Abs are made in the kitchen...

NYactor1

Bump

palmerig88

Maybe for 2 weeks, cut out soda and try to eat your exercise calories. Can you try to make your only beverage water? If not, only have water and non-carbonated beverages and no sugary drinks, like juice?
ETA: ps your stomach looks really flat in your pics

JustJennie1

Woah, just saw that you're doing squats on the Smith Machine...I won't go into what a hideous travesty the creation of that machine is, but I will recommend you get into a real squat rack.

What makes a smith press a "hideous travesty"? Sometimes it's the only option. I for one prefer to do my heavy squats on it knowing my forms good and I am to torquing my back in an unnatural way.

wookiemouse

I didn't see my abs until I cleaned up my diet. Of course, lifting heavy helped but combined with the diet, that's what made the difference.

This.

I lifted heavy for 2 years, did ab workouts 3x a week. Abs were hard as rocks, you just couldn't see them. In March, I continued lifting and ab work, but I cut out all refined sugar, processed food and white carbs from my diet. I make sure to eat my body weight in protein and at least 1800 cals a day. For the first time ever, my abs are flat. I have a solid 4 pack - didn't happen until I cleaned up my diet tho!

JustJennie1

I don't know if core exercises are necessary. I do them because I like to.

Actually abs are made in the gym, refined in the kitchen.

I disagree that core work is "a waste of time". Yes, you're engaging your core when you lift weights but isolation exercises help strengthen and support the back and it does build muscle. I have a friend who is a serious athlete (tri's, marathon runner, iron man) and even he does isolation work for his abs.

Your abs are part of your core and they support the back as well as the rest of your body. A strong core is very important. Along with back extensions strong abs will cut down on back injury.

songbyrdsweet

Woah, just saw that you're doing squats on the Smith Machine...I won't go into what a hideous travesty the creation of that machine is, but I will recommend you get into a real squat rack.

What makes a smith press a "hideous travesty"? Sometimes it's the only option. I for one prefer to do my heavy squats on it knowing my forms good and I am to torquing my back in an unnatural way.

Ironically, the Smith machine DOES cause you to move in an unnatural way while doing squats. It doesn't allow for the natural arc of your back as you draw your hips back at the top of the squat and then bring them forward again as you come back up. If you can't squat heavy on your own, you won't have good form, because you're no longer utilizing your stabilizing muscles. No offense, but SM's are a crutch, not a great tool.

Wonderob

Woah, just saw that you're doing squats on the Smith Machine...I won't go into what a hideous travesty the creation of that machine is, but I will recommend you get into a real squat rack.

Can't think of a better way to do Hack squats than on the Smith Machine - am I wrong?

songbyrdsweet

Woah, just saw that you're doing squats on the Smith Machine...I won't go into what a hideous travesty the creation of that machine is, but I will recommend you get into a real squat rack.

Can't think of a better way to do Hack squats than on the Smith Machine - am I wrong?

Why do hack squats when you can do deadlifts?

Wonderob

Woah, just saw that you're doing squats on the Smith Machine...I won't go into what a hideous travesty the creation of that machine is, but I will recommend you get into a real squat rack.

Can't think of a better way to do Hack squats than on the Smith Machine - am I wrong?

Why do hack squats when you can do deadlifts?

Mix it up a bit? Hitting muscles differently?

Isn't that like asking "why do inclined bench press when you can do bench press?

Kara_xxx

Looks like you are coming in quite a bit under your calorie goal each day. The goal is something you should try to reach, not stay under.

When it comes to your routine, I would suggest lowering or eliminating all off the isolation core exercises (Leg lifts), and you should not work the same muscle group on back to back days, take a day off in between.

I would suggest you look into Starting strength, Stronlifts 5x5, or New Rules of Lifting for women to get a better program. These programs all use compound lifts that target the whole body and eliminate the unnecessary isolation lifts and ab work.

That.

roodledoodle

The only bit of advice I would give is to change your workouts up a bit. If you've been doing the same exercises for years then your body would of adapted to it and won't be challenged as much (unless you've been increasing your weights over time). A PT once told me that when you've done an exercise routine 6-8 times without either changing the weights/reps then your body would of adapted. I hope nobody has a go about what I've said, just saying what works for me. Keeps the body challenged and stops boredom.

MonkeyBars

Everyone is here is talking sense....

I can only offer my personal experience.

I got my abs showing within 6 weeks, I did my own circuits 3-5 times a week which mix up strength & conditioning, I mixed my running up 5-6 days a week too (different sprints, speed work, only 1 LSD run).

I take 1 day off from exercise per week every 7 to 10 days.

I do up to 13 sessions a week (1 day gets 2.5hours, most are within 80mins)....pretty much of 90mins appears to be a waste of time unless it's skill based rather then S&C.

My circuits are different EVERY time, always a mix of core exercises, always using HIIT or Tababa (20secs work/10secs rest x 6 for 10 items of equipment, most of the time I'm the only equipment, I want to be gymnast strong!)...

I do recommend pullups, sandbag lifting/flings, waterball lifting/moving, mini hurdles, gym rings, variations on pushups, swiss & medicine ball balancing, medicine balls etc...

I eat my BMR kcals & exercise kcals every day. Once a week I have a MAD blow out! My body needs to know there's loads of food out there, I will not starve it so it can torch the fat in the day when I'm chilling!

I have the data on my fat% changing as my weight dropped.
My fat% stayed the same for the first 4 weeks as I was dropping weight, so I could see I wasn't going into a catabolic state.
Then it just changed immediately in the last 2 weeks!

I noted my weight would increase every week 2 days before dropping considerably.

Muscle weighs more than fat, here was the evidence.

My objective was to drop a weight class and increase my core strength, the journey is still on!
So keep your body and in chaos, don't try to "target" or "isolate". Use your body as a complete mechanism!
When you choose what to lift, engage a series (compound) of muscles, there is no sweet spot!
You have abs, they just need to be revealed, torch the fat

Recently I'm experimenting dropping grains completely, it's very interesting, but I was still eating some junk whilst I was exercising (including bread/oats/rice etc...).

Consume everything you can on the internet! Some is junk, some is personal & some works! Youtube rocks! ("Strong Like Susan" comes to mind).

Good luck on your journey, you'll find what works for you, but you may need to experiment and check your logs

ps
if all else fails, hire an expert! Get a PT who "understands" you and your body type!

songbyrdsweet

Woah, just saw that you're doing squats on the Smith Machine...I won't go into what a hideous travesty the creation of that machine is, but I will recommend you get into a real squat rack.

Can't think of a better way to do Hack squats than on the Smith Machine - am I wrong?

Why do hack squats when you can do deadlifts?

Mix it up a bit? Hitting muscles differently?

Isn't that like asking "why do inclined bench press when you can do bench press?

I can give you a HOST of reasons why you should do incline press and NOT bench press, ever. You're not working 'two areas' of the pectoral muscles. They all flex together. You're putting less stress on your shoulder joints and making your pectorals do way more work than your delts as compared to flat bench which pretty much utilizes your anterior delts alone. I haven't flat-benched in at least a year.

I can also give you a host of reasons to do deadlifts with a barbell rather than hack squats on the SM. The most blaring would be to use your core and stabilizer muscles.

NYactor1

Everyone is here is talking sense....

I can only offer my personal experience.

I got my abs showing within 6 weeks, I did my own circuits 3-5 times a week which mix up strength & conditioning, I mixed my running up 5-6 days a week too (different sprints, speed work, only 1 LSD run).

I take 1 day off from exercise per week every 7 to 10 days.

I do up to 13 sessions a week (1 day gets 2.5hours, most are within 80mins)....pretty much of 90mins appears to be a waste of time unless it's skill based rather then S&C.

My circuits are different EVERY time, always a mix of core exercises, always using HIIT or Tababa (20secs work/10secs rest x 6 for 10 items of equipment, most of the time I'm the only equipment, I want to be gymnast strong!)...

I do recommend pullups, sandbag lifting/flings, waterball lifting/moving, mini hurdles, gym rings, variations on pushups, swiss & medicine ball balancing, medicine balls etc...

I eat my BMR kcals & exercise kcals every day. Once a week I have a MAD blow out! My body needs to know there's loads of food out there, I will not starve it so it can torch the fat in the day when I'm chilling!

I have the data on my fat% changing as my weight dropped.
My fat% stayed the same for the first 4 weeks as I was dropping weight, so I could see I wasn't going into a catabolic state.
Then it just changed immediately in the last 2 weeks!

I noted my weight would increase every week 2 days before dropping considerably.

Muscle weighs more than fat, here was the evidence.

My objective was to drop a weight class and increase my core strength, the journey is still on!
So keep your body and in chaos, don't try to "target" or "isolate". Use your body as a complete mechanism!
When you choose what to lift, engage a series (compound) of muscles, there is no sweet spot!
You have abs, they just need to be revealed, torch the fat

Recently I'm experimenting dropping grains completely, it's very interesting, but I was still eating some junk whilst I was exercising (including bread/oats/rice etc...).

Consume everything you can on the internet! Some is junk, some is personal & some works! Youtube rocks! ("Strong Like Susan" comes to mind).

Good luck on your journey, you'll find what works for you, but you may need to experiment and check your logs

ps
if all else fails, hire an expert! Get a PT who "understands" you and your body type!


[awesome post, thanks for sharing!)

Wonderob

Woah, just saw that you're doing squats on the Smith Machine...I won't go into what a hideous travesty the creation of that machine is, but I will recommend you get into a real squat rack.

Can't think of a better way to do Hack squats than on the Smith Machine - am I wrong?

Why do hack squats when you can do deadlifts?

Mix it up a bit? Hitting muscles differently?

Isn't that like asking "why do inclined bench press when you can do bench press?

I can give you a HOST of reasons why you should do incline press and NOT bench press, ever. You're not working 'two areas' of the pectoral muscles. They all flex together. You're putting less stress on your shoulder joints and making your pectorals do way more work than your delts as compared to flat bench which pretty much utilizes your anterior delts alone. I haven't flat-benched in at least a year.

I can also give you a host of reasons to do deadlifts with a barbell rather than hack squats on the SM. The most blaring would be to use your core and stabilizer muscles.

Thanks - I wasn't being argumentative by the way as I bow to a lot of people's superior knowledge on here

Because I don't know as much as many about lifting - I do tend to spend a lot of time on youtube and have my favourites to whom I pay attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvgkjQObW4Y

songbyrdsweet

Woah, just saw that you're doing squats on the Smith Machine...I won't go into what a hideous travesty the creation of that machine is, but I will recommend you get into a real squat rack.

Can't think of a better way to do Hack squats than on the Smith Machine - am I wrong?

Why do hack squats when you can do deadlifts?

Mix it up a bit? Hitting muscles differently?

Isn't that like asking "why do inclined bench press when you can do bench press?

I can give you a HOST of reasons why you should do incline press and NOT bench press, ever. You're not working 'two areas' of the pectoral muscles. They all flex together. You're putting less stress on your shoulder joints and making your pectorals do way more work than your delts as compared to flat bench which pretty much utilizes your anterior delts alone. I haven't flat-benched in at least a year.

I can also give you a host of reasons to do deadlifts with a barbell rather than hack squats on the SM. The most blaring would be to use your core and stabilizer muscles.

Thanks - I wasn't being argumentative by the way as I bow to a lot of people's superior knowledge on here

Because I don't know as much as many about lifting - I do tend to spend a lot of time on youtube and have my favourites to whom I pay attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvgkjQObW4Y

It's fine, I just have strong opinions lol...my major in undergrad was Exercise Science & Commercial Fitness and I've been lifting for about 6 years, currently training with a professional natural BBer, and we get into heated conversations about some of the stupid designs of gym equipment. :P

ETA: It all comes down to using the proper equipment in the proper way to make the most of every movement, avoid injury, and really push yourself. Otherwise you're just going through the motions and wasting time.