Plenty of us have spent time sweating it out at the gym, doing sit-ups and crunches¹ til our muscles cramp², with the aim of getting washboard abs.

为了练出搓衣板般健壮的腹肌，很多人都曾在健身大汗淋漓地做仰卧起坐和卷腹运动，甚至不惜做到肌肉抽筋。

But, apparently³, we've being going about it all wrong.

但是，很显然，我们为了这个目的在做的都是无用功。

According to celebrity⁴ personal trainer Nicola Addison, owner of Eqvvs Training in Knightsbridge, the secret to getting rid of a tummy lies in weights, planks⁵ and even the kitchen.

按照奈茨布里奇Eqvvs健身培训班的创办者、也是许多明星的私人教练的尼古拉·艾迪生的说法，摆脱肚腩的秘诀在于做负重运动、做平板支撑以及注意饮食。

Here, the personal trainer who has worked with stars including Elle Macpherson, Daisy Lowe and Erin O'Connor, shares the truth about why sit-ups aren't the way to go - and what you really need to be doing to get the abs of your dreams.

在此，这位曾与包括艾拉·麦克弗森、黛西·罗易以及艾琳·欧康娜在内的许多明星共过事的私人健身教练，解释了为什么仰卧起坐行不通，以及为了练出梦寐以求的腹肌我们到底应该怎么做。

Sorry to break it to you, but sit ups will not get you a flat stomach.

很遗憾，现实就是这么残酷，仰卧起坐不会让你的腹部变得平坦。

No matter how strong your abdominals are, if they are covered by layers of fat you will simply never see them.

因为不管你的腹肌有多么结实，如果它们被脂肪层盖住，你将永远看不到它们。

Sit ups unfortunately do not reduce fat from the tummy - as much as you might want to believe it, spot reduction of fat is a myth.

不幸的是，做仰卧起坐减少的腹部脂肪量并不像你想的那么多，局部减脂只是个美梦。

How to get that flat stomach

怎样练出平坦的腹部

1.Build muscle

1.锻炼肌肉

Learn to love weights. Most calories are burnt in the muscles (specifically the mitochondria).

学会爱上负重训练。大部分卡路里是在肌肉尤其是肌肉细胞的线粒体中燃烧的。

So, muscles are the furnaces – the more furnaces you have fired up (or the greater the mass of muscle that is active), the more calories you will burn - not only in your workout, but also throughout the day as a boost to your basal metabolic⁷ rate.

所以，肌肉就是“熔炉”--点火的炉子越多（参与运动的肌肉越多），燃烧的卡路里就越多如此一来，不仅能让你的锻炼效果更为明显，而且还会提高一整天的基础代谢率。

2.Focus on compound workouts

2.专注于复合训练

It has been proven that regular weight training can boost your basal metabolic rate by 15 per cent.

研究证明，经常进行负重训练可以提高15%的基础代谢率。

So incorporate exercises that challenge numerous muscle groups and multiple joints⁸ (compound movements) into your workout routine.

因此，你不妨将涉及多肌肉群和多关节的复合运动纳入到你的日常锻炼当中。

3.Planks

3.平板支撑

Nicola says doing regular planks will help to compress the abdomen⁹ and flatten¹⁰ your stomach

尼古拉表示，经常做平板支撑可以挤压腹部，从而让你的腹部更加平坦。

Or more importantly the transversus abdominus. This muscle help protects the back and compresses the abdomen.

或者说是腹横肌。这部分的肌肉可以保护背部，也能对抚平腹部有作用。

Static contractions¹¹ such as planks will also help strengthen your abdominal⁶ wall.

类似于平板支撑的其他的静态收缩运动也有助于练出腹肌。

4.Your diet

4.注意饮食

Sadly, abs are made in the kitchen. You simply cannot out train a bad diet, no matter how much work you do.

令人遗憾的是，腹肌就是得通过良好的饮食才能达成。如果你无法养成好的饮食习惯，那么无论你锻炼地多努力，你都无法练出健美的腹肌。

A diet that is high in processed foods, sugar, salt, saturated¹² and trans fats will massively hinder that 6 pack.

如果你的饮食中加工食品、糖、盐、饱和脂肪和反式脂肪含量很高的话，那么这些食物会极大地妨碍你练出六块腹肌。

So focus on cutting down on refined sugar and carbohydrates¹³, and upping your protein intake¹⁴ and - combined with the moves above - you should start seeing some stomach definition in no time.

所以，注意减少摄入精制糖和碳水化合物，增加蛋白质摄入量。结合上述几项建议，相信你很快就会看到腹肌若隐若现了。