Question about body building?

Ravaroo

Ok im try to lose weight and gain weight at the same time lol.
My protein intake is high as I am trying to build muscle.
i do my lifting sessions and then my cardio after wards which is a light jog for 20 minutes 3 to 4 times a week. My question here is about my stomach. I dont want to make my stomach big, but more toned than any thing. should I stick to crunches rather than using the ab machine with extra weight added??

MDF08

to tone your midsection. you should focus on core movements that hit your back, sides, lower, and upper abs. Planks, crunches, reverse crunches, any workout on a stability ball, etc.

google "core workouts" for more ideas!

:flowerforyou:

MDF08

O, and your stomach won't get "big" with the ab machine. Especially if you focus on higher reps with lower weight.

Ravaroo

Thanks for your reply. i will research some of these then.

glendaz

I just started working out with a personal trainer with a focus on my core. We have been doing bridges--put your legs on a exercise ball and bring up your tush, hold it for 30 seconds, if you can. When you feel steady, put your arms up and hold them above your head. To make it harder, spread your arms apart and back together while in this position. If you can't put your arms up, no big deal. Do this 3 times.

Then do the same thing but put your head and shoulders on the ball and once again hike up your tush until it is parallel to the floor. Hold for 30 seconds. Try to do large arm circles while in this position. Go slow and keep your balance. We did this 3 times also.

Reverse crunches also work--put your legs in the air and bring up your tush until only your tush is off the floor, not your hips. It is a very small movement and works the lower part of your abs.

We also are using the exercise ball to do military presses and chest presses. You won't be able to lift as much, but you are working your core and should see some results in your abs as well.

That is all I can remember right now...
Good luck!!

SarahNicole317

When you see bodybuilders with large stomachs it is the 'roid' gut, possibly due to enlarged organs from overuse of steroids. Check out pics of bodybuilders today and pics of the former Arnold who was on a 4th of the amount of steroids men use today (his stomach is much smaller).

The best way to get more defined abdominal muscles is reducing body fat with cardio, cardio, cardio! In my experience you should do more high intensity interval training (20-30 minutes, 2-3x's/week) and less steady state cardio (30-40 minutes, 2-3x's/week). Some believe steady state will reduce muscle (in that case, think marathon runners). Of course, the exercises listed in the previous post are important as well.

Gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time tends to be a controversial subject. I believe it is possible, the difficult part is finding a caloric intake with the right macronutrient balance for your body. I'm not an expert on male bodybuilding, but t-nation.com is an excellent site for articles and very useful for posting bodybuilding questions on many of the forums they have.

I hope this helps!