The abdominal area has become the American focal point for developing a lean, defined physique. Every day, it is a main topic of discussion at work or after work. But with so much demand for information on how to get rid of those “love handles” and get a “ripped stomach” or “six pack,” there's information overload and confusion about how to keep the waistline trim.

        Almost by the hour, there is a new exercise, food, or machine that will help “trim unwanted inches and fat” from the abdominal area.

        Despite the millions of dollars spent each year on foods, programs and machines geared to tighten up tummies, people's basements garages and kitchen cabinets are becoming scaled down land-fills for all of these products while American waistlines become larger.

        It is time for America to realize that the newest fad diet, machine or exercise is just another addition to the already mind-boggling haze of fitness information and confusion. The main culprit is the notion of spot-reduction. Spot reduction is a myth. You cannot train a specific muscle group to burn off fat in that particular area.

        Doing abdominal exercises does define and strengthen these muscles, but won't burn off the fat that cover them.

        You can do sit ups until you pass out, but you would burn more calories hauling unused fitness equipment up your basement stairs and out to the trash bin.

        There is a layer of fat between your skin and muscles. Just exactly where you store fat is genetically determined for you. A healthy diet and consistent cardiovascular exercise will help you reduce fat — not in specific areas but all over your body.

        Strength training adds to the equation by making your body leaner and your muscles bigger. Bigger muscles burn more calories.

        That said, here are my recommendations for exercises you can do to for your abs.

        These exercises are listed with basic exercise and muscle group worked first and a more challenging exercise second.. How well you perform an exercise is more important than how many, how fast or how frequently you perform it.

Abdominals or Rectus Abdominis

        The Basic Crunch: Lay flat on your back with your legs in the air at a 90 degree angle and crossed, each hand behind each ear gently caressing your head, and your elbows slightly bent or just above being parallel to the floor. From this position, contract your abdominal muscles and slowly raise your shoulder blades off the floor, exhaling as you contract. Repeat this motion for 2-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.

        Toe Touches: Lie flat on your back with your feet straight in the air, a slight bend in your legs (this keeps your lower back safe), your arms totally extended and your finger tips pointed right at your toes. With your head right where it would be as if you were standing , slowly contract your abdominal muscles until your shoulder blades are slightly raised off the floor, and repeat. Perform this for 2-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.

Internal and External Obliques (Love handles)

        Side Crunch: Lay flat on the floor with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and twisted to the side. With each hand behind each ear gently caressing your head, slowly contract until your shoulder blades are raised slightly off the floor. This is similar to the basic crunch except that your legs are twisted to the side so as to stimulate the internal and external obliques. Perform this 2-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.

        Toe Touch Twist: Lie flat on your back with your feet in the air and a slight bend in your knees, put one hand behind your head just behind your ear with your other hand/arm fully extended and stretched across your body. Slowly twist/contract until the extended arm's shoulder blade is just off of the floor, and repeat. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.

Lower Rectus Abdominis or Abdominals

        Reverse Crunch: Lie flat on your back with your legs in the air with a slight bend (it is your choice of whether to keep your head slightly off the floor or resting on the floor. It is a matter of comfort and personal preference) and the palms of your hands at your side and on the floor. Slowly raise your rear end just a few inches off the floor while at the same time applying pressure to the floor with your hands and repeat. This is simply the opposite of the crunch motion and raising your rear end too high will compromise the effectiveness of the exercise. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.

        Lower Abdominal Leg Raise: With your rear end at the edge of a workout bench, your arms comfortably behind you for support, your head in a normal position, your legs extended with a slight bend to keep the low back out of the exercise, slowly raise your legs up and down without bending the legs anymore than what is shown throughout the whole exercise. The idea is to perform the motion with your abdominals, not by bringing your knees up toward your chest. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.

Training Format

        • Support your abdominal training by getting at least 3-4 days of cardiovascular exercise 20-60 minutes per session, at least two days of strength training covering all major body parts, a healthy diet, and lots of water.

        • There are many philosophies about how often to train the abdominals. My philosophy is to take the middle ground and try a few different ways and then choose what is best for you. Some believe in doing ab exercises every day, some every other day and others just twice a week. Beginners should start out by doing them twice a week, then work up to more frequency as form and technique improves. From there, go off on your own and do what works best for you and your goals.

        • All exercises are to be done paying close attention to slow speed of movement (no jerking the head or fast movements), breathing out as you contract the muscles, keeping your head in a normal position and isolating the muscle group being worked. Precision is the key.

        Contact certified personal trainer Dave Patania by e-mail: davpatania@aol.com.

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