Fitness Model Midsection - Concita's Top 5 Tips

Top 5 Fitness Tips for a Fitness Model Midsection

The hallmark of a fit female is a lean, sleek midsection. It is the testament to consistent training and disciplined nutrition. No wonder it is the most desired aesthetic outcome of a fitness program and the number one goal new training clients list when starting their programs. Since most of us desire a lean mean, midsection (and some of us want a six pack too), I decided to share my top five fitness tips for a fitness model midsection.

Tip #1: Incorporate pressing weight overhead into your workouts.
Pressing weight overhead requires you to strongly contract your abdominal muscles to keep your body stable and prevent your back from hyperextending. Be sure to pick a weight that challenges you but isn’t so heavy that you lose proper form.

Tip #2: Lift heavy weights.
Lifting heavy weight whether you are curling, pulling, pressing, lunging or squatting will require abdominal muscle activity. When you move heavy weights, you will have to brace yourself by tightening your abdominal muscles to maintain a stable core while your extremities move to press or pull the weight. Again go with a weight that is challenging but light enough for you to control.

Tip #3: Include assymetric lifts or carries into your workouts.
When you press, pull, or carry weight on one side of the body, your abdominal muscles contract to provide the counterbalancing force that keeps you upright (rather than leaning to the side that is loaded). You can try some of your favorite traditional moves like overhead presses, lunges, or squats using an offset load (weight on one side). You are sure to feel the work your abs are doing and notice the increase in training intensity.

Tip #4: Incorporate exercises that target your transverse abdominis for a tight waistline.

Doing core stability and dynamic stability moves such as planks, side planks, planks with arm or leg lifts, rotate and reach side planks, and many more will train your transverse abdominis and help tighten your waistline. Your abdominals are a group of muscles that run in multiple directions. Many women mistakenly only train the rectus abdominis (six pack muscles that run vertically between the breast and hips) and wonder why there stomach never gets flatter. The transverse abdominis (TVA) is the only abdominal muscle that runs around your waist like a belt. Training this natural girdle will produce the coveted flat stomach. You contract this muscle by pulling your belly button in toward your spine without flexing your spine (bending your back). The exercises I mentioned above all train your TVA very well and help pull your stomach in rather than just creating the “bricks” that make up your six pack.

Tip #5: Do cardio interval training.

Cardio interval training is a training method that involves alternating bouts of high intensity exercise with bouts of low intensity exercise. This training style has been shown in studies to burn up to 9 times more body fat than traditional steady state cardio. In order to see the beautiful abdominal muscles you have built through proper training, you must shed the fat that covers them and cardio interval training will help get the job done.

Bonus Tip: Be sure to eat balanced meals with appropriate portions.
Even the most effective training plan will not deliver a lean midsection or six pack abs without the support of a proper nutrition plan. Concentrate on small, frequent meals of protein, produce, and unrefined starches in the proper portions (link to portion control article) to reveal your slim, sleek, midsection.

For free body transformation resources including my free reports, “3 Reasons Fitness Programs Fail, Is This Happening to You?”, “Top 5 Fat Burning Boot Camp Exercises”, and a three part Nutrition Crash Course, subscribe to my newsletter at www.GreatShapeFitClub.com.