Flat Stomach

B

beauty

0
I'm a 26 year old female and I have been training in the gym 4 nights a week for the last 5 years. I am a slim/muscular build and am happy with my shape so my main focus is maintaining this. However i have always had a problem with my stomach, it isnt flat and it annoys me. I look thin overall but have this little rounded bit which looks like I'm in the early days of pregnancy!! (ok maybe thats an exageration but you know what I mean). At times I've convinced myself that this was due to my stomach itself as I have trouble with bloating and have had stomach issues, but now I'm wondering if it is just a store of fat and there might be something I can do to get rid of it.

I don't necesarilly want a six pack, I just want to flatten down my stomach.

I currently work out 4 times a week, I'm in the gym for 1.5 hours total and spend 1 hour doing cardio (light interval training on a combination of treadmill, cross trainer, bike and rowing machine) followed by half an hour of light arm weights, abs or leg weights. I must admit my abs routine is a bit lame and I've been repeating the same things for ages now.

Can anyone offer any advice or is in a similar situation?

Thanks.
 
Oh I forgot to mention my diet is also very good, we eat wholemeal pasta/rice with chicken/turkey most nights. Everything is made from scratch so we dont buy anything pre-made and few things containing additives etc. I drink only water all day, and rarely drink alcohol. I rarely consume anything 'bad' like sweets, buscuits, chocolates, fried foods etc.

There are very few ways I could improve my current diet so I dont think this is the answer.
 
What is your sleeping pattern like ? as this may be the factor involved, As for your ab workouts it sounds like you've plateaud and need to switch it up a bit. Remember ab work outs wont get rid of belly fat they only strengthen your abs, your diet will. Now i know you said there's not a lot wrong with your diet, and there may well not be but i would be interested to know your time of eating ? as this may too be a factor.
 
The abdomen has natural grooves and curves to it. No one has a truly flat stomach, so it may be that you're holding yourself up to unrealistic standards and creating a problem that isn't there. But, assuming that there is actually something to your stomach issues, it sounds to me like the issue's probably posture. Practice lifting your chest and drawing your stomach in.
 
@1didieci
Thanks for your response :) I have a regular sleeping pattern, I go to sleep between 23:00-23:30 every night and wake up at 07:30. The only time this varies slightly is at weekend when I'm not working, then I would usually stay in bed later. I eat a light breakfast at 08:00, then a bigger breakfast at 10:30, lunch at 13:00 and evening meal at 20:00-20:30 (after the gym). I'd ideally like to be eating my evening meal earlier but I dont get home until 19:30..

@Goldfish
I know what you mean, sometimes I think it is just my natural shape as I've always had a bit of a potbelly look even when I was young and very slim. I agree that posture could be the issue, sometimes when I look at my stomach in the mirror i'm slouching and making it look worse. My posture isnt great in general so I'll definitely work on that. Thanks for your advice :)
 
A flat stomach is everybody's dream and much more appealing than the flabby one that is becoming a part of many lives today. Abs training is painstaking a difficult exercise. But if you use the suitable exercise apparatus, you can attain your goal with little effort.
 
Maybe it is time to mix things up a bit. You could drop some of the cardio and replace it with heavier weights which should increase you muscle mass slightly (dont worry, you wont grow all bulky) which will then increase your metabolism and burn more fat each day.

Some of the best exercises for strength are also great for your core muscles such as squats and deadlifting. I suggest a simple strength workout such as Bill Stars 5x5s which is 3 times a week and see how you get on.
 
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