Best exercises to lose extra skin and fat on lower abdomen.

melindafritz1976

They say crunches
y a there is none

Chieflrg

I've had a surgery that was quite a bit more invasive than a C-section. As many have stated it takes time and patience.

I know you stated you don't do heavy lifting in a gym, but it will do more for your entire body including abs than any crunch or Iso exercise.

As others have stated eat at a deficit, doesn't matter one bit if you eat three meals a day or eight...its all the same. Do cardio if you wish to improve heart and lungs and give you a few extra calories to eat. There is no exercise that will help you lose skin.

Have plenty of patience and enjoy your journey & kids.

JTick

His response is not spot on because I AM eating at a deficite. I also do cardio daily, rotate working abs and arm & legs, and do yoga most days. In the last two weeks I've lost an inch on my waist, so what I'm doing is working, thanks. I just don't track my weight. I track my size. Again, I'm not saying my son is at fault for the weight gain, just that the way I carried him really stretched out my stomach skin and that having to have a c-section destroyed my lower abs. That's just facts. The only way to recover from that is to build muscle. The only way to build muscle is to work that muscle. Working your legs or your arms will not build muscle, and therefore definition, in your stomach.

Well, you're not going to be building muscle at all if you're in a deficit. You can strengthen the existing muscle, but you're not adding new tissue.

Also, you'd be shocked at how much squats and deadlifts work your core. So "working your arms and legs" DOES add definition in your stomach once you're at a low enough body fat % to actually see the definition. The vast majority of people on this site with great abs do little to no ab exercise...rather they target the whole body and their abs are a nice side effect.

1princesswarrior

Since you work out at home you can always do 30 day shred or find an online bootcamp like this one http://shrinkingjeans.net/bootcamp/

They incorporate complex full body exercises that will work your core as well as core exercises.

MrTolerable

Wow. Those were all such great suggestions for exercises to add to my current routine. Seriously. Way to comprehend what you read and respond with an actual answer to the question.

Try table pushbacks and fork put downs. Seriously, if you have 50 lbs to lose, start there. And don't blame your "2nd son" for this.

lol maybe could have left off the latter sentence but this ^ is solid.

Can't spot reduce fat.. Lord knows I tried... wasted months doing it as well.. its diet, or its full body exercise or if you want to look ideal its both.

MrTolerable

His response is not spot on because I AM eating at a deficite. I also do cardio daily, rotate working abs and arm & legs, and do yoga most days. In the last two weeks I've lost an inch on my waist, so what I'm doing is working, thanks. I just don't track my weight. I track my size. Again, I'm not saying my son is at fault for the weight gain, just that the way I carried him really stretched out my stomach skin and that having to have a c-section destroyed my lower abs. That's just facts. The only way to recover from that is to build muscle. The only way to build muscle is to work that muscle. Working your legs or your arms will not build muscle, and therefore definition, in your stomach.

Well, you're not going to be building muscle at all if you're in a deficit. You can strengthen the existing muscle, but you're not adding new tissue.

Also, you'd be shocked at how much squats and deadlifts work your core. So "working your arms and legs" DOES add definition in your stomach once you're at a low enough body fat % to actually see the definition. The vast majority of people on this site with great abs do little to no ab exercise...rather they target the whole body and their abs are a nice side effect.

^ this is true.. abdominal exercise is literally 10mins of a 1.5-2 hr workout.

hr of strength training & 30mins of cardio or vice verse.

good input. target the whole body, and I think the best thing to do is exercises that work tons of muscles at once.. dead lift and squats should be your new best buddy.

Sherbear1109

I'm not arguing against a full body workout. Squats are great! Not sure what deadlifts are, but I'll be looking into those. The reason I target my abs alone, as well, is to rehab my lower ab muscles. I don't really get why most people on here seem to have such a problem with a person wanting to target a particular muscle group in addition to counting calories and doing cardio, etc. Bodybuilders and many athletes target particular areas all the time. That doesn't mean they only work one area. Just that they do extra work on particular areas to strengthen the muscles in the target area more.

MrTolerable

I'm not arguing against a full body workout. Squats are great! Not sure what deadlifts are, but I'll be looking into those. The reason I target my abs alone, as well, is to rehab my lower ab muscles. I don't really get why most people on here seem to have such a problem with a person wanting to target a particular muscle group in addition to counting calories and doing cardio, etc. Bodybuilders and many athletes target particular areas all the time. That doesn't mean they only work one area. Just that they do extra work on particular areas to strengthen the muscles in the target area more.

Its the time management.. there is only an hour you should be putting into strength training, and its not getting the most bang for your buck wasting it on abs when you could target a great deal of other muscle groups all at once.

There is nothing wrong with targeting your abs, but everyone I know serious in the gym only targets it once their body fat is 6-12%

I'm excited to be there, but not even close..

..not to mention I hate working my abs for some reason :grumble: ... its so much easier working everything else..

but one thing thats vital - for how much you work your abs I recommend working your back literally 3x as much.

Sherbear1109

Wow. Those were all such great suggestions for exercises to add to my current routine. Seriously. Way to comprehend what you read and respond with an actual answer to the question.

Try table pushbacks and fork put downs. Seriously, if you have 50 lbs to lose, start there. And don't blame your "2nd son" for this.

lol maybe could have left off the latter sentence but this ^ is solid.


Can't spot reduce fat.. Lord knows I tried... wasted months doing it as well.. its diet, or its full body exercise or if you want to look ideal its both.

I eat at a deficit, I do cardio daily, I do yoga most days, and do strengthening excercises 5 times a week. If I choose to target my abs and work at rebuilding those muscles during 3 of my 5 strengthening days, that's my prerogative. Before you tell someone they need to not eat, maybe you should see if they're already addressing that. I really don't get why so many people assume you're not doing anything else when you ask about some new excercises to work a particular muscle group.

ninerbuff

I really don't get why so many people assume you're not doing anything else when you ask about some new exercises to work a particular muscle group.

Your thread topic is throwing them off. You asked for exercises to reduce loose skin and fat. There aren't any. Now if you're looking for ab exercises to strengthen core and abs, then there are so many you can choose from:

http://www.ab-core-and-stomach-exercises.com/abdominal-exercises.html

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Sherbear1109

I really don't get why so many people assume you're not doing anything else when you ask about some new exercises to work a particular muscle group.

Your thread topic is throwing them off. You asked for exercises to reduce loose skin and fat. There aren't any. Now if you're looking for ab exercises to strengthen core and abs, then there are so many you can choose from:

http://www.ab-core-and-stomach-exercises.com/abdominal-exercises.html

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Well THANK YOU kindly! That's awesome! Enough things there to keep it interesting forever. That is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Just didn't hope for so many. Very cool.

Guess in my mind the only way to lose flab is to build muscle. Loose skin, to a point anyway, is the same to me. You have to tone and tighten to help get rid of it. That means building muscle or recovering it, as the case may be.

lizc0616

Someone made the comment to me on here, abs are made in the kitchen. I am finding this more and more true , my goal is to have a flat toned tummy before i shoot for abs, but as i started my clean foods diet i am seeing more of a drastic change along with working out 5x a week!

Hornsby

I really don't get why so many people assume you're not doing anything else when you ask about some new exercises to work a particular muscle group.

Your thread topic is throwing them off. You asked for exercises to reduce loose skin and fat. There aren't any. Now if you're looking for ab exercises to strengthen core and abs, then there are so many you can choose from:

http://www.ab-core-and-stomach-exercises.com/abdominal-exercises.html

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Well THANK YOU kindly! That's awesome! Enough things there to keep it interesting forever. That is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Just didn't hope for so many. Very cool.

Guess in my mind the only way to lose flab is to build muscle. Loose skin, to a point anyway, is the same to me. You have to tone and tighten to help get rid of it. That means building muscle or recovering it, as the case may be.

The problem is you keep saying you are eating at a deficit, but then saying you want to build your ab muscles. You can't do both at the same time. If you want to build your ab muscles, you need to be in a calorie surplus. If you want to cut fat, you eat at a deficit. You don't do both at the same time.

MrTolerable

Wow. Those were all such great suggestions for exercises to add to my current routine. Seriously. Way to comprehend what you read and respond with an actual answer to the question.

Try table pushbacks and fork put downs. Seriously, if you have 50 lbs to lose, start there. And don't blame your "2nd son" for this.

lol maybe could have left off the latter sentence but this ^ is solid.


Can't spot reduce fat.. Lord knows I tried... wasted months doing it as well.. its diet, or its full body exercise or if you want to look ideal its both.

I eat at a deficit, I do cardio daily, I do yoga most days, and do strengthening excercises 5 times a week. If I choose to target my abs and work at rebuilding those muscles during 3 of my 5 strengthening days, that's my prerogative. Before you tell someone they need to not eat, maybe you should see if they're already addressing that. I really don't get why so many people assume you're not doing anything else when you ask about some new excercises to work a particular muscle group.

:noway:
It certainly is your prerogative, and its not even a bad choice, its a great choice. - just laying out what the ideal is.
And I never said "need to not eat" ...I eat about 5 times a day.. eating increases your BMR.. I highly recommend eating, I just recommend eating the right things.

And I didn't mean to come across as hostile in my response - it was an attempt to assist :flowerforyou: .

usmcmp

You won't like this either but it's great advice and had exercise suggestions:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1161603-so-you-want-a-nice-stomach

This. It was written by me. I had two kids (got pregnant while I was obese) and I have visible abs now. It does include exercise suggestions. The most important parts to take away are:

1. It's going to take time.
2. Losing fat is like trying to dry out a sponge. Can't dry a corner while the rest of it is still wet.

skylark94

Core exercise will help the muscle if you don't have too large a diastasis recti, diet will help the fat. Time is what you need to help the skin.

Three years after my c-section my muscles had returned to almost normal (I did P90X) and I had the fat under control, but my skin was still a mess. I had a modified tummy tuck to lop off the excess skin.

cnickolem

I started diet and exercise along with MFP 2 weeks ago. I also have a flabby belly and loose skin that I've been trying to get rid of but I don't think there is a sure fire way to do it unless I choose surgery. I have focused on core cardio and ab workouts, which has since built up the muscle behind my loose skin and flabby belly and actually toned it up and filled it in. I'm just glad its not flabby or loose anymore.

MrTolerable

You won't like this either but it's great advice and had exercise suggestions:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1161603-so-you-want-a-nice-stomach

This. It was written by me. I had two kids (got pregnant while I was obese) and I have visible abs now. It does include exercise suggestions. The most important parts to take away are:

1. It's going to take time.
2. Losing fat is like trying to dry out a sponge. Can't dry a corner while the rest of it is still wet.

one of the best threads I've ever read on mfp.

and love your 2nd point very clever !

meganjcallaghan

Unfortunately there's no way to dump the skin unless it wants to leave on its own. The only thing i can exercise for it now is patience....in finding a sugar daddy to pay for its removal.

Sherbear1109

Core exercise will help the muscle if you don't have too large a diastasis recti, diet will help the fat. Time is what you need to help the skin.

Three years after my c-section my muscles had returned to almost normal (I did P90X) and I had the fat under control, but my skin was still a mess. I had a modified tummy tuck to lop off the excess skin.

Thank you for sharing how long it took to get your muscles back to what they should be. I was not prepared for the complete uselessness of your muscles that the c-section caused. So far it has been a struggle just to get those muscles to where I can actually feel them again. It has been very frustrating. It's nice to know how long it took for someone else to recover.

Sherbear1109

I see what you're saying Hornsby. Maybe a better way to put it is that I'm trying to shed my extra inches, but I'm also trying to rehab or rebuild my lower abdomen. It took close to a year after the c-section just to be able to feel or use my lower abs. Now that they are functioning, if poorly, I am trying to get those muscles working properly again. So I put extra focus on them to help them recover.

Edmond_Dantes

I see you got offended by my saying not to blame your son. From your profile: "My short term goal is to repair the ridiculous amount of damage my 2nd son caused to my stomach. " If that is not your mentality, then ok, your wording is just poorly chosen.