For some women, attaining a stomach that is bikini-ready seems impossible. Childbirth, stress, menopause and unhealthy food choices can cause weight gain in the abdominal region. If you want rock-hard abs, you must eat a balanced low-fat diet, do aerobic exercise a minimum of four to five times a week and train your entire abdominal wall as hard as you can. Stick with it -- it may take up to eight weeks or more to see results.
Step 1
Eat to burn fat. "Eat Clean Diet" author Tosca Reno suggests that losing body fat is 80% diet, 10% exercise and 10% genetics. To get those abdominal muscles to show, you must eat for fuel and fat-burning. Eating clean is how bodybuilders prepare for competitions, giving them the ripped look they need to win. To eat clean, you must eat five to six small meals a day, consisting of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and essential fatty acids. Choose fish, tofu, lean beef, beans and legumes for your protein; whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables for your carbohydrates; and olives, oils, avocados, nuts and seeds for your fats. Avoid caffeine, sugar, processed, refined and fast foods.
Step 2
Target fat loss in your abs. MUFAs, mono-unsaturated fatty acids, are fats found naturally in olives, oils, avocados, nuts, seeds and dark chocolate. A study in the journal "Diabetes Care" shows that eating these foods will help prevent weight gain in the stomach area. The less fat you have around your stomach, the easier it will be to see your rock-hard abs. Eat a small amount of one MUFA with every meal.
Step 3
Work your entire core. You have six muscles in the abdominal area, often referred to as the core. When defined, the largest of these muscles, the rectus abdominis, creates the six-pack abs look. In order to get this muscle and the rest of the core muscles to show, you must work them hard. Regular crunches are fine, but you will need to up the intensity and add variety to get your abs rock hard. Try adding weights to your crunch routine by holding a plate or dumbbell on your chest. Incorporate different movements such as the plank, the side plank, V-sit crunches and hovers into your abdominal routine to work different muscles. You should take your abdominal muscles to failure, the point to where you feel you can't do anymore, at least once a week for the fastest results.
Step 4
Burn the belly fat with cardiovascular exercise. To get the most fat-burning out of your workouts, make sure you are doing aerobic exercise five to six times a week. Aerobic activity is a catalyst to help your body burn energy from fat stores. Your cardio routine should be a minimum of 30 minutes, and you should work at 80 to 85 percent of your target heart rate. To maximize fat-burning during cardio, Jason Karp, PhD, suggests doing a different aerobic activity weekly. Do shorter but harder interval training at 90 to 100 percent of your target heart rate once a week, or extend the length of your workout to 90 minutes to two hours. The key is to train hard and consistently.
Step 5
Give your body a rest. When you work your muscles to failure, they need time to replenish. The abdominal muscles will respond more quickly, and you will see better results when allowed to rest. Make sure you give your core a day off in between intense workouts.
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