: Thinkstock
The question: "No matter how many core moves I do, my stomach still has no definition. What am I doing wrong?"
The expert: Craig Ballantyne, certified trainer and author of Turbulence Training
The answer: Core moves can tighten and tone muscles…but on their own, they won't make a six-pack visible. "You might have definition in your stomach area, but the way to see it is to get down to a body-fat level below 20 percent," says Ballantyne.
"To do that, stop doing so many abs exercises, which don't burn a lot of kilojoules, and stick to a high-intensity workout that powers your metabolism and helps you get rid of extra fat," he says.
Aim for 20 minutes of pulse-pounding, high-octane exercise, which will torch kilojoules in the moment while also kicking your metabolism into overdrive after your sweat session is over. Any workout you like enough to stick with will do (for example, running or cycling both work).
Or try a circuit-training routine that mixes lots of moves. Ballantyne suggests personalizing a routine that incorporates kettlebell swings, pushups, total body extensions or burpees, and cross-body mountain climbers, all of which work major muscle groups while incinerating lots of kilojoules.
"Make every exercise last 30 seconds, with a 15-second rest between each before starting up again," he says.
No need totally banish core exercises from your routine, either. "Planks, bird dogs, and rollouts are also good for strengthening your core so you have more abdominal endurance and strength," says Ballantyne.
What if you've been sticking to a circuit routine or another intense workout for several weeks and still don't see results? You might be able to chalk it up to genetics, which play a role in how much visible definition you can develop. Still, that doesn't mean your health won't benefit from doing the routine outlined above, says Ballantyne.
