I want abs! Exercises?
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ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »10% (and anything below) requires pretty strict calorie tracking. 12-15% is pretty do-able with minimal calorie craze!
No. OP is female.
haha - beat me to it...lol0 -
ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »12-15% is where you'll have the subtle ab contours. Below that is where you really start to see definition.
That is for males. OP is female. 10% for a female is bodybuilding competition range.
I didn't suggest 10%. Was giving context. Around 15% would be good for your avg. person.0 -
@ConnorMacFarlane21 you seem to be basing your comments on men's body fat percentages, women have a lot higher body fat percentages.
@Pretty_Jewelz to get your abs to pop you need to drop even more fat. You're not fat(!!!!) but like most people you have a thin layer of fat between your abs and your skin which prevents the abs from popping. In men this is often the last fat to disappear, and disappears when you hit very low body fat levels. If you google "women body fat percentage" images you can get some guidelines of when you'll see abs.
So, calorie deficit, and lifting heavy with a high protein diet to make sure you don't just lose a bunch of muscle as you cut your calories. If you do large compound lifts like squats and deadlifts you won't necessarily need to do ab specific exercises, but if you enjoy them you can do russian twists, planks, ab wheel rollouts, v situps, etc.
It's worth pointing out that if you get your body fat percentage of 19% from a scale, theres a good chance that its wrong because scales are very innacurate. It might be lower (unlikely significantly lower or you would be seeing abs), it might be higher, or it might actually be 19%. People could make edjucated guesses with pictures, but you can do the same with a mirror and comparisons to google image searches.
Ok I did use a scale for the body fat %. Now I'm sad I could have more than that0 -
how did he not notice shes a lady?0
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I changed my profile pic which shows what I currently look like in the mid section if that helps any0
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Pretty_Jewelz wrote: »@ConnorMacFarlane21 you seem to be basing your comments on men's body fat percentages, women have a lot higher body fat percentages.
@Pretty_Jewelz to get your abs to pop you need to drop even more fat. You're not fat(!!!!) but like most people you have a thin layer of fat between your abs and your skin which prevents the abs from popping. In men this is often the last fat to disappear, and disappears when you hit very low body fat levels. If you google "women body fat percentage" images you can get some guidelines of when you'll see abs.
So, calorie deficit, and lifting heavy with a high protein diet to make sure you don't just lose a bunch of muscle as you cut your calories. If you do large compound lifts like squats and deadlifts you won't necessarily need to do ab specific exercises, but if you enjoy them you can do russian twists, planks, ab wheel rollouts, v situps, etc.
It's worth pointing out that if you get your body fat percentage of 19% from a scale, theres a good chance that its wrong because scales are very innacurate. It might be lower (unlikely significantly lower or you would be seeing abs), it might be higher, or it might actually be 19%. People could make edjucated guesses with pictures, but you can do the same with a mirror and comparisons to google image searches.
Ok I did use a scale for the body fat %. Now I'm sad I could have more than that
It could still be 19%. If its not, well its just another number, and you have a plan to reach your goals, life is still good0 -
Pretty_Jewelz wrote: »@ConnorMacFarlane21 you seem to be basing your comments on men's body fat percentages, women have a lot higher body fat percentages.
@Pretty_Jewelz to get your abs to pop you need to drop even more fat. You're not fat(!!!!) but like most people you have a thin layer of fat between your abs and your skin which prevents the abs from popping. In men this is often the last fat to disappear, and disappears when you hit very low body fat levels. If you google "women body fat percentage" images you can get some guidelines of when you'll see abs.
So, calorie deficit, and lifting heavy with a high protein diet to make sure you don't just lose a bunch of muscle as you cut your calories. If you do large compound lifts like squats and deadlifts you won't necessarily need to do ab specific exercises, but if you enjoy them you can do russian twists, planks, ab wheel rollouts, v situps, etc.
It's worth pointing out that if you get your body fat percentage of 19% from a scale, theres a good chance that its wrong because scales are very innacurate. It might be lower (unlikely significantly lower or you would be seeing abs), it might be higher, or it might actually be 19%. People could make edjucated guesses with pictures, but you can do the same with a mirror and comparisons to google image searches.
Ok I did use a scale for the body fat %. Now I'm sad I could have more than that
Based on your picture you should see some abs. Your body fat could drop slightly, but the real problem does come down to low abdominal muscle volume. Heavy compound lifts and weighted abdominal exercises could bring the volume up. Most of that comes down to genetics though. I have enough ab volume to see mine at 26% body fat without doing ab work and I have a friend who has a completely smooth stomach at 15% despite lots of ab work.0 -
might be harder to see abs with what looks like a whole belly tattoo0
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Yes totally fine just a bigger goal to conquer0
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ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »12-15% is where you'll have the subtle ab contours. Below that is where you really start to see definition.
That is for males. OP is female. 10% for a female is bodybuilding competition range.
I didn't suggest 10%. Was giving context. Around 15% would be good for your avg. person.
No it wouldn't. No average woman is 15% BF.0 -
Lol, glad everyone got the bodyfat percentage worked out. I'm about 19 % too, and have some definition, but not what I would like. I am pretty sure for me it it is more about losing another percent or 2 bodyfat. At your size, I think you need to add muscle. I found a fantastic workout on bodybuilding.com that was the only thing that's been able to make my abs sore in a while. 3 sets of 8 different exercises. By the way, all of the workouts are great, not just the abs.
Crunch:3 sets of 15-20 reps
Cocoon: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Butterfly crunch: 3 sets of
15-20 reps
Bicycle: 3 sets of 15-20 each
side reps
Bottoms-up: 3 sets of 15-20
reps
Scissor kick: 3 sets of 15-20
each side reps
Plank: 3 sets of 60-90 second
hold
V-up: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bikini-body-workout-4-weeks-to-your-best-body.html0 -
Lol, glad everyone got the bodyfat percentage worked out. I'm about 19 % too, and have some definition, but not what I would like. I am pretty sure for me it it is more about losing another percent or 2 bodyfat. At your size, I think you need to add muscle. I found a fantastic workout on bodybuilding.com that was the only thing that's been able to make my abs sore in a while. 3 sets of 8 different exercises. By the way, all of the workouts are great, not just the abs.
Crunch:3 sets of 15-20 reps
Cocoon: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Butterfly crunch: 3 sets of
15-20 reps
Bicycle: 3 sets of 15-20 each
side reps
Bottoms-up: 3 sets of 15-20
reps
Scissor kick: 3 sets of 15-20
each side reps
Plank: 3 sets of 60-90 second
hold
V-up: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bikini-body-workout-4-weeks-to-your-best-body.html
Thank you! I'll definitely try those0 -
Assisted one arm pushups are a good core worker.
Here is a You Tube video. As he's doing it, but raise the non elevated arm up. Make sure your elevated arm is straight, and that your weight is over it. It's basically a one arm assisted pushup with a non weighted row. My trainer has me do them, and they really work your core. As well as building upper body strength. You can use a medicine ball, or a piece of foam roughly 4" in height.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQG7lrF4M0s 0 -
How can I tighten up my abs without doing crunches or setups? I am unable to do either one because of my lower back
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ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »12-15% is where you'll have the subtle ab contours. Below that is where you really start to see definition.
That is for males. OP is female. 10% for a female is bodybuilding competition range.
I didn't suggest 10%. Was giving context. Around 15% would be good for your avg. person.
No it wouldn't. No average woman is 15% BF.
The average man isn't even 15% BF, no idea where he is getting his stats from.0 -
By "better" abs do mean a six pack or the vertical outlines a lot of fit women have?1
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JenniferSchaffer1 wrote: »How can I tighten up my abs without doing crunches or setups? I am unable to do either one because of my lower back
Reducing body fat is far more important for abs than crunches or situps anyway, but as someone who had lower back issues for decades I'm curious as to what is the problem with your lower back?0 -
ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »12-15% is where you'll have the subtle ab contours. Below that is where you really start to see definition.
That is for males. OP is female. 10% for a female is bodybuilding competition range.
I didn't suggest 10%. Was giving context. Around 15% would be good for your avg. person.
No it wouldn't. No average woman is 15% BF.
This. Typically, you'll have to increase the volume of your abdominal muscles for them to pop once your body fat gets really low. Do heavy lifts on your ab routine instead of high repetition. Your abs are like any other muscle. Do cable crunches, hanging leg lifts for the lower abs, plenty of videos on bodybuilding.com and youtube for ab routines with heavy weights. Cutting off bodyfat is going to make a world of difference. The leaner you are, the more your abs will pop.0 -
ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »ConnorMacFarlane21 wrote: »12-15% is where you'll have the subtle ab contours. Below that is where you really start to see definition.
That is for males. OP is female. 10% for a female is bodybuilding competition range.
I didn't suggest 10%. Was giving context. Around 15% would be good for your avg. person.
See also http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/60/112/what-are-the-guidelines-for-percentage-of-body-fat0 -
JenniferSchaffer1 wrote: »How can I tighten up my abs without doing crunches or setups? I am unable to do either one because of my lower back
You work your abs all of the time, they are stabilizer muscles. Try cable crunches, it focuses specifically on your abs and you're not laying on your back. Cable twists, hanging leg lifts or suspended crunches. Is the pain caused by laying on your back?0
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