Firming a belly?

ashleyh3156

Wondering if anyone has tips on firming up a stomach, I have had a child so my belly has expanded and went back, there has been damage. I am wondering if there are certain exercises that will tone up my stomach, and the skin thing, due to pregnancy I have a little bit of loose skin, but I still have a ways to go with my weight loss journey, so I am hoping for advice and/or exercises I can do while I'm losing all of this weight.

nancymmorris

I have the same issue. Also interested in info about this

idream2bgwen

Oh yes me too! I am wondering that! After three kids the belly just ain't what it used to be! :grumble:

Nataliethin81

Wondering the same! I have a lot of loose skin on my post baby tummy. I've heard many different things and so far from my experience doing just crunches, cardio and strength training doesn't seem to be making a difference. I hate to say it but maybe lipo is the only answer.

ScottyLikesCake

I need some help with this too - I guess it's a common problem.

Nanadena

Jillian has KILLER excersizes if you can live through them :noway:

LWatson43

Do Planks every night, they really work.

http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises_10.htm

sharesb

add me to the list of "me too" sigh!

one of the personal trainers at the gym yesterday said sadly, the stomach is always the last part of the body to firm up especially after you have had children. of course "the girls" are always the first to go when many of us don't particularly want them to!!

PickyMommy

I was hoping someone had posted an answer - I need help with this too!

Oh - just saw the response about doing planks. I'll have to try that.

ashleyh3156

Jillian has KILLER excersizes if you can live through them :noway:

I have the 30 day shred, I don't know if I can handle her though, she annoys me a bit. So I guess not much hope, I've seen tummy tucks and oh my, idk if I can handle that one.

ashleyh3156

Well...I was hoping someone would have the concrete answer LOL, but at least I'm not the only one in this boat, I no longer feel alone. I just don't understand how some people have the perfect expandable skin!!!

PlanetVelma

I agree, planks and push-ups will really help. Some of us will never have the super flat belly, (me included) but I do notice a huge difference when I'm doing my planks & push-ups regularly.

monylove311

I just say pictures in a magazine for tummy tuck and liposuction and FORGET IT! It is horrible.

I think yoga is great, hence the plank pose, it strengthens your core, back and tummy. Please try that before lipo!

Best wishes!

janesmith1

http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Abs-Meghan-White/dp/B000B5XPFG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301092052&sr=8-1

Killer dvd, different 8-9 mins of different stom exercises. It will KILL you. And you WILL start to see a diff.

monylove311

There was a post on here about building up to push ups and it was really interesting. search it. You do them on a wall or window sill first and work your way down. great idea.

curleesam

I had my baby 6months ago now and I've lost 43lbs of baby weight. I had her naturally and she is my first child so it may be different for anyone who has multiple kids or c sections but what worked for me was sticking to a 1200 calorie low carb and low sugar diet in the beginning and also doing 60mins cardio 5-7times per week. I also walked EVERYWHERE with my baby strapped to me in a sling and most of the time with a rucksack full of groceries on my back as well. Now I am near to goal I've relaxed my eating a bit and incorporate strength training and toning exercises. The cardio got the belly fat off but it's the crunches, reverse crunches, bicycle crunches and planks that have allowed me to get back the definition in my abs.

It can be done but damn it's hard work!!

bjshields

I have that problem, too -- I had three babies in four years and have a pot belly to prove it. I've heard that Pilates is very good for tummies; it's vital that you be sure to pull your navel in when you are doing lifts, planks, etc., so you don't build your abdominal muscles out.

There's a series of good videos out there that are 10-minutes, like 10-minute Abs, etc., that I like. Like the post above said, they are killer hard to do and painful, BUT you can tell if you did them 3-4X a week, they'd work. Good luck! I guess we're all in the same pot!:ohwell:

monylove311

This was post from Rileysowner

Fri 03/18/11 08:58 PM
If you want to incorporate push-up in your workouts, you have chosen an excellent exercise not only for you chest, shoulders and triceps, but for your whole core since it is done in a plank position. Having said that, I know I have read many people here who say they cannot do them, so they do them on their knees. While that works, it removes some of the value for the core, and completely removes any to the legs. I know when you do them that way you are hoping to work your way up to doing a full push-up, but did you know there is another way to do this without doing it from your knees.

The answer is leverage. When you do a push-up on your knees you are changing the leverage to make it easier, but that is not the only way to do so. The other way to do this is to raise where you place your hands higher. Put them on the edge of a bench, or something even higher if that is still too difficult. That will allow you to do a full push-up and gain the benefits of that exercise. Since you will be able to do more repetitions you can increase your strength. It also allows you to increase and decrease the difficulty. So if you can do one of two push-ups on the floor before your muscles can't do another, you can them move up to a bench and do several more, or something even higher and do a few more. Then rest a while 60-90 seconds, and repeat. You will find your ability to do push-ups will be greatly improved.

As an aside, a good way to work on form is to do what are called ladders. Do one push-up, then rest the amount of time it took to do that one push-up. Then do two, and rest as long as it took to do two. Then do three, and rest as long as it took to do three. Repeat the pattern increasing the number you do, but don't do so many you come to failure. Instead when you have done as many in a row as you think you can without failing, work your way back down using the same pattern in reverse. When you get back to one, rest a minute or two, then repeat. Sometimes the ladder will just be doing on rep over and over again. Remember the point is not to get to the point where you cannot complete the whole move, if you add another one and do fail to repeat all of them, you have gone too far. Start going down the ladder.

I hope this helps.

I have to give credit to whom credit is due, this is a summary of one of the things Mark Lauren teaches in his book, "You Are your Own Gym" This book is well worth reading.

mommyskis

I think pilates has helped a lot, although I'm nowhere near bikini shape:) I have always heard "abs are made in the kitchen", meaning you really have to watch your diet. Cut out processed sugar, pop, etc. I just haven't been able to make that leap yet.

KeriA

I had this problem and I wished I never gave up on it. I think in my mind I was less embarrassed about being fat than looking pregnant when I wasn't. I had 2 C-sections and an ectopic prenancy so my muscles were cut 3 times. I started weight training and decided I didn't want to turn all my fat to huge muscle but I wanted to lose fat and then tighten up. Wrong. The weight training would have helped me lose the fat and firm the stomach. Now many years later I am getting rid of fat and belly with mostly walking and aquafit which is great for the core. I am losing slow enough to give my body time to tighten as I go. Just keep working on your core. Don't forget the obliques. Keep fighting the weight and getting the exercise. So far as I lose my skin has tightened to my size even though I am older than any of you. So if I can do it you can. Will it be overnight no. It may take years. This isn't what you want, you want expert advice on how to do this and I hope you get it. It is really great you are working on it. If you don't get any expert advice just use your common sense and keep working on your core muscles. Pilates, ballet, aquafit if you have good teachers. There are some amazing exercises my teacher does where we crunch and touch the wall and crunch down. We work our oblique muscles. We hold the wall with one had and kick our legs up on the side of the wall and back down. We do exercises where we bring our knees up to our chest and down jumping over a line on the pool and twisting our arms to the other side skiing over moguls. There are things we can do in the water that you can't do out and the water provides resistance. There are all the crunch type exercises mentioned do as many as you can. Also you need your abs to do almost anything if you do the exercise right. So walking helps me alot. I am not saying to not use more rigorous exercise I am saying that if these are so effective at it then there is alot of options to address this. I am rooting for you.