Great abdominals are ABS-solutely possible no matter what the physical body type by working the stomach core muscles properly combined with the right nutrition that prevents bloat and love handles. It’s not all about crunches! 
If you want a set of killer abs you better have a PhD because it will take Persistence, Hard work and Determination.
An athletic yet feminine look however is achievable, natural and healthy through proper training and nutrition.
What is far more important overall than looking good is a healthy set of core muscles to help us function to the best of our abilities in both activities of daily living and sport.
A lot of people think of the “six pack” muscles as the core but it consists of a group of muscles that function collectively.
Stomach Core Muscles
The stomach core muscles are the transverse abdominis, obliques and rectus abdominis; the back–the erector spinae; hip core muscles are the iliopsoas, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius/minimus.
Let’s take a look at each of these and their function. . .
Transverse abdominis
These are the deep underlying stomach muscles and most essential for a strong core. They act like a natural weight lifting belt offering internal support while creating a strong link between the upper and lower body.
Many women that have a problem with “leaks” while jumping or running after having children will find they often “disappear” with strengthening these muscles.
Obliques
These muscles are slightly to the sides of our waists and link to the ribcage. There are 4 in total, 2 each side (internal and external). Their job is to help with rotating and twisting movement at the waist.
Rectus abdominis
The 6 pack–it sits on top of the other stomach muscles. Aside from looking good in a lean individual its main job is to keep the pelvis in line which in turn protects the spine.
Erector spinae
These are the small muscles that run up your spine on both sides. They keep you upright and also aid in the bending of the trunk.
Iliopsoas
These are the hip flexor muscles. They are at the top of your legs and help with flexion.
They also travel through your pelvis and attach on the lower spine. Because people sit so much they are notorious for getting shortened and are a direct cause of lower back pain. In addition to being strong they need to be supple.
Gluteus maximus
One of the biggest muscles in your body they are involved heavily in moving the legs when running or walking. They’re also important for good posture and a strong core.
They become weak quickly with inactivity (aka sitting on them excessively). This important muscle needs to be trained well and often else junk in the trunk can easily creep up.
Gluteus medius/minimus
Small muscles that sit under your gluteus maximus. Generally weak and tight in most people. They assist in moving your legs out to the side and rotation.
Hamstrings
While technically not part of the core if they are tight they will have a negative influence on your core stability. Keep them well stretched to avoid leg cramping and strains.
Great Abs are More than Crunches
As you can see the core is a combination of several muscles and many people mistakenly think all they need to do to develop an aesthetically pleasing and strong core are crunches.
Wrong!
Like many other things in life it is a multi faceted approach. Top of the list is heavy weight training, anaerobic conditioning, a clean diet, core exercises and to a degree genetics. Sound familiar?
Heavy weight training
Nothing new here; stick to the basics–squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press and the advanced can throw in the Olympic lifts such as the clean and jerk and the snatch.
KISS. Keep the weight heavy (6-10 ish or 3-6 for advanced lifters) and the form good to prevent injuries.
Perform single sets or circuit style with other functional exercises thrown in. After training the major lifts I like to follow up with some specific core work like weighted sit ups, glute ham raises, hanging ab raises, db or kb swings, back raises (extensions), good mornings, hanging leg raises, ab wheel, sledgehammer slams etc. . this list is by no means conclusive.
Anaerobic conditioning
Short and intense trumps long, slow distance every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Go hard for 10-60 s then allow adequate recovery of 20 s to 2 min. Run, jump, swim, bike and row–the modality is irrelevant.
It is best to stay off the hamster wheels (elliptical and treadmill). They are both very boring and non functional. Our bodies are not meant to move like that.
While not everyone strives for or desires the six pack aesthetics we certainly don’t want them covered up with gobs of visceral fat. That is extremely unhealthy and can lead to many health problems such as diabetes, cancer (especially colon), high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart disease, gallbladder problems and even dementia.
Nutrition
Largely, your abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. Workouts help to define, tone and POP what is already visible naturally from a good diet that keeps the stomach bloat and love handles at bay.
Stick to meat, fish, fowl, vegetables, some fruit, little starch and no sugar in amounts to sustain activity but not body fat.
Don’t be afraid of healthy fats such as coconut oil, butter, duck, chicken or goose fat, lard and tallow from pastured animals. These will give you energy and are good for you!
Yes folks, no matter how good your soaked and sprouted muffins are if you’re looking to reduce body fat then you need to reduce your intake of these types of products.
However, if you are already a lean machine, extremely active in either your leisure pursuits or your career and blessed with good genetics you will be able to indulge in these more often while maintaining a lean midsection. While it’s not all about caloric intake, portions do matter. This is especially true if you want to see your abs!
Time for a pop quiz!
ABS pop quiz
Which of these two in the picture above is the woman? If you guessed the person on the right–you’re getting the hang of it! A woman doesn’t have to look like a man to have great abs!
This is a maintainable and healthy place to be that can be had with the right diet, exercise program and fit into the daily lifestyle of most people. Follow the above guidelines, throw in persistence, hard work and determination and a toned and healthy and gorgeous midsection is yours for the taking!
I don’t even want “killer abs.” Hubby loves feminine softness. I’m not talking about excess belly flab….just the smooth, womanly tummy that was popular in the 40’s and 50’s.
IMO, even the other photos of the women with “ripped abs” and defined arms are, in nicer words, not attractive. Woman should be soft and curvy. We should look like a woman, Not, male.
Emma, I was thinking the same thing! I’d like to have a flatter stomach with a strong core, but in no way would I ever want to look like that. To each her own!
Personally it’s a look I like 😉 Unfortunately I’m more of the soft and curvy type…
One Question: Isn’t some of this totally out of reach for those of us who have had children and our muscles have been destroyed. I for one feel that that is the case for me.
I also want to say that sometimes having “ideals” like this in our face is not entirely encouraging. A more realistic goal is perhaps better for us moms to look at. Am I the only one who feels like I’d have to ditch a ton of other things in order to look like this? And would I want to? I don’t think I want to have “abs like a man” be my goal.
Thanks.
T-Tapp has been a successful route many women and men have taken to reach attainable goals for themselves without a major time factor, I have 6 children with #7 on the way, I do believe better fitness is attainable, but I am honestly not willing or able to put much time into getting there (I refuse to do anything that requires leaving my house or extra funds to attain). I have found T-Tapp to be very manageable and helpful (a$35 investment).
Though there are “rep” type fitness programs that only require working out 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes. Something like Paula is describing with the on 30 sec, rest 2 minutes, on 30 sec, rest 2 minutes (for 6+ repititions). You essentially do something to the max for 30 seconds (meaning you could not bear to take another step or jump, or whatever at the end of 30 seconds). Dr. Mercola had an article on this type of workout (can’t remember the title though). Seems interesting and doable, but I went to T-tapp instead.
FIT = an Abacrombie & Fitch torso?
Guess what I don’t look like. …and NEVER will without a a surgical procedure.
…..sigh.
Oh dear, Marcia. I’m just a regular person with no training. I’ve had weight issues my whole life. What I finally realized, was that no one had ever taught me about eating healthy and taking care of myself. When I got pregnant with my first baby, I thought that I was going to get fat anyway,so I ate junk. It’s been a long road of teaching myself better ways and to care enough about myself to take the steps to change and improve my health. Last year I got a juicer and started eating a more traditional diet, eliminating processed foods including white flour and white sugar and more weight fell off. Before that I started doing yoga everyday because of my bad back, again, the weight fall off. I think it’s about baby steps and finding what works best for you. (I hate jogging and am not coordinated enough for aerobics and Pilates is just too much. ) Good luck …. P.s. i still eat chips and bake cookies(brown sugar, honey, molasses). I have found a wonderful balance and am not deprived at all. You can do this too!!
I weigh in excess of 300 pounds. Where do I start? What is even possible for me? Is there something I can read or watch which can help me get started? I walk a few days a week, but my muscles are so weak I pulled an abdominal last month and could hardly take a deep breath for two weeks. I feel so hopeless and confused. I can’t even interpret your guidelines in this article. It just seems so out of reach for me. :*(
Hi Marcia, I would start by focusing heavily on the nutritional aspect. As the weight comes off everything will get easier. I would continue with the walking starting slowly and increasing pace and distance as you can realizing you are in it for the long haul. I would start with basic body weight exercises for the strength training such as squats, lunges and modified push ups. For the core start witha basic crunch, back extension and add in isometric core exercises to help w/ awareness. If you are not sure of these just search the Internet for detailed descriptions.
Hi Marcia. I wrote you a reply down there…. On the main part. 🙂
Hi Marcia 🙂
You’ve already started, which us more than many people do. You are walking!! That is fantastic!!! I just wanted to encourage you to keep walking, and let you know that is how I started. I did three things, and the weight started coming off very rapidly:
1. I walked no less than every other day. If I could only do ten minuts that was ok with me, I still was walking. Each week I was able to add more minutes to my walk, and eventually I was able to walk daily.
2. I cut grains and sugar out of my diet *completely*. It was really, REALLY hard to do, but I made it my priority because I kept my mind focused on the goal: being healthy.
. I cut processed foods out of my diet completely. I read that our body uses fat as a means to store toxins that it can’t eliminate. The book said that a lot of people get fat because they are overloaded with toxins, not lazy. I learned that thera are a lo
t of toxins in processed foods, so I stopped eating them.
4. I started eating fat. The good kind of day that my body needs.
I have lost over 100 pounds by doing this. I didn’t cut everything out at once. I started with just walking. Next, I cut out grains & sugar. Those two actions alone caused a lot of weight to come off and my mind to clear a lot. I remember feeling hopeless, and knowing that I couldn’t continue being so unhealthy but feeling like the target was so far away that I would never make it. That is the other thing I did. I setback reasonable short term goal that was measurable. Like “I will lose two pounds in two weeks” or “I will lose five pounds in one month”. Then I remained focused on that goal. And once I achieved it I would set a new goal. I did that with walking also: “I will walk ten minutes every other day for one week.”. Then the next week, feeling good about my goal, I might up it to 10 minutes one day and 15 minutes the next, but still walk everyday. Or 15 minutes every other day if I felt everyday was too hard. I just tried to do it daily to train my body, but keep the time frame low so I didn’t over do it.
You are already doing some of this, and I commend you for that because I know how easy it is to just give up. Baby steps girlfriend, and you WILL get there!! Keep up the good work!!! Others may disagree but in my opinion grains are not our friend. Still, if I eat grains or sugar I literally will gain pounds overnight. The book “The Low Glycemuc LOAD Diet” explains that for some of us, they are like poisons. I highly recommend that book, by the way. I also recommend “Eat Fat, Lose Fat” by Sally Fallon & Mary Enig and another one called Good Calories, Bad Calories.. I can’t remember the authors name. He also wrote a shorter less technical book called something like “Why you get fat & what to do about it”. It’s a shorter read & makes the same great points.
Best of luck to you Marcia. I’m rooting for you.
Marcia, I have just started the T-Tapp series, http://www.t-tapp.com. there are many, many testimonials and lots of success from women just like you. No impact workout. I would suggest looking into it. It is a simple workout that works on flushing the lymph system, strengthening the core, aligning the spine, and loosing inches, not weight. YOU CAN DO IT. T-Tapp is seriously an in-road for you to begin your success story. Check it out….with nutritional changes and her basic workout, I think you will be very encouraged within weeks.
Marcia, just want to say GOOD FOR YOU for starting with research! Reading this blog will help you begin to make slow, permanent changes. I would recommend you find Ashley Dianna Black on FB and learn about fascia and proper biomechanics which is the basis for human movement. Do it slow, do it right, and just keep doing it!
Ha!! Thanks for the laugh this morning!! That is definitely not a woman, unless she had a male part attached! This was timely as I have started to seriously focus on this area… thanks!
Glad you informed us that Alien Abs was a woman. I would have never guessed!
What does KISS stand for? ”Keep the weight heavy (6-10 ish or 3-6 for advanced lifters)” 6-10 pounds? But less for advanced?
Basically it means to keep it simple. 6 to 10 reps for beginner to intermediate and 3 to 6 reps for advanced. The weight used will vary with an individual’s strength but should be the most one can lift for the chosen number of reps.
Thank you for the explanation because I didn’t know what 6-10 and 3-6 was either. While the information is good, I thought there was a LOT of jargon in the post that only makes sense if you are already working out gym…and if that’s the case, you probably know all this stuff already.
If anybody’s interested in locating or visualising those muscles precisely, head on over to the Zygote Body browser.