*PIC* ab definition and exercise advice

Doctorpurple

Hi I'm new to this website and I would like to lose a few pounds before my wedding in december. I am currently at a healthy weight and don't want to really lose much but would like to tone my body especially my abs and my arms. My legs are more toned than the rest of my body since I was a runner for several years. I'm working on my abs for the last few months (on and off). I'm a medical student and I admit that there are some busy weeks when I "feel" like I don't have time to exercise. Here is photo of myself that I took today. First of all, do you think I have ab definition? I googled this but only saw very ripped abs and I think mine is subtle. Also, I would like some advice on how to tone my abs more. Currently, I'm doing planks, crunches, oblique crunches and resistance band training on my abs. Specific exercises would be very appreciated. Thanks

MichelleLaree13

I personally think your abs are perfect for a female. I wouldnt try to do any more toning on them,

Sarauk2sf

You should start and overall strength training program imo if you want more definition (you look great btw as you are). Look into New Rules of Lifting for Women, Starting Strength or Stronglifts.



Edited to take out the pic as you fixed it.

EatClenTrenHard

you are doing great. many people with great abs, don't focus exercising abs at all.

did you check your bodyfat %?

its either bodyfat% or genetics or lightning or posture.

For exercises you are good already.

Brunner26_2

You should be doing at least 200 crunches a day.

AntWrig

You should be doing at least 200 crunches a day.

False.

I do next to NO direct ab work.

haroon_awan

I think your abs are brilliant, actually. Here is a great video on ab definition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFSWnsb1tkU

I would definitely add some upper body weight training if you want to tone your arms and abs. Doing ab work is crucial to a strong core. Just don't do it everyday. 2-3 times a week is enough. Too many people think they'll get great abs by doing ab workouts every single day. The people in my gym who always do ab workouts don't have great abs. Think about it: the guys who do weight training have the best abs and they focus on upper body weight training. When your chest and shoulders and arms and back develop, so do your abs if you train right. The reason is that your core is engaged when you do resistance training, eg push ups involve keeping your core and butt tight, shoulder press requires a straight back and active engagement of the core etc.

I would highly recommend talking to a trainer and working up a quick upper body routine.

AntWrig

Hi I'm new to this website and I would like to lose a few pounds before my wedding in december. I am currently at a healthy weight and don't want to really lose much but would like to tone my body especially my abs and my arms. My legs are more toned than the rest of my body since I was a runner for several years. I'm working on my abs for the last few months (on and off). I'm a medical student and I admit that there are some busy weeks when I "feel" like I don't have time to exercise. Here is photo of myself that I took today. First of all, do you think I have ab definition? I googled this but only saw very ripped abs and I think mine is subtle. Also, I would like some advice on how to tone my abs more. Currently, I'm doing planks, crunches, oblique crunches and resistance band training on my abs. Specific exercises would be very appreciated. Thanks

Focus on exercise that require the use of your abs like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses.

geekyjock76

Focus on body composition by assuming a small deficit to reduce fat mass - eat about 250 calories below maintenance.

Lift_hard_eat_big

You should be doing at least 200 crunches a day.

I don't do crunches, I can get a shredded mid section without doing them, why can't the op?

katealbright

Since your legs are in great running shape and you already do a bit of ab work, I would say work on your arms! Jillian Michaels says one of the best ways to make your abs look great is to work on your arms, shoulders, and back because the contrast will give the appearance of a stronger frame with a smaller waist and leaner torso. And whenever you do an ab workout you should do a lower back exercise to balance your core. So arms/back to supplement abs and keep up the cardio and you will be cut in no time!

Brunner26_2

You should be doing at least 200 crunches a day.

I don't do crunches, I can get a shredded mid section without doing them, why can't the op?

Because she's a unique snowflake.

ReinasWrath

Don't wana sound like a creep here but you've got a really nice body. I'd say if anything maybe lower your BF% a bit. Try to eat as clean as you can, I always hear "abs are made in the gym but shown in the kitchen" I don't have abs yet so I don't know how true that is though :laugh: Barbell rollouts would be good for your abs, along with Russian twists, pikes, reverse crunches, knee tucks, mountain climbers. Some compound moves will hit your abs as well.

californiagirl2012

You are quite beautiful just as you are. The ab exercises you are doing right now are enough. You don't have time for more, but if you did I would recommend a full body women's weight lifting free weights routine (mostly dumbbells). Lifting weights will give you ab definition as well as losing more fat. I don't think you need to lose any more fat.

When you have time I would recommend lifting. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, and you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

If you are female you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulky and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd.

Brad Pilon talks about how men peak with weight lifting and muscles definition at a different times in their lives compared to women and it's kind of interesting. http://bradpilon.com/weight-loss/womens-body-ideal-measurements/

So really when you have time you should add a simple weight lifting routine, just 3 days a week is all it would take.

Most of my profile pictures are from an experiment I did this year where I stopped all ab exercises to make my waist smaller. It worked. I got my waist smaller and the lack of ab exercises did not take away my ab definition, but I also had to get down to 10% body fat to get that (for a transformation contest that graded on this, not a real fitness competition -I've never done that, just a contest where you send in before and after pictures). Since then I have added ab exercises and a 1-2% body fat and my waist is now thicker and the ab definition has changed slightly and is part of what added the thickness (my DXA scan shows my body fat is not in my abdominal area at all, that area is at 0% body fat still). So the ab exercises made my waist thicker and changed the definition slightly, mostly on the sides because of planks, roll outs, and swiss ball pikes.

Everyone looks different and even at different body fat %. For example here are two women at 15%, totally different, and I'm at 11% and look nothing like either of them. The guys are both at 10%.

Crazy4Healthy

I don't have great abs, but I have definitely noticed them much more doing compound exercises (squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, etc). Has worked great for my arms, abs, and legs. Recommend them to anyone as a great starting point.

diodelcibo

You should be doing at least 200 crunches a day.

:laugh: funniest thing I've heard all day.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

1. You look great.

2. I think you would benefit from getting into a solid heavy lifting program like New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women, Starting Strength or StrongLifst 5x5.

3. If you want your abs more visible you need to lose a small amount of body fat while maintaining the muscle you currently have. Lift, and eat at a small calorie deficit.

4. You don't need to do a million different ab exercises. Hit your abs the same you would any muscle group. 2-3 times a week for 1-2 moves.

MichelleLaree13

You should be doing at least 200 crunches a day.

:laugh: funniest thing I've heard all day.

Not impossible. I didnt have defined abs and I did multiple sets of a hundred a day.

Smurfette1987

.

Brad Pilon talks about how men peak with weight lifting and muscles definition at a different times in their lives compared to women and it's kind of interesting. http://bradpilon.com/weight-loss/womens-body-ideal-measurements/

Thanks for that link!

Doctorpurple

thank you for all the replies. As with the body fat, I had my body fat checked through calipers about a month ago it came to 19.5% I also had that that bio impedance testing (which I hear is not very accurate) the results was about the same as with my caliper testing. I'm trying to get body fat testing through bod pod. But from where I live right now, the bod pod testing centers are only in some universities that has a "student only" access. The university I go to does dexa scan but they need a prescription from a physician (which I find absurd) and it costs about $120 dollars. Is dexa scan worth it?

wilmnoca

Don't waste too much time doing ab work. Cardio will burn fat overall thus revealing your abs underneath that small fat layer.

wilmnoca

You should be doing at least 200 crunches a day.

Idiot

Doctorpurple

Don't wana sound like a creep here but you've got a really nice body. I'd say if anything maybe lower your BF% a bit. Try to eat as clean as you can, I always hear "abs are made in the gym but shown in the kitchen" I don't have abs yet so I don't know how true that is though :laugh: Barbell rollouts would be good for your abs, along with Russian twists, pikes, reverse crunches, knee tucks, mountain climbers. Some compound moves will hit your abs as well.

by eating clean does that mean just eat more fruits and veggies and less crap junk foods? I'm of southeast asian descent and I tend to eat more carbs (lots of rice). I've always contemplated on skipping the carbs but rice is not really crap junk food and it is very low in fat content. I guess my main question is, would eating less carbs lower down my body fat more than just a regular well balanced diet?

Doctorpurple

I think your abs are brilliant, actually. Here is a great video on ab definition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFSWnsb1tkU

I would definitely add some upper body weight training if you want to tone your arms and abs. Doing ab work is crucial to a strong core. Just don't do it everyday. 2-3 times a week is enough. Too many people think they'll get great abs by doing ab workouts every single day. The people in my gym who always do ab workouts don't have great abs. Think about it: the guys who do weight training have the best abs and they focus on upper body weight training. When your chest and shoulders and arms and back develop, so do your abs if you train right. The reason is that your core is engaged when you do resistance training, eg push ups involve keeping your core and butt tight, shoulder press requires a straight back and active engagement of the core etc.

I would highly recommend talking to a trainer and working up a quick upper body routine.

this seems like a very sound advice. Thank you.

Smurfette1987

Although my brain does hurt now, because according to the waist measurement ideal I have 4cms to lose, my LBM is around a kg above ideal but he says 20% bf is bordering on fitness competitor and I'm 19%... so I'd have to lose those cms from my waist by losing muscle? bleh stupid short waisted rectangle shape.

dave4d

Your abs look great the way they are, but If you really do want to have more definition, it will probably require a lower body fat %, or an increase in overall muscle mass. Like others have pointed out, compound lifts will give you the core work that you need to work your abs, and it will add definition everywhere else, as well. I've seen routines that are aimed at giving a person that extra little bit of definition for a competition, and it consists of, mostly losing excess water, by drinking a lot of water, and manipulating your carbs for a week.

Dreamerlove

You're so cute!! You are pretty much my goal body style. I think you have great abs. Check out these two websites. http://www.blogilates.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/blogilates. This is what I follow and I have toned up a lot. It is a super cute Asian girl who has free pop-Pilates videos on youtube and a blog that tells you which videos to do. Not to mention they are super fun.

good luck!

Doctorpurple

You're so cute!! You are pretty much my goal body style. I think you have great abs. Check out these two websites. http://www.blogilates.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/blogilates. This is what I follow and I have toned up a lot. It is a super cute Asian girl who has free pop-Pilates videos on youtube and a blog that tells you which videos to do. Not to mention they are super fun.

good luck!

thanks

myogibbs

I think you look great. I just recently lost 7 inches from my abs...I needed it...all my weight is in my abdominal region. I hate it because that is so unhealthy. I participated in a nutrition/personal training program for 8 weeks & lost 20 lbs. I think eating a good healthy balanced diet (including lots of water) is very important. I also agree with others on here that weight training is definitely an integral part of having a strong core. Have you ever tried Zumba? I swear I lost most of that weight in my abs from Zumba & it is really fun.

Doctorpurple

I think you look great. I just recently lost 7 inches from my abs...I needed it...all my weight is in my abdominal region. I hate it because that is so unhealthy. I participated in a nutrition/personal training program for 8 weeks & lost 20 lbs. I think eating a good healthy balanced diet (including lots of water) is very important. I also agree with others on here that weight training is definitely an integral part of having a strong core. Have you ever tried Zumba? I swear I lost most of that weight in my abs from Zumba & it is really fun.

Never tried zumba but my mom loves going to those. are they more of a cardio dance class?

Sarauk2sf

thank you for all the replies. As with the body fat, I had my body fat checked through calipers about a month ago it came to 19.5% I also had that that bio impedance testing (which I hear is not very accurate) the results was about the same as with my caliper testing. I'm trying to get body fat testing through bod pod. But from where I live right now, the bod pod testing centers are only in some universities that has a "student only" access. The university I go to does dexa scan but they need a prescription from a physician (which I find absurd) and it costs about $120 dollars. Is dexa scan worth it?

A dexa scan is not that much more accurate than a bod pod or a hydrostatic test. No method is totally accurate - you should be good with a bodpod (bia's are the least accurate but the reading you are getting seems to be reasonable). To be honest, you are at an obviously very healthy BF% - just go by the mirror for now unless there is a specific reason to have it more accurately assessed.