How to get rid of "mommy flab"?

cheeks102490
cheeks102490 Posts: 11 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been losing weight through diet and light exercise but I'm feeling ready to step up my cardio game and begin strength training. The issue is, I have no idea where to start!! My MAIN concern is the fact that I have a wobbly jelly belly from motherhood, and I feel discouraged that it's losing the least fat compared to the rest of my body. I have been told that crunches and ab workouts are a big NO-NO for trying to shrink post-partum bellies. I have no idea if this is valid or not but it seems a little credible since a mother's abdominal stretch out during pregnancy and then shrink back after, but still often are damaged and/or not as tight (my case), as opposed to just an overweight person who has never had their abdominal muscles stretched out. Again, I have no idea what to do to get rid of the jiggly belly. My goal is to be able to wear a crop top with high-waisted jeans by New Year's. But I can't do that if the rest of me is thinner and I still have a jelly belly!

Any advice for trying to lose that stubborn nasty thing?? Other than cardio, I mean strength training exercises.

Replies

  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    There is no exercises you can do to spot reduce fat from your belly. Fat will come off your body wherever your body wants it to, you have no say in that. All you can do is keep losing fat until it comes off from where you want it to. As far as strength training, stick to heavy compound lifts because those will have you building the most strength the fastest. Heavy compounds are Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Barbell Rows, Overhead Press, Assisted Pull Ups/Lat Pull Downs. Use weight heavy enough to cause failure in the lower rep ranges. 5 reps is ideal if your main goal is strength. 8-12 reps is ideal if your main goal is muscle size. Just to be clear, the fat loss will come from your calorie deficit which is mainly your diet. The strength training is for you to retain the muscle mass you have now while losing fat. Make sure you're eating plenty of protein, at least 0.8g per pound of body weight a day.

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