Ab workout for a tubby fella

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Hirgy03
Hirgy03 Posts: 332 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, want to start working away my gut. I have a LONG ways to go, and have never had a "six-pack", but wouldn't mind at least getting to a flatter stomach with maybe a little definition at least. I know that this will take a long, long time to get to, especially in the "out of shape" condition that I am currently in. Could use some help with this folks. Please keep in mind that I have a bad sacro-iliac joint that likes to pretty much roll onto its side, so squats and exercises that could endanger that are out of the question.

For right now, I'm just doing a set of 100 crunches every morning after about 30-40 minutes on the treadmill. I'd like to have some suggestions for adding to my abdominal workout days that will help me to build muscle around my core and that will help me burn some of that belly fat away.

I want to look good for my lady come this summer (got a lot of catching up to do with her in the looks department! ) LOL.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice.
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Replies

  • Ph4lanx
    Ph4lanx Posts: 213 Member
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    300 twists per day, per side. Help develop the obliques. :) It will also pull in the skin around the muscle as the fat disappears.

    My workout sessions look like this, as an example:

    20 mins cardio
    150 twists (1 twist is a turn to the left, then to the right)
    Lifting session
    150 twists
    20 mins cardio
  • kuntry_navy
    kuntry_navy Posts: 677 Member
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    100 crunches is about all you need to do to start. the best ab work is diet.
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
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    Situps....keep it simple.
    Anything is good, but don't expect too much in the way of spot reduction.
    Body fat is reduced through diet and exercise overall, and spots we want decreased the most are usually the last place to reduce..lol
    I hate that!:grumble:
  • crabbok
    crabbok Posts: 66 Member
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    I am in a similar boat. Even when I was in the Army I never had a six pack. For now I'm doing about 20 minutes of cardio a day on an elliptical and about 100-150 crunches after that, and at my gym I also use this Ab-Glider machine after the crunches.

    If you want to try full situps I'd suggest getting a good mat to lay on so you don't hurt your back, then you can change it up a little like swinging left or right. In the Army we used to do an exercise called Flutter Kicks also, basically you lay on your back, slide your hands behind you under your butt, and lift your feet up 6 inches off the ground while keeping your legs straight. Then you alternate moving them up and down, kinda like a walking motion. It can be very difficult to do for long, but it works your abs a little differently than crunches.
  • BigDave1050
    BigDave1050 Posts: 854 Member
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    There really isn't a way to target fat in one area but with the cardio your doing and adding some core strength workouts, eventually your mid section will go down. Try adding some of the following to your workout, it might help you out.

    Planks
    V-Ups
    Leg lifts
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Ab workouts don't "work away your gut." Your abs are 70% diet and the rest exercise. Do compound movements like squats and things of that nature if you want to work your core. Find CORE exercises online, not AB exercises if you really want to start strengthening your core. You'll discover it's a lot more than just situps as your core muscles extend from below your pecs down to your hip flexors and some people even include the upper portion of your leg.

    Again.. you can't work away you midsection by doing crunches and situps...
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Squats, deadlifts and lunges + steady calorie deficit.

    Screw crunches, situps, and any other iso movement.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    .
  • getfitdiva
    getfitdiva Posts: 1,148 Member
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    The best way to start is to change your eating . . . abs are made in the kitchen (you heard that before?). We increased protein and eliminated simple carbs.

    My husband and I are snackers, so since we were working toward a flatter mid section we limited our snacks and foods similar to this list.

    http://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-abs-diet-snacks

    Your healthy eating plus a great solid workout plan will remove that midsection fast!
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    and about 100-150 crunches after that

    Are you guys doing these crunches consecutively or are you breaking them into sets? I'm confused.... no one should be doing 100 crunches in a row without stopping. It means you're doing it wrong.....
  • crabbok
    crabbok Posts: 66 Member
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    I typically do 3-5 sets of around 40 crunches each. Can't really do more than 50-55 at a time without needing to rest for a few.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    My SI joints are prone to locking but my major problem is degenerated discs.
    A couple of years ago my Osteopath recommended using a gym ball for core and abs exercise. Started off at set of 20 and worked up to 4 x 100. Added side sit ups, twisted sit ups and now able to do "normal" floor sit ups.
    Apart from giving me really strong abs, flat stomach and better posture my back health has been transformed.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    [/quote]

    "Are you guys doing these crunches consecutively or are you breaking them into sets? I'm confused.... no one should be doing 100 crunches in a row without stopping. It means you're doing it wrong....."
    [/quote]

    Doing it wrong in what way please? I do 4 x 100 and it doesn't feel wrong to me!
  • SyStEmPhReAk
    SyStEmPhReAk Posts: 330 Member
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    it has already been said in the thread, but i'll say it again... Watching your diet and decreasing your body fat through a calorie deficit are the best things you can do to work your abs. Add some strength training and core work and you'll be as good as gold... oh yeah, give it TIME...
  • wswilliams67
    wswilliams67 Posts: 938 Member
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    NUTRITION NUTRITION NUTRITION

    Abs are made in the kitchen not the gym. As a former 320 pounder ab workouts SUCK! But I do the P90 Ab Ripper for my ab routine. It's a great all-around ab routine for beginners and can easily be done by even people with bellies. It will be tough at first, but as you progress it gets easier.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/335614-power-90-ab-ripper-100-exercises/
  • wswilliams67
    wswilliams67 Posts: 938 Member
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    Are you guys doing these crunches consecutively or are you breaking them into sets? I'm confused.... no one should be doing 100 crunches in a row without stopping. It means you're doing it wrong.....

    Doing it wrong in what way please? I do 4 x 100 and it doesn't feel wrong to me!

    LOL 400 crunches?! A bit excessive, eh? Or are you just bragging? Video or it never happened... :noway:
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    Ab workouts don't "work away your gut." Your abs are 70% diet and the rest exercise. Do compound movements like squats and things of that nature if you want to work your core. Find CORE exercises online, not AB exercises if you really want to start strengthening your core. You'll discover it's a lot more than just situps as your core muscles extend from below your pecs down to your hip flexors and some people even include the upper portion of your leg.

    Again.. you can't work away you midsection by doing crunches and situps...

    Ditto!!!

    I tried for years to improve my physique by exercise alone. It was like swimming up stream in rapids!!

    It was not until I took control of my eating that I started to see success. And, my understanding is that as we lose weight, it comes off in the reverse order to when it was stored. (Last in - First out). For me, this meant that I lost fat all over my body before my belly started shrinking.

    As for building strength through lean muscle mass. Compound resistance workouts coupled with regular cardio will melt fat!

    And, along with the many great exercises for the core. Do not forget your lower back! I see lots of people at the gym over working their front ab muscles and forgetting completely about their lower back. Make sure you work on the back muscles as you go!!
  • Hirgy03
    Hirgy03 Posts: 332 Member
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    Thanks everybody for all the input. I had never heard that "ab exercises" weren't good for working away ab-fat though? That is confusing to me. I understand that working out the whole body gets rid of fat all over the body, and yes, I understand that diet is HUGE when it comes to all this. However, I guess I just assumed (or maybe have been conditioned to think this way), that targeting muscles in a certain area burns more fat in that area (i.e., crunches while burning fat all over, tend to burn more belly fat because of the location of the muscles you are working, etc.).

    Could somebody explain this a bit more to me? Feel like I may learn something here today!!! LOL. I really do appreciate your input folks.

    My goal is long-term, so that this time next year I am in good shape and beginning.......at least beginning, anyway.....to show a little bit of a six-pack. I'm a beer drinker, so I'll never be like some of the folks on here, but at least if I don't embarrass the kids when I take my shirt off at the beach, that will be a good thing!
  • Hirgy03
    Hirgy03 Posts: 332 Member
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    300 twists per day, per side. Help develop the obliques. :) It will also pull in the skin around the muscle as the fat disappears.

    My workout sessions look like this, as an example:

    20 mins cardio
    150 twists (1 twist is a turn to the left, then to the right)
    Lifting session
    150 twists
    20 mins cardio

    Could you explain the mechanics of a 'twist' for me? Is it simply standing with feet shoulder width apart, hands on your head, then turning left and right to stretch the obliques, or am I being a simpleton??? LOL
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Thanks everybody for all the input. I had never heard that "ab exercises" weren't good for working away ab-fat though? That is confusing to me.

    This is correct. You cannot control where you lose fat from.

    However, I guess I just assumed (or maybe have been conditioned to think this way), that targeting muscles in a certain area burns more fat in that area (i.e., crunches while burning fat all over, tend to burn more belly fat because of the location of the muscles you are working, etc.).

    This is incorrect.
    Could somebody explain this a bit more to me? Feel like I may learn something here today!!! LOL. I really do appreciate your input folks.

    Read this article and for the most part you can trust that Lyle McDonald will give you good information.
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/are-blood-flow-and-lipolysis-in-subcutaneous-adipose-tissue-influenced-by-contractions-in-adjacent-muscle-in-humans-research-review.html

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