Your middle is not a mere vanity project – it’s a real barometer of your health. Get it in top form with this science-backed approach.


Your middle is not a mere vanity project – it’s a real barometer of your health. Get it in top form with this science-backed approach.
FLIP FOR YOUR ALL-IN- ONE GUIDEBOOK TO STRONGER ABS
Check out the latest research, get pro tips, and walk away with a better core.
OPTIMISE YOUR AB MOVES
Two exercises keep proving to be gold standards of core strengthening: the crunch, which firms the more superficial abs – the rectus abdominis down the centre and the obliques along the sides – and the plank, which works the deep, corset-like transverse abdominis.
The crunch is so effective at activating these superficial muscles because their fibres all have a vertical orientation that lets them fire in sync with the exercise’s straight-up motion, says Martin Eriksson-Crommert at Orebro University in Sweden. His research found that women who place their hands behind the head – instead of atop the chest or reaching forward – get the biggest activation. Speeding up the pace of crunches can double the activation of the rectus, other research has shown; add a twist to further engage obliques.

1 DOUBLE-LEG STRETCH

2 SPIDER PLANK

3 SIDE PLANK TWIST
ROUTINES WITH BUILT-IN CORE TIGHTEN ERS

SWING A KETTLEBELL

LIFT BIGGER DUMBBELLS

DO SPRINTERVALS
Your abs will engage as you pump your arms harder, and the HIIT will help burn more ab fat than if you stuck with steady cardio.