What exercises target the lower abs (post pregnancy flab)

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  • CharityL85
    CharityL85 Posts: 14 Member
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    I did a lot of research on this and it looks as if to get rid of it you have to really target your transverse abs. It involves lots of planks and reverse crunches. I'm desperately trying to get rid of mine too!
  • sukatx
    sukatx Posts: 103
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    Are you doomed? It depends really on you.

    I only have one child. She's about to be 2. When I first started losing weight I assumed the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I upped my cardio I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I started doing more core work I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't!

    I finally asked my doctor about it (he monitors my weight monthly as part of my cholesterol lowering plan). He took a brief look at my tummy and confirmed it; the only thing that will get rid of this pouch is a tummy tuck. I don't have much fat there, it's mostly skin. He said he could tell because it hangs over like a leather sack.

    I seriously considered going through with the surgery, and I decided not to. I'm not knocking anyone who's done it. I've had a nosejob, so I'm certainly not against plastic surgery. It's just not worth it to me. Painful recovery and a scar from hip to hip. No thank you. I'd rather just invest in some good Spanx.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    Tae Bo Insane Abs.
  • TadaGanIarracht
    TadaGanIarracht Posts: 2,615 Member
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    Are you doomed? It depends really on you.

    I only have one child. She's about to be 2. When I first started losing weight I assumed the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I upped my cardio I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I started doing more core work I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't!

    I finally asked my doctor about it (he monitors my weight monthly as part of my cholesterol lowering plan). He took a brief look at my tummy and confirmed it; the only thing that will get rid of this pouch is a tummy tuck. I don't have much fat there, it's mostly skin. He said he could tell because it hangs over like a leather sack.

    I seriously considered going through with the surgery, and I decided not to. I'm not knocking anyone who's done it. I've had a nosejob, so I'm certainly not against plastic surgery. It's just not worth it to me. Painful recovery and a scar from hip to hip. No thank you. I'd rather just invest in some good Spanx.

    I'd find a new doctor. There are many women who have lost the leathery over belly from stretching from pregnancy. It takes time and work but many women have proved it can be done.
  • ursenia
    ursenia Posts: 3
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    bump.....
  • ebaymommy
    ebaymommy Posts: 1,067 Member
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    Are you doomed? It depends really on you.

    I only have one child. She's about to be 2. When I first started losing weight I assumed the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I upped my cardio I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I started doing more core work I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't!

    I finally asked my doctor about it (he monitors my weight monthly as part of my cholesterol lowering plan). He took a brief look at my tummy and confirmed it; the only thing that will get rid of this pouch is a tummy tuck. I don't have much fat there, it's mostly skin. He said he could tell because it hangs over like a leather sack.

    I seriously considered going through with the surgery, and I decided not to. I'm not knocking anyone who's done it. I've had a nosejob, so I'm certainly not against plastic surgery. It's just not worth it to me. Painful recovery and a scar from hip to hip. No thank you. I'd rather just invest in some good Spanx.

    I'd find a new doctor. There are many women who have lost the leathery over belly from stretching from pregnancy. It takes time and work but many women have proved it can be done.

    ditto that. I have a tummy pic in my profile page. I've had 2 babies via c/s and i had a quite large and gross (to me) tummy pooch hangover thing. Lots of cardio, lots of core work and strength training and a nice clean diet to lower body fat % has helped me get rid of all but the tiniest bit of it.
  • Mission2Me
    Mission2Me Posts: 208 Member
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    bump
  • jupityjupe
    jupityjupe Posts: 86 Member
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    Here is a workout I have been doing for my pooch. It's gone down as I have been doing this with the 30Day Shred. I do both daily!
    I combine both with running every other day.

    http://www.fitnessbender.com/2012/03/abs-in-hurry-10-minute-workout-fitness.html
  • jupityjupe
    jupityjupe Posts: 86 Member
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    that was a great video..i will be doing that one in between my jillian michaels workouts
  • SergeiKay
    SergeiKay Posts: 90 Member
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    IMHO, for your case you would benefit more from a combo of abs workout AND cardio.

    I've noticed that i get an effective workout for lower abs by doing knee ups. You can do these at the gym on a station that combines pull-up bar, dip beams, and the back/elbows rest for abs (don't know the proper name), or at home on a couch.

    Pretty much any variation that involves moving your hips and legs will target the lower abs more.

    So the idea is to build up foundation with abs workout and trim up a bit with cardio, HIITs or usual, up to your preference really.

    I don't go to a gym so how could I do something similar at home?

    http://www.rajarasa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Gerakan-Knee-Ups.gif

    This is what i had in mind ^^^ A firm couch or a sturdy chair, or even the floor should do the trick.

    I agree with ...uglyhobo O.o about no such thing as spot fat removal haha. once again, that's why cardio AND workout would be better in my opinion. workout to build up muscle, cardio to trim up fat over all body, including tummy, which is really tough, because it is usually the last fat to go. STICK TO IT, don't give up, because it takes a lot of time. Watching your caloric intake will help you greatly as well.

    HOWEVER, i disagree with uglyhobo that you can't target just the lower abs. oh yes you can, it's not just one bundle of muscle tissues! Sure, the whole core will be involved in any abs exercise you do, but you can put more stress on a region of that massive bundle. i am a living proof lol, i've been stressing my upper portion of abs by numerous crunches and now my upper abs are starting to protrude out of the abs plane while my lower abs a just flat, heh.
  • lickmybaconcakes
    lickmybaconcakes Posts: 1,063 Member
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    Predominantly lower abdominal exercises: lying down leg raises, V sit ups,captain chairs and bicycles(slowly)
  • GSCPostBaby
    GSCPostBaby Posts: 111 Member
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    Firstly, it is impossible to lose weight in one area alone, however you can tone only a particular area. The only problem there is that you will undoubtedly put a lot of time and effort into a killer six pack that nobody will be able to see because it will still be covered in fat.

    I have two children and have personally hit this irritating fitness wall before. It's very disheartening. No matter what you do the results just don't seem to come.

    These things take time. Get rid of the extra fat through diet and exercise and incorporate a variety of strength training into your fitness program to firm up your whole body.

    Though above I said you can spot tone, I don't recommend it. It's a cheaters way out of doing a full workout. The body works in sets of twos. Every muscle group has it's opposite partner which needs to be developed equally in order to get ideal results. My husband is a great example of this. He struggled for years to develop his chest and it just never happened the way he wanted. Once he started putting more time into his arms and back, however, his chest began to bulk the way he wanted.

    Remember, it took months for you to put the weight on, so don't expect miracles overnight.

    As far as ab exercises go, I incorporate both long and short movements as well as obliques into my workout. Some of my favorites are ball passes, Russian twists, extended leg lifts on a table (which you need to be careful when doing or you'll hurt your back), bicycles, ball crunches. I also do about 6-8 other exercises to keep things changed up but I don't like them as much as these. :tongue:

    The other important thing to remember is that all muscles are created equal. You wouldn't do bicep curls every day without a rest and you shouldn't work abs ever day either. The body builds muscle as it is torn down, that's how you get fit, toned and defined, by making your body build new muscle through working out. Therefore, if you're working a muscle group every day, you're just tearing down and tearing down and your body can't possibly repair and build fast enough to keep up. You will actually end up with negative results and possibly weaker muscles. I work my abs ever time I strength train which is two days on, one day off, two days on one day off (which if you ask some trainers is still too often) which ends up being 4-5 days a week depending on how it falls.

    You should increase your protein intake also, so your body has something to make the muscle out of.

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