Whether you’re striving for a beach-ready abdominal six-pack or just trying to fight off an unwelcome spare tire, a lean and well-toned midsection takes more than exercise.

You need to combine good nutrition, cardiovascular conditioning, and abdominal training.

To see the definition in your abs, it’s the cardiovascular exercise that helps you lose the fat layer that covers the muscle.

Walking, bicycling, dancing or swimming will not only burn calories during the activity, but also help tone your metabolism to burn calories more efficiently all day.

Proper nutrition includes lean protein, whole grains and a minimal amount of junk food.

When it comes to ab exercise, slow and concentrated work to isolate the muscle helps you reach a healthy exercise burn deep in the core area.

Abdominal muscles recover quickly from exercise, so you can work them more often than other muscle groups.

Speed up results by adding free weights for resistance with crunches.

Strong abdominal muscles look great, and are very important for core support to help prevent lower back pain and improve posture for a better overall appearance and self-image.