PUBLISHED 12/29/2005
Yes, Baywatch-worthy abs look great. But they do more than give you the courage to run without a singlet. By increasing the stability of your hips, pelvis, and knees, they relieve strain on your muscles and reduce the chances of injury. And by minimizing wasteful movement at the joints, they enable you to run faster, stronger, longer.
As a runner, you probably think you're well on your way to owning these kinds of abs, and you may be right. Running is the best fat-burning activity around, and lowering your body fat makes muscles appear more defined. But poorly conditioned abs won't pop from even the leanest physiques, which is why core-strength exercises that build your midsection are key. That's part one of our plan.
Part two is paying closer attention to what you eat. Even if you run 50 miles a week and do 500 crunches a day, your belly won't budge if you reward yourself with heaping bowls of pasta and cream-cheese-laden bagels. Trimming calories is the only other way to shed the fat covering your six-pack. Adopt the following abs workout and diet, and come spring you'll be ready to run or race better than ever, singlet optional.
