Ab work while fat?

Tia_N_Mac
Tia_N_Mac Posts: 181 Member
edited October 7 in Fitness and Exercise
Is there any since in doing ab work while still being overweight? I'm 5'4 and 190 so I have quite a bit of belly fat. Should I bother doing ab work now or should I wait until I lose a good deal of weight to tone up that area? I don't want to "waste" those 5-10 minutes doing ab work if it's not going to help and I can do more cardio. Thanks for your advice!

Replies

  • JAllen32
    JAllen32 Posts: 991 Member
    Its never never never a waste to exercise!! And you won't be sorry if you start doing ab work now. I've lost almost 50lbs, but my belly is still all jiggly and embarassing! I wish I had started doing ab work a year ago when I started losing weight, because by now my stomach would be flatter and less jiggly! You will want to have firmer abs to start appearing when you start losing the fat! Do it!!!! Take it from someone who wishes they had!!! Good luck!!!
  • HannaBB
    HannaBB Posts: 3 Member
    With cardio you're gaining stamina, with crunches you're gaining muscle strength. It builds your muscles in a different way.
    Like previous poster said, it's no such thing as "wasting time" on exercise.
  • Tia_N_Mac
    Tia_N_Mac Posts: 181 Member
    Appreciate the quick responses. I will continue to do an ab program so that they will be ready to shine when the fat comes off!
  • JanetTerry
    JanetTerry Posts: 123 Member
    GREAT advice yall! I needed this too! THANKS!
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Do it anyway! I just posted earlier on someone's page, the two things that have really helped me flatten my belly were running and eating less sugar!
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
    We all have muscle underneath our fat. Better to cultivate it than to lose it! Lift weights too!
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
    Even if you have fat hiding your abs like me, you should work them because when you do lower your fat percentage you may start to see them sooner, or at the very least they'll look better!
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
    Strengthening your core is always good, having a strong back and abs will help with your other exercises.
  • autumnblingsz
    autumnblingsz Posts: 17 Member
    The more muscle you build, the higher your metabolism. So basically if you do ab work now, you'll have more muscle, therefore you will burn more calories throughout the day on a daily basis & you'll see them faster.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    The more muscle you build, the higher your metabolism. So basically if you do ab work now, you'll have more muscle, therefore you will burn more calories throughout the day on a daily basis & you'll see them faster.

    /\/\/\This

    I have never had a six pack, but when I see my xrays its pretty inspiring because I can see the muscles in the xray that are "hidden" on me.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    Compound exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, pull ups, chin ups and barbell rows) along with a calorie deficit. Add in the ab work if you'd like. Just because you have an excess of body fat shouldn't prevent you from working out, period.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    I never do "ab work." Then again, I always work my abs. Weight training requires use of your abs to stabilize and balance the weight, as long as you use free weights, and that's all the "ab work" you'd ever need.
  • Cr8tive_Ingenuity
    Cr8tive_Ingenuity Posts: 181
    it doesnt hurt to work your abs but keep in the mind the muscle group is a rather small one so if your doing it just to increase the metabolism there are bigger ones to work..with that said it never hurts just dont focus too much on your abs to lose weight
  • MommyTKD
    MommyTKD Posts: 61 Member
    This is the BEST time to prepare your core to support the new you! You can tighten all of your abs if you do core exercises.... do twisting crunches (bringing elbow towards opposite knee) to work the sides, leg lifts (keep legs straight, raise them 6 inches off the ground, hold for 5 seconds, part legs and hold for 5 seconds, bring back together and hold for 5 seconds, then lower them slowly), AND good old fashioned ball reps (hold plastic ball above your head while laying flat on ground, bring legs and arms together to pass ball from hands to feet, bring feet towards ground but don't let them touch, bring ball back up to hands, then hands back up above head -- keep legs and arms straight whole time).

    Good luck!
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    Is there any since in doing ab work while still being overweight? I'm 5'4 and 190 so I have quite a bit of belly fat. Should I bother doing ab work now or should I wait until I lose a good deal of weight to tone up that area? I don't want to "waste" those 5-10 minutes doing ab work if it's not going to help and I can do more cardio. Thanks for your advice!
    Do it now - hit your abs a few times each week.

    It won't spot reduce fat but will help tone and strengthen existing muscle.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
    Doing crunches an other ab work has really made me look much more trim. My doctor even commented on my strong stomach muscles...during a pelvic....awkward...but good to hear anyway.
  • albinogorilla
    albinogorilla Posts: 1,056 Member
    everyone has abs, some you can see, some are buried
    compound movements are best for building abs
    most pro bodybuilders do little to no ab work
    they are stabilizer muscles
  • rhce40
    rhce40 Posts: 201 Member
    focus on overall core strength rather than ab work
  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,357 Member
    I've been doing ab work since I started. It's not a waste of time. My doctor tells me we don't want sag. Cardio, strength and ab work is great for inches gone, toning, and losing pounds. You might even check out the 30 day shred, I would suggest this video to anyone.
  • Tia_N_Mac
    Tia_N_Mac Posts: 181 Member
    I'm the OP. In response to a few comments, I don't belong to a gym. I have lost 15 pounds thru jogging and aerobic dvd's at home. I do a 10 minute ab program thru the free cable fitness channel. I will continue to do the program thanks to the good responses. I didnt think about how it was benefiting me in terms of metabolism and core strength.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    The problem with doing a lot of ab work on its own is it can lead to injury, due to muscle imbalances of strengthening your ab muscles, but having weak back muscles. You really need to exercise your back as much as your abs, or you might end up doing more harm than good.
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,689 Member
    Having a strong core (abs and back) helps you have better posture, and can help your spine health as well. Even if you didn't plan on losing any weight I would say core work is worth it!
  • RyanEParker
    RyanEParker Posts: 28
    I agree with the importance of building all round mid-section strength. If you are only building you abs then your lower to mid back might not be getting the right amount of work and subsequently be weak. This will make your back more susceptible to injury. Bad news I say.

    Ryan Parker
    Rock-Abs.net - How I Lost my Beer Belly
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