Have you been doing endless crunches your whole life and can barely make out a two-pack?

It’s time to stop wasting your time and implement some smart lifestyle hacks to finally help you get the shredded midriff you’ve always wanted.

Some ‘ab’ exercises tend to mainly work your hip flexors, especially when performed with poor technique. There are better, all-encompassing ones you can do every day which will really make a difference.

Secondly, the way your body looks is 80% down to what you eat and just 20% how you exercise… And after all, ‘abs are made in the kitchen’. You can’t out-train a bad diet.

Finally, stress and sleep deprivation can cause weight gain around the middle, so keeping your mind calm and contented and a solid seven to eight hours of quality sleep a night are of prime importance, too.

Try these 3 exercises to get you started on your journey to abs of steel for summer:

The Plank

This is one of our ultimate go-to exercises. If you’re short on time then it’s a win-win choice. Holding a plank position with help tone and strengthen your abs whilst also building strength in your arms as well. The best way to get the perfect plank is to do it in front of a mirror so you can make sure you are completely flat. Try to ensure your hips aren’t raised or dipped you should be in a straight line. Hold it for thirty seconds and slowly try to increase the timer to a minute. Once you’ve nailed the plank make it a little harder by pushing up from your elbows onto your hands and then coming back down to your elbows without putting your knees down.

Brisk Walk

Although this may seem simple it’s actually extremely effective. Going for a fasted Brisk Walk first thing in the morning is an amazing way at blitzing body fat and helping you to tone up. As your glycogen stores are less full first thing in the morning it will rev up your metabolism and help you to burn more calories throughout the day. 20 minutes is a great amount of time for a brisk walk.

Skaters

This is a great exercise at burning fat as well as working the abs. The swish from side to side with the arms helps slim down the width of the waist. This exercise will help to activate the oblique muscles in your abdominals.

About the author: The Bikini Girls are a duo of Personal Trainers based in London comprising of Deni Kirkova and Vicky Hadley.