5 weird tips you might not know when it comes to getting a flat stomach and firm abs.

#1 - The best interval training work-to-rest ratio for losing belly fat might be 1-to-1.5 (e.g. 30 seconds fast running to 45 seconds slow running).

But in a recent Australian study, researchers found that doing intervals for 8 seconds followed by 12 seconds of rest resulted in significantly more belly fat burning than long slow cardio.

Now I know that 8 seconds on and 12 seconds off sounds a little annoying (just try doing that on a machine), but the good news is that these researchers found that going for 24 seconds followed by a 36 second rest works just as well for boosting fat burning hormones. Give it a try.

#2 - "Get almost all of your carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables."

I really liked that tip because I've been telling people this for ages, and it's part of my Fat Loss nutrition plan. Oh, and while I am on nutrition, try this Super-charged Strawberry-Banana smoothy:

1 ripe banana, frozen strawberries, spinach, flax oil (trust me, you can't taste the spinach OR the flax seed oil), cashew butter, chocolate protein powder, and almond milk.

It was one of the best smoothies I've made in a while.

#3 - You need to be able to do a Plank exercise for 2 minutes.

Dr. Stuart McGill, the world's leading expert on low back health, says in his book that a person with fit abs should be able to do a plank exercise for 2 minutes straight.

If you can't do the plank for 2 minutes, then you need to lose belly fat and you need to get a program that works your abs properly. I can help you with that!

#4 - New research shows that superset training burns more calories than traditional straight set resistance training, so start super-setting!!

#5 - To see your abs, a man will need to be close to 10% bodyfat and a woman will need to be at about 16% fat.

Of course, the more muscle you have, the easier it will be too see your abs, so you'll still be able to see a 4-pack on muscular guys when they have 12-13% fat. But the bottom line is that you need to fix your Nutrition to burn belly fat to see your sexy abs.

BONUS Tip - A great way to work your abs harder than normal planks is the Stability Ball Plank. Research reported in Men's Health magazine reported this exercise to be 30% harder on your abs than a regular plank.

If you are a member at DW Bromborough, then come and try my Fitball class at 6.30pm on Monday evenings, or 9.30am Tuesday morning.

Dedicated to your success

Chris