Fab Abs Don't Just Happen—How to Tone Your Core

Wouldn't it be great if you could magically get abs like Gigi Hadid's with just a waist trainer?
No such luck, said SoulCycle instructor Lindsay Buckley when asked about the lazy-girl way to a six pack. Even if you don't like what you're hearing, trust us—the celeb trainer sure knows what she's talking about.
Why else would fit stars like Kyle Richards and Lea Michele keep coming back to her calorie-torching, ab-sculpting spin classes. So you ask, if cramming your way into a torturous corset is not the way to the chiseled midsection of your dreams, what is?

Melissa Hebeler / E!

Bridge: Lay on your back and lift legs off ground about 3 inches. Work one leg over the other, alternating with a criss-cross for 30 seconds. Hold still for 30 seconds and return to criss crossing again for another 30 seconds. Repeat as desired.
According to the celeb trainer, it's all about the full-body workout. Most clients complain about that stubborn layer around the middle section, but doing ab exercises alone isn't going to blast fat. "You can't spot train your abs, but a full-body workout gives you the opportunity to strengthen and lean the areas around that middle body," she elaborated.
But just because you now understand the cardio-ab correlation, it's still very much a two-pronged approach (cardio + abs). "I commit three evenings a week to a 10-minute ab workout," shared the fitness pro.

Melissa Hebeler / E!

V-Ups: Start by laying flat on your back. Engaging your core, roll up to touch your toes. As you retract back down to floor, lift legs slightly and crunch your knees into the chest, placing your hands behind your head. Repeat the two-part exercise as desired. 

Bicycles: Sit angled on booty, lifting you back and legs off the floor and placing your weight in your core. To begin, take your left elbow to your right knee and engage abs. Switching from side to side, change up the speed and repeat as desired.
Another important fact that you probably don't want to hear? "Truthfully, if your diet is off, all of your fitness and ab work won't show. I'd say it's 40 percent work and 60 percent diet," she confirmed.