Need Bikini Abs! Help please :)

Jcole05

I've been working out regularly for 5 months, and I'm almost at my goal weight. I'm 5'8" and currently around 154 pounds. I'm having trouble toning my tummy, and any suggestions you all have would really be appreciated. Bikini season is coming up, and I need to do something for my love handles and all around jiggly tummy! Yuck. Thanks in advance for all your help and ideas!

Jenny

J_Leicht

I'm sure you already know all this, but I'll tell you just incase LOL

If you are jiggly you have to lose fat, and you do that by cardio. Keep your heart rate between 60-85% of max heart rate for at least 20 mins. If you work for less than that you aren't even doing anything. It is best to do more. DO NOT go over that heart rate. If you do you ARE NOT burning fat, you are burning sugar, and weight loss pretty much stops. Maybe you are doing everything right, doing Zumba and everything but maybe your heart rate is too high or low.

JenMc14

You don't lose fat thigh cardio. Card burns calories, not fat. But, that leads to fat loss. Diet is the key to having good abs. You must eat at a deficit. Do cardio to create a larger deficit, but you still have to eat to support your exercise. Yu should also lift heavy to maintain muscle and to help recompile yr body.

Beezil

Start lifting weights. Do weighted squats, lunges, reverse lunges, etc. Nothing will cure a bad diet though, so if your eating isn't 100% in check, you most likely won't see much in the way of results. The most important and effective thing you can do to lose the "jiggle" or excess fat is lift weights while eating plenty of protein to preserve muscle mass and lose more fat. 1 gram of protein per pound of lean muscle mass is a good guideline.

If you're using your muscles on a regular basis with heavy lifting, your body is less likely to metabolize the lean tissue and instead go for the fatty stuff. lol

Minimize cardio to 2-3 times a week, an hour each session MAX, and do 4-5 days of strength training a week instead. Best tips I have. Clean eating also helps (reduce salt intake to 2,500mg a day or less, plenty of water, minimal processed foods, etc.) by sometimes reducing bloating from extra water weight. Make sure you're also balancing out your potassium, as it works with sodium to balance out the fluids in your body. I forget the ratio, but I try to get in roughly twice as much potassium as I do sodium, because that is what I've found makes me feel best. Good luck. :flowerforyou:

Edited for typos.

ainsleybtown

Start lifting weights. Do weighted squats, lunges, reverse lunges, etc. Nothing will cure a bad diet though, so if your eating isn't 100% in check, you most likely won't see much in the way of results. The most important and effective thing you can do to lose the "jiggle" or excess fat is lift weights while eating plenty of protein to preserve muscle mass and lose more fat. 1 gram of protein per pound of lean muscle mass is a good guideline.

If you're using your muscles on a regular basis with heavy lifting, your body is less likely to metabolize the lean tissue and instead go for the fatty stuff. lol

Minimize cardio to 2-3 times a week, an hour each session MAX, and do 4-5 days of strength training a week instead. Best tips I have. Clean eating also helps (reduce salt intake to 2,500mg a day or less, plenty of water, minimal processed foods, etc.) by sometimes reducing bloating from extra water weight. Make sure you're also balancing out your potassium too, as it works with sodium also to balance out the fluids in your body. I forget the ratio, but I try to get in roughly twice as much potassium as I do sodium, because that is what I've found makes me feel best. Good luck. :flowerforyou:

This is fantastic advice!

LG61820

I've read about abs in many places, written by many people. One constant through it all is planks, planks, planks, All kinds of planks. I'll know more subjective proof in a few months if I can only keep at the planks!

Josee76

I've read about abs in many places, written by many people. One constant through it all is diet, diet, diet. I'll know more subjective proof in a few months if I can only keep at the diet!

here I corrected this for you .... DIET is a huge factor for this one! and by diet I mean using FOOD AS FUEL and meeting your macros and increasing protein!

Jcole05

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I love having an awesome community to chat with/give advice. Ill definitely use them moving forward. I think I need to do less cardio and more weights, and I also need to add more protein to my diet. Ive also seen tons and tons of plank workouts. Thanks again guys

Jcole05

Thanks for the tip about cardio/strength training...hopefully I can get my abs lookin like yours!

Jcole05

Thanks, Janelle. I didnt know that about your heart rate getting too high. Interesting...

jecka93

There's videos on YouTube called 'Blogilates' they have specific ones to work your core. If you'd like to strengthen your core too I suggest trying these! They're amazing! There's all different videos. Some cardio ones too.

Beezil

No problem - glad to see someone so positive and motivated to get fit! Be patient and you will get results you want.