The “old spare tire”, “beer belly”, “flabby tummy” or “expanding midsection” are all nice ways of saying you’re getting fat. If you have a gut that is bigger than you like, then there is no reason why you should have to put up with it. With a bit of determination, and a commitment to working up a sweat, you can have flat abs in 30 days or less.

The main thing to keep in mind about an abdominal exercise regimen is that you need to work out all of the ab muscles. You need to aim for doing the exercises that follow at least four times each week, and do that for four weeks. One of the good things about each of the exercises is that they don’t require any kind of special equipment, so you will be able to do them virtually anywhere.

Flat Abs in 30 Days Exercise #1: Belly Rolls – Sit straight up on the floor with your knees bent, and feet flat. Then put your arms straight out in front of you. As you exhale, slowly roll back until the lower back reaches the floor. Inhale as you roll up. Try to do 30 of these, switching your breathing pattern after the first 15. This exercise works the vertical abdominal muscles.

Flat Abs in 30 Days Exercise #2: Tummy Curls – Lie down on your back with knees bent. Elevate your feet so they are a bit higher than the knees. Raise your buttocks and roll back until your shoulder blades touch the ground. Then roll back to your tailbone, but don’t let your rear end touch the ground. Do this 20 times. This exercise is effective on toning the horizontal ab muscles.

Flat Abs in 30 Days Exercise #3: Cross Crunches – This is a great exercise for shaping your waist. You will need a filled one-liter bottle for this one. Lying on the floor, bend your knees at a right angle to the floor. Put your right hand behind your head, and hold the bottle in your left hand. Lift your head until your shoulders come up off the floor and reach the bottle across to the outside of your right knee. Do this 20 times, then reverse hand positions and do 20 more.

Flat Abs in 30 Days Exercise #4: Inverted Crunches – Lie on the floor on your stomach with your arms outstretched in front of (imagine Superman flying). Lift your left arm and right leg as high as you can while exhaling. Inhale as you lower your limbs. Do 20 of these, then switch sides and do 20 more. This is an excellent ab exercise that targets the lower back.

Don’t kid yourself, this is going to be a tough workout. But you still need to do it at least four times per week for 30 days. It may be hard, especially at first, but you’ll be glad you stuck with it once you see your flat abs when looking in the mirror.