Physically Fit But Unable to Obtain Abs/Lose Fat in Abs

asiolar

Hello. I've been dealing with this issue for over a year now and unable to achieve results. I've been trying to figure out why every area of my body is toned with lean muscle, and yet I carry so much fat in my stomach. I eat incredibly clean and train 5 days a week with 40-50 of cardio and strength training for 30 minutes. I consistently increase either my reps or weight, and work out my abs every 2 or 3 days. Although I do have some back problems with doing some ab exercises (natural curve in my spine that doesn't allow my lower back to always lay completely flat on the floor), I CAN'T seem to tone up my abs/core area. It's gotten to the point where I am so frustrated and confused with myself that it's unhealthy. Does anyone else have this problem? Or if so, does anyone have any other additional tips I could try?

segovm

So I went sort of crazy in my twenties trying to drop enough weight to get my abs looking good and never pulled it off. I was underweight by a pretty big margin and still had a little ring around my belly that never wanted to go away.

I was a vegan at the time though and even though I worked out aggressively (mostly martial arts, body weight stuff) I don't think I was eating enough protein to really tighten the upper body to get the skin around my abs tight enough to show.

I went down the ab excercise route and you could literally break a 2x4 against my stomach but no six pack.

If you are eating enough protein to build some upper body muscles with a little weight lifting and still not seeing much change it might just not be worth the effort. After the fact it just seemed like a pretty stupid goal. I spend like no time a day with people looking at my naked stomach and when it does happen no one thought I was anything but fit so who cares?

But when I was in my mid-20's it seemed a totally reasonable thing to obsess over so I get it.

fivethreeone

Do you know your body fat percentage? You may be fit but still need to drop some fat.

If you are already fairly lean, you may need to build some muscle by doing a bulking cycle (eating above maintenance to gain muscle).

SugaryLynx

Ab exercises may work the muscles underneath fat but they by no means will get rid of it. It looks like, judging by your ticker, you still have a few pounds you wish to lose? Those Could very well be the last few pounds needed to shed the last bit of fat over your stomach (I looked at your pics in your profile btw, your stomach is beautiful). Fat loss is genetics, yes weightlifting will help, but calorie deficit will ultimately aid in getting you to what you will. Do you know your BF%? I got down to 17% and have a decently flat tummy (I wish I had a six pack but to maintain that with my genetics seems like perhaps too much unless I were competing). Just make sure it's a slow loss. .5-1lb a week at max.

I have done zero isolation exercises for abs.

Ryhenblue

http://www.realsimple.com/health/fitness-exercise/workouts/ab-workout-00100000074088/index.html

You might want to try these exercises it uses the Tupler Technique or just google it and find our more about it.

jardimgirl

I'm in the same situation and it sucks soo bad!

ginamc04

Do you consume dairy? Or gluten products? A few of my friends are SUPER lean and when they gave up those two things-their abs started to really show. I was just with them this weekend and if they ate a sandwich or a bread product, they were super bloated, it was crazy to see in person! I've seen so many people post pics on FB but I thought they couldn't possibly be real-but its real!

Worth trying! Good luck!

asiolar

You know, I've actually just started doing this. I am naturally slightly allergic to dairy, so I've cut out whey protein and cheeses. I still incorporate organic greek yogurt for protein and keep a regulated digestive system. I have completely cut out wheat and products containing wheat in them. I'm only about a week and a half in though, hoping it could be the winning ticket.

asiolar

Last time I had gotten it check it was roughly 16-17%. I've already started dieting the least I could possibly do without hitting a danger zone. (small, unfortunate fact: I had a pretty rough eating disorder from 13-17 and even at 92lbs still have had a difference in the stomach.) So I definitely want to keep my sanity with this and still be healthy, but nothing has seemed to work.