I just wanna tone my stomach

Lindbergnd
Lindbergnd Posts: 38
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been someone who works out every day, i always have one rest day though. I've spent a few years on my legs and now that i've started working my body all around, my arms, legs, and back are to my liking. Now i just want to tone my stomach. Knowing the little i do know, i've changed the way i eat and make my intake, well i try my hardest, no more that 1200 no matter how much i workout that day. I do crunches and planks, and ill do youtube ab videos but i haaaate working on my abs. any fun ideas that will help? i run a lot as well but that isn' help tone at all. Any advice will help, thank you! (:

Replies

  • Tilran
    Tilran Posts: 627 Member
    I've been someone who works out every day, i always have one rest day though. I've spent a few years on my legs and now that i've started working my body all around, my arms, legs, and back are to my liking. Now i just want to tone my stomach. Knowing the little i do know, i've changed the way i eat and make my intake, well i try my hardest, no more that 1200 no matter how much i workout that day. I do crunches and planks, and ill do youtube ab videos but i haaaate working on my abs. any fun ideas that will help? i run a lot as well but that isn' help tone at all. Any advice will help, thank you! (:

    How tall are you and how much do you weigh? I have a hard time understanding the 1200 calories you are taking in. Too few for a guy if you are excersising in my opinion. I mean unless you are like 100 pounds or something I suppose.
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    Heavy squats and deadlifts will hit your abs obliques and the "adonis V" just fine.
  • oharabears
    oharabears Posts: 85
    How tall are you and how much do you weigh? I have a hard time understanding the 1200 calories you are taking in. Too few for a guy if you are excersising in my opinion. I mean unless you are like 100 pounds or something I suppose.
    [/quote


    SHE's a girl...
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    SHE's a girl...

    looks like a skinny teen boy without the face (no offense)
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Well for one, I'd eat more then 1200.. and for two, lose the fat.

    You can do crunches and ab work until you are blue in the face, but until you are at a certain body fat percentage the abs won't show.

    Since you can't target just abs, my suggestion is to do a nice mix of cardio and total body strength training.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    I'm seconding the "just gotta lose fat until it comes off there" suggestion. Your tummy has fat and muscle. Working the muscle can make sure you don't lose muscle, perhaps even gain some muscle, but until you get the fat off it, you won't be able to see abs.
  • Lindbergnd
    Lindbergnd Posts: 38
    Haha. well i am a girl for one. I am 5'3 and weight 122-119, it's been fluctuating a lot lately. Well my other app i had on my phone had me at 1600 calories, so it's hard transitioning to the 1200 that this site has me set at, given the fact it's already hard for me to get to 800 some days.
    Last time i checked a body fat thingy, haha told me that i was 21% body fat.
  • kspecks
    kspecks Posts: 7
    Well, if you're looking for ab exercises... I'm sure you know how to do bicycle crunches (but make sure you do them slowly or you're wasting your time!), those are generally a nice break from regular crunches. Leg lifts too (I don't really like them but some people do)...but one of my personal favorites for abs is flutter kicks. My swim coach made us do them all the time--you lie on your back, hands at your side or in a streamline over your head, lift your feet, and kick like you're swimming. Keep them off the ground, and do for 30-60 seconds, 3x through.

    On a somewhat related note, ab exercises work a lot better in general if you take them slowly to do them correctly. Technique first!

    Best of luck to you! :)
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Haha. well i am a girl for one. I am 5'3 and weight 122-119, it's been fluctuating a lot lately. Well my other app i had on my phone had me at 1600 calories, so it's hard transitioning to the 1200 that this site has me set at, given the fact it's already hard for me to get to 800 some days.
    Last time i checked a body fat thingy, haha told me that i was 21% body fat.

    Given that you don't have much to lose, I would look at 1/2 a pound a week loss max... and nothing more.

    I believe I read once that for most women to see abs, you need to be down around 15% body fat or so depending on your body.. so You have a bit of work to do.

    I'd also suggest adding in more calorie dense foods.. that will help you get over the 800 calorie hump.
  • Angie__1MR
    Angie__1MR Posts: 388 Member
    1200 calories isn't enough to build up your ab muscles, check out bodybuilding.com for some good ab moves
  • Lindbergnd
    Lindbergnd Posts: 38

    Given that you don't have much to lose, I would look at 1/2 a pound a week loss max... and nothing more.

    I believe I read once that for most women to see abs, you need to be down around 15% body fat or so depending on your body.. so You have a bit of work to do.

    I'd also suggest adding in more calorie dense foods.. that will help you get over the 800 calorie hump.

    This may sound like a clueless question, but could you give me some examples of calorie dense foods? I've been wondering what people have meant by this.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member

    Given that you don't have much to lose, I would look at 1/2 a pound a week loss max... and nothing more.

    I believe I read once that for most women to see abs, you need to be down around 15% body fat or so depending on your body.. so You have a bit of work to do.

    I'd also suggest adding in more calorie dense foods.. that will help you get over the 800 calorie hump.

    This may sound like a clueless question, but could you give me some examples of calorie dense foods? I've been wondering what people have meant by this.

    Things like peanut butter, olive oil, full fat meats/cheese, almonds, etc.

    Basically nothing that has the word "diet" on it.

    Here's a link to help you out:
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/28482-list-calorie-dense-foods/
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
    A lot of people here have been recommending kettle bells.. you could do a board search on the topic.
  • Tilran
    Tilran Posts: 627 Member
    Just took a peek at your diary. Looks like most days you skip lunch....eatting a lunch will help you get more calories in :)

    Also, I noticed that some things seem to be under estimated....I typicaly over estimate then under estimate on thing. You had a turkey sandwhich for like 240 calories....I bet the bread alone was about 240 before anything else considered. Just try to make sure you are marking things down accurately.

    Also what kind of excersise are you doing? I notice that almost every day you have 600-700 calories extra from working out....make sure those counts are accurate as well because short of running for 1.5 hours straight or something...you wont burn that much...especially at your already low body weight.
  • Lindbergnd
    Lindbergnd Posts: 38
    Just took a peek at your diary. Looks like most days you skip lunch....eatting a lunch will help you get more calories in :)

    Also, I noticed that some things seem to be under estimated....I typicaly over estimate then under estimate on thing. You had a turkey sandwhich for like 240 calories....I bet the bread alone was about 240 before anything else considered. Just try to make sure you are marking things down accurately.

    Also what kind of excersise are you doing? I notice that almost every day you have 600-700 calories extra from working out....make sure those counts are accurate as well because short of running for 1.5 hours straight or something...you wont burn that much...especially at your already low body weight.

    I went back and looked at the sandwich and i previously entered two slices of bread before and it was 100 calories, i didn't use that much turkey and when i put that in, how many slices i used (not many) thats actually a little over.

    My exercise i do running, elliptical, sit-ups, pushups, and weights. My running and elliptical tell me how many calories i burn & when it comes to the other things i use half of the time i spent on it so it's probably very under calculated.
    & i usually don't but i would put the snacks i would eat in place of it instead of a full lunch.

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