Help, I want toned abs!

bgtorres

I do Zumba every day but I would love a workout that will actually get my abs tones. I was looking into TurboFire or Chalean Extreme. (One of my co-workers let me borrow p90x, but I'm scared to get hurt or to try it) So what do you guys recommend TurboFire or Chalean Extreme for toned/flat abs?

tammyc1979

I'm doing a mix of Zumba Cardio, Zumba Sculpt & Tone and Also Hip hop abs by Shawn T. Hip hop Abs really works your Abs.

ashlee954

I do sit ups.

Reese2008

Get a bender ball. they are $19 at Target and come with three 15 minute dvds. I swear by this thing.. 2 weeks into it and I already am noticing a difference!! I do ONE of the dvds every other day. check it out! :happy:

♥Violette♥4Ever♥

I do sit ups.

hpsnickers1

Jillian Michaels has a DVD called 6-Week 6-Pack Abs. Don't know about the 6-pack part but it's a pure ab workout. I haven't tried it yet because I've been working on No More Trouble Zones and 30 Day Shred but will eventually start it. You can find it for about $9-$10 dollars at Target, Walmart, Amazon, etc

backinthenines

For women to have visible abdominal muscles their bodyfat has to be quite low.

I began to have visible obliques when I was down to about 17% BF.

I'm sure there is a degree of individual difference in terms of the exact percentage, however the general deal is that whatever will show off your abs the most is what burns the most calories for you.

You can do any number of sit ups, they will make no difference to the visibility of the abs... that's all about body fat.

Frozenmango

For women to have visible abdominal muscles their bodyfat has to be quite low.

I began to have visible obliques when I was down to about 17% BF.

I'm sure there is a degree of individual difference in terms of the exact percentage, however the general deal is that whatever will show off your abs the most is what burns the most calories for you.

You can do any number of sit ups, they will make no difference to the visibility of the abs... that's all about body fat.

This is exactly it. Sit-ups/crunches will help to tone, strengthen and define your ab muscles, but none of that will be visible under body fat. Cardio is needed to burn off the excess fat, and when that gets down to the point where your muscles are closer to the skin, you'll see more definition. I'll never forget an old friend of mine who had what looked like a beer gut, but when you pushed it, it was hard as a rock! He did sit ups every single day, but hated cardio so he ended up with rock solid ab muscles but no way to show it under the fat!

fasttrack27

There are tons of variations of crunches/sit ups. Maybe do some searching online for examples (if you dont want to go buy dvd's). Not only will it spice things up a little from plain, boring sit up's but they will work different areas of the core too.

Planks are good too. Try holding your forearms on an excercise ball instead of just the ground. You'll be shaking/jittery within 15 seconds! As you progress, roll the ball further away and they will get harder to do. You can also do alternating leg lifts while doing a traditional plank (on floor, not ball).

fuzzymel

I started getting some stomach definition when I hit about 20% body fat last year. I loved working on my core. I would do lots of plank (in the many variations) to strenghten my core and also lots of sit ups. Its quite a lot of work though and takes a while.

Last night I did my first lot of ab work since recovering from the flu and even though it was light and fairly brief I can really feel it today.

kdiamond

Abs are made in the kitchen!! I agree with the AP in saying as soon as I lowered my bodyfat to under 17% (mine is currently 16%) I started to see the 4-pack (trying to get to the 6-pack but for women it is pretty tough!).

I do Crossfit and follow a Paleo diet and I fully believe the combo of the two of them made it possible to see my abs in a pretty short amount of time (2 months). I hardly ever do "situps", mostly I do core exercises.

Good luck!

catysthename

Get a bender ball. they are $19 at Target and come with three 15 minute dvds. I swear by this thing.. 2 weeks into it and I already am noticing a difference!! I do ONE of the dvds every other day. check it out! :happy:

Does it help your lower abs?? (the pooch)

pkpzp228

For women to have visible abdominal muscles their bodyfat has to be quite low.

I began to have visible obliques when I was down to about 17% BF.

I'm sure there is a degree of individual difference in terms of the exact percentage, however the general deal is that whatever will show off your abs the most is what burns the most calories for you.

You can do any number of sit ups, they will make no difference to the visibility of the abs... that's all about body fat.

+1

Abs are toned in the kitchen not the gym. Work on your diet and lower your BF% and just about any ab exercise will produce results. IMO planks are one of the most effective.