Quest: follow this road map to an extraordinary midsection, and never stop to ask for directions again!

Can I admit something to you?

I mean, be brutally honest? When I see a woman with a great physique, automatically look to certain bodyparts that I feel paint the whole picture about whether she looks good because she's young or genetically gifted or whether she has realized her potential by dedicating herself to a stringent exercise and nutrition program. No doubt about it, one benchmark bodypart is the midsection. Granted, abs aren't easily assessed when they're covered up, but you can get a general impression by the flatness of someone's tummy, especially the lower abs. Even women who can bring up their abs without much effort usually have to adhere more strictly to diet and exercise to complete the elusive six-pack.

Perhaps you have most of what you consider a total package: a tight and strong upper body and a shapely bottom half. Maybe because you've had a kid or two, getting that tight tummy back has been an effort in futility. Or perhaps you got gypped genetically, and earning prize-winning abs has been a losing battle. Whatever the reason for your belly blues, MUSCLE & FITNESS HERS offers this 45-day road map to help you obtain the midsection you want.

Unfortunately, the shortest distance to impressive abs is not the path of least resistance. Yes, you should train abs as you would any other bodypart with regard to building muscle and increasing definition. But as you'll soon see, this program jumps right into training abs every other day. This is because the ab muscles are tough to fatigue since they work so much during daily activity, helping to support the torso during hip flexion and extension and many other movements.

All you have to do is follow the map and refer to the exercise guide for instructions on the hows and whats. Beginner, intermediate and advanced headings designate experience levels, so choose a category you fit into best and stick with it unless otherwise noted. Whatever your level, the program takes you on a journey of variation in resistance, reps, sets, exercises and more. To further you along that path to success, we've included the other parts of the equation -- tips on nutrition and cardio. Without regard for healthy eating and fat-burning, those abs won't reach their true potential. Follow the road map a day at a time and heed the signs along the way. In 45 days, you'll arrive at your destination ready to brighten the scenery!

RELATED ARTICLE: QUEST

Follow the directions for each day of ab training for your 45-day road trip. Stick to the basic cardio program of 3-4 days a week for 30 m** making changes when indicated. Nutrition tips are cumulative, so yo** need to follow all preceding ones.

1. Basic program: Choose one exercise for each area. Do three sets of 15-20 reps.

2. Drink an extra 16 ounces of water above what you normally consume for the day.

3. Follow the basic program; start with obliques.

4. Break meals into smaller portions. Eat the same amount of food, but take six meals to eat it instead or three.

5. Follow the basic program; start with lower abs.

6. Increase the duration of your cardio sessions by five minutes.

7. Follow the basic program; add light resistance to upper ab movements.

8. Add an extra serving each of fruit and vegetables, and skip a serving or simple-carbs.

9. Follow the basic program; add a set or 25 reps or floor crunches to the end of your workout.

10. Keep a journal of what you eat today. Write down everything from mood and time to food choices and portion sizes. At the end of the day, with the help of a nutrition booklet or the internet, approximate the total calories grams of protein, crabs and fat you consumed.

11. Do two sets of 20 reps of all exercises listed at your level. Add resistance where possible.

12. Eat a food that contains complete protein at every meal.

13. Choose one exercise for each area from your own program (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and one for each area from either of the other two programs.

14. Incorporate intervals into your cardio workouts. Follow a ratio of 1:1 (work:rest) for 30 minutes. Do this once a week.

15. Follow the basic program; start with upper abs.

16. CHEAT DAY!

Treat yourself to what-ever you want to eat and drink for dinner -- including dessert.

17. Follow-the-basic program; add a set of 20 crunches with your feet up on a Swiss ball at the end of your workout.

18. Eat every 3-4 hours.

19. Follow the basic program; drop reps to 15 per set. Concentrate on the eccentric phase of each rep, taking two counts to move up and four counts to lower.

20. Go-shopping and buy two fruits and three vegetables you normally don't buy. Eat them this week.

21. Follow the basic program; increase resistance on upper ab movements and decrease reps by 5-10.

22. Add an **ra day of care ** each week from ** here on **.

23. Follow the basic program, but don't rest between sets. Go from exercise to exercise in a circuit-training manner.

24. Adjust your protein intake to 0.7-0.9 gram per pound of bodyweight each day.