Waste of time doing crunches with significant belly fat?

TheBraveryLover

Okay so I still have about 40 more pounds to lose and although my stomach has gotten smaller, there is still a significant amount of fat on it. I started doing crunches a few days ago and I certainly feel it in my stomach muscles, but I'm wondering if I should wait to get the belly fat down some more before I continue doing the crunches? I understand any exercise is good, but objectively speaking, would you suggest to keep doing it or is it unnecessary until I lose more fat so that my abs can be more visible?

Thank you for your input.

felice03

if you are doing them correctly you will still be working the core muscles so that once the "outlayer" is burned away you will have already been working on the muscles.

MattHaviland620

I would keep doing it, because once you do lose the weight the abs will be way more visible.

Good Luck

rocketpants

A strong core is important for a whole lot of reasons besides aesthetics. Keep working on the abs

NKF92879

^^^ What they said. PLUS... you're still building muscle which will help you burn more calories overall. :bigsmile: b

MissTomGettingThin

I would keep doing it, because once you do lose the weight the abs will be way more visible.

Good Luck

This!! :O)
It's what I'm doing.

Good Luck

RissaDean

I carry most of my fat in the midsection, so I've been focusing on cardio to help burn that off....It seems (to me and my super short-sightedness) that crunches are a waste of time until I can actually see results.

I actually saw better results doing push ups (got through week 5 of the 100 push up challenge before I went on vacation). Please don't ask me to explain how doing push ups worked my core - but it did, honestly. I don't have a 6 pack now or anything, but I def started seeing more of a waist and I could feel the burn in my abs and such.

EMSNJOEY

Burning the fat will help to slim you down, but training your muscles is JUST as important. Getting your core strong will benefit your posture, your health and it can reduce/eliminate back pain. I would say that all forms of strength training are important no matter how much fat you have to lose. Building your muscles helps to boost your metabolism which in turn will help you burn calories faster and reach your goals more quickly and efficiently!

You are already down 46 pounds! Keep up the great work!

vaderandbill

You can do any exercises you want to do and you should. But remember that you can't spot reduce on your body so building muscle anywhere you can will help you burn more fat. Also, crunches can hurt your neck and/or lower back if you do them too often. Try planks, side planks and mountain climbers to mix it up.

Keefypoos

^^^ What they said. PLUS... you're still building muscle which will help you burn more calories overall. :bigsmile: b

cool I'm intreged just what sort of extra calorie burn might i expect?

Ashonym

I'm in the same boat but I AM doing my sit ups and crunches. When the fat comes off those abs will be beautiful and totally worth it!! Keep at it I say. And like was mentioned, muscle will build beneath the fat in the meantime and said muscle will assist in burning more calories and literally eating away the fat on top of it meanwhile! (Or so I hear...)

shelbygeorge29

Yup, keep at it for increased core strength and to get those muscles ready for their unveiling!

Elleinnz

Keep doing them - lots of them!!

You are strengthening your core - and building those muscles - as the fat "melts off" you will already have the muscle definition and wont have to start working on it....

I started with doing 10 at a time a year ago when I was over 300 lbs, and can now do 3 sets of a 100 a day :-)

NKF92879

^^^ What they said. PLUS... you're still building muscle which will help you burn more calories overall. :bigsmile: b

cool I'm intreged just what sort of extra calorie burn might i expect?

Depends on the person, but it's been widely researched and published that building muscle boosts metabolism.

msarro

Keep doing them, they won't hurt you. Just remember, working only your abs is only half of the equation. you need to work your lower back as well. Resistance exercises should always try to work out both sides of the body (example: every bicep exercise should be paired with a tricep exercise, every quadricep exercise should be paired with a hamstring exercise, etc).

rocketpants

I carry most of my fat in the midsection, so I've been focusing on cardio to help burn that off....It seems (to me and my super short-sightedness) that crunches are a waste of time until I can actually see results.

I actually saw better results doing push ups (got through week 5 of the 100 push up challenge before I went on vacation). Please don't ask me to explain how doing push ups worked my core - but it did, honestly. I don't have a 6 pack now or anything, but I def started seeing more of a waist and I could feel the burn in my abs and such.

pushups / planks are a great way to work the core. You have to use both your abs, and your lower back muscles to keep your hips off the ground.

baygirl75

Keep crunching because you are building muscle and burning fat all at the same time. Faster results:)

TheBraveryLover

Thanks so much for the info guys! I'm glad the general consensus is yes, because to be honest, I like doing them!

Love mfp so much! :happy:

TiffanyA2008

I carry most of my fat in the midsection, so I've been focusing on cardio to help burn that off.

^^^This is me!! Focusing on cardio right now to burn the fat! Geez, I hope it's working

PlanetVelma

I carry most of my fat in the midsection, so I've been focusing on cardio to help burn that off....It seems (to me and my super short-sightedness) that crunches are a waste of time until I can actually see results.

I actually saw better results doing push ups (got through week 5 of the 100 push up challenge before I went on vacation). Please don't ask me to explain how doing push ups worked my core - but it did, honestly. I don't have a 6 pack now or anything, but I def started seeing more of a waist and I could feel the burn in my abs and such.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push-up

They help your core because you're basically in the "plank" position - my fiance has said that push ups are pretty under-rated. That is his "go to" exercise.

IMYarnCraz33

I would keep doing it, because once you do lose the weight the abs will be way more visible.

Good Luck

This!! :O)
It's what I'm doing.

Good Luck

i'm doing this too.

TheBraveryLover

Also, crunches can hurt your neck and/or lower back if you do them too often. Try planks, side planks and mountain climbers to mix it up.

That's interesting. I currently do them every other day. Would you say that's too often or a good amount of time in between?

Choclat_Pearl

What a great question. Many great responses. I am sort of in the same boat. I had been doing regular situps 240 per day since June 30th wasn't really giving myself a break period I was so determined... I was starting to think it was a waste of time also, but I am so used to doing them now.

Today, I did an AB workout using a resistance band and, I felt the burn right away I am going to switch it up and use that for a while.
I am excited again.

MzBHavin

Kellllog

I carry most of my fat in the midsection, so I've been focusing on cardio to help burn that off....It seems (to me and my super short-sightedness) that crunches are a waste of time until I can actually see results.

I actually saw better results doing push ups (got through week 5 of the 100 push up challenge before I went on vacation). Please don't ask me to explain how doing push ups worked my core - but it did, honestly. I don't have a 6 pack now or anything, but I def started seeing more of a waist and I could feel the burn in my abs and such.

Do you have a link to the 100 push-up challenge? Sounds interesting!

Tree72

Definitely keep doing core exercises. I do various crunches, sit-ups, planks, and leg lifts to mix it up and hit all various parts of the abdominals. Having a strong core will make it easier (and less painful) to do many cardio exercises too. It's much easier to run and to have better form on the stair mill and elliptical if you have a strong core to support you.

Azdak

Personally, I think crunches are pretty much a waste of time, whether you have belly fat or not.

I don't consider crunches to really be "core" exercises.

If you are trying to lose belly fat, there are lots of different exercises that would be a better use of time than doing crunches. Heck, 10 more minutes of cardio would be better, as would more resistance exercises using combo moves and large muscle groups.

It's hard to go into specifics since I don't know the rest of your workout or your current level of exercise experience, but, given the weight you have to lose, I would not waste time doing any crunches. You can incorporate "core" training into a variety of different exercises that will also help you build strength at the same time.

Keefypoos

^^^ What they said. PLUS... you're still building muscle which will help you burn more calories overall. :bigsmile: b

cool I'm intreged just what sort of extra calorie burn might i expect?

Depends on the person, but it's been widely researched and published that building muscle boosts metabolism.

thanks I did some research and its about 6 Kcals per lb per day

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-many-calories-does-muscle-really-burn-and-why-its-not-about-calories-anyway/