As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I hear the phrase, “I want to lose my belly fat” more times than I could possibly count. Getting rid of the dreaded belly fat is the number one request from my clients. But I instantly make a point to be very clear that getting a nice, flat stomach takes more than just working out.

As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I stress the point that ABS aren’t made only in the gym, but more importantly, the kitchen. This means that even if you do a million crunches a day, but your diet is poor, you will still not attain those desired 6 pack abs. A healthy diet is the biggest part of getting a flat belly. Of course, cardio is important too, but hands down, diet takes the cake. Funny use of that phrase there.

But, it is still extremely important to build up your stomach muscles, seeing as how they are a part of your “core”. The core consists of the pelvis, abdominals, lower and upper back muscles. You can see why the core is so essential due to that fact that it basically makes up your entire body minus your limbs. If you have a strong core you are setting yourself up to be strong throughout your entire body. Core is central.

So, as a Scottsdale personal trainer, I want to show you 3 of my favorite core exercises that you can do at home. I want to give you the foundation of a strong core, but YOU must do the work in the kitchen to get that layer of fat off so you can expose the rock hard abs that my core exercises will give you! Again, to reiterate, my 3 core exercises will build strong abs, BUT eating right and cardio will shave off the fat in order to expose them.

Check out these core exercises:

To the left you see what is called a reverse curl. There are many variations of this, but I like this the best because it incorporates both upper and lower abs. Start lying on your back, legs bent, hands behind head.

Crunch with your upper body as you simultaneously draw your knees in towards your chest and LIFT your hips off the ground towards the ceiling as shown in Position B. Release and go back to A position. Be slow and deliberate with your movement. THINK about what you’re working.

Start with 20 repetitions and see how you feel. Are you burning at 20? If not, go for 20 more.

Reverse Curl/Position B

Next, you will see an example picture of the plank below. A couple things to keep in mind is that your elbow joints are directly below your shoulders. Secondly, keep your butt level with your shoulders. Many people either lift their butt too high, or sag it too low. Imagine there is a string on your belly button and it is attached to the ceiling, You must actively draw your belly button in and up and SQUEEZE.

The Plank

As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I tell my clients to imagine their stomach as a wet sponge and they must ring all the water out of it. INTENTIONALLY SQUEEZE! Hold the plank position for just 25-30 seconds at first and build up to holding it for one minute. If that is too easy then try lifting one leg up for 30 seconds, then switch legs and hold the other one up for the remanding 30 seconds. Get that strong core!

Lastly, is what I call The Twist. In the pictures below, you see a ten pound medicine ball being used, but you can use anything in your house. A soup can or a book would work. Or maybe you don’t even need weight at first.

Medicine Ball Twist/ Position

Start sitting on your butt with your legs slightly bent out in front of you. Keep your chest open and puffed out as you lean back with a FLAT spine. Keeping the ball(or whatever you use) close to your body, twist it from side to side, rotating your ENTIRE torso. Don’t let your arms do all the work. Twist with your abs! As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I recommend only doing 20 reps, or “pairs” at first. Meaning, twisting one way and back equals one rep. If that is easy, try using something heavier and/or doing more reps.

Medicine Ball Twist/Position B

Try doing three sets of these core exercises two times a week.And remember, the best advice your Scottsdale personal trainer can give is to tell you to clean up your act in the kitchen. Check out my nutrition tips section to learn how.

You HAVE six pack abs I promise! They are in there and they are dying to be shown off!!!