is there an exercise to lose belly fat, NO situps

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  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
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    The plank is one of the best exercises for flat belly and one of the top ten abdominal exercises because it tightens the deepest core muscles. This exercise is a great way to develop your abs and toned your stomach.

    Another exercise to consider is the stomach vacuum which works the transverse abdominus
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    You can do exercises that do not involve situps. Try planks. Try standing crunches (they do work)
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:

    weight training helps tremendously with body recomposition. i've also lost around 20 pounds and since most, if not all, of it has been fat i've gone from a size 20 jeans to a size 14 jeans. i also do cardio but the crux of my workouts has been strength training
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
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    Reverse crunches. I found they have helped strengthen my back tremendously as well. As you get stronger you can lift your legs higher.

    Actually if you have back pain, specifically lower back pain, I'd be really careful about doing reverse crunches, or avoid them altogether.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    My Dad used to do the following when he was brushing his teeth to strengthen his stomach muscles....
    Stand straight, exhale completely, suck in and hold your abdominal muscles as tight as possible without breathing in.

    You could also try using a gym ball for abs exercises - my back is a mess and the support of the gym ball makes a huge difference.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:

    So good, you've proven to yourself then that you are going the totally wrong route with that method.

    Just to confirm you got it - lots of daily cardio, 20 lbs lost, don't appear much smaller and clothes don't fit better, easy to push food away.

    My bet is you are also undereating for that level of activity (just because the odds are great), and you have burned off a decent amount of muscle mass with that cardio and undereating.

    So before you totally wreck your metabolism burning off more muscle, listen to the advice above about lifting with a reasonable deficit.

    As you have discovered and proven already, too much exercise is counterproductive.

    Dieting is a stress to your body.
    Excessive exercise is a stress to your body.
    You got other stresses in life?
    Your hormones are jacked up, and your body is going to fight fat and weight loss.
  • 20shan08
    20shan08 Posts: 219 Member
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    Can't spot reduce, BUT! In order to lose belly fat you have to strengthen your core. If your back bothers you, you probably don't have a strong core. Planks are really good for this, as well as different types of crunches, supermans are good too (lay on belly, lift legs and arms, with both straight out, and bring down, up and down). And cardio, of course will help reduce fat :)
  • jessicameder
    jessicameder Posts: 8 Member
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    How long and how many seconds are you supposed to hold for an effective plank?
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks.

    These can be the most difficult exercises, but totally worth it.

    Squats, Deadlifts and pushups are nice as well

    Agreed!

    Planks and such are great for building a strong core, but will not make your tummy smaller. Only a deficit and time will do that. Strength training (of any kind) will help the overall "look" of the end product.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    How long and how many seconds are you supposed to hold for an effective plank?

    However long you can. Most people start with 20-30 seconds.

    Do what you can. Try to improve that.
  • SPBROOKS68
    SPBROOKS68 Posts: 561 Member
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    I am going to try Zumba and squats for the next few months....Heard positive reviews on both...I have noticed that I am smaller through the middle since I started sitting on a fitness ball at work for my hip problems...
  • loril13
    loril13 Posts: 320 Member
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    Can't spot reduce, BUT! In order to lose belly fat you have to strengthen your core. If your back bothers you, you probably don't have a strong core. Planks are really good for this, as well as different types of crunches, supermans are good too (lay on belly, lift legs and arms, with both straight out, and bring down, up and down). And cardio, of course will help reduce fat :)

    Agreed. I have a weak core. Crunches and reverse crunches kill my lower back. I need to do them, or similar, to strengthen my core. I will be adding planks into my regular routines.
  • lawtechie
    lawtechie Posts: 708 Member
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    Have you taken any measurements? 20 lbs is a decent amt of weight, and when you're losing all over it may not be so noticable. Slimmer looking neck, a little less on the arms, legs, belly. All of it adds up.

    If you haven't done so already, take measurements all over and do so every month or two. You will notice an improvement over time. The belly may be the last to go if your body is prone to carry it there (like mine is)
    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
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    You can't spot reduce and no matter how many ab exercises you do you can't see abs under rolls of fat.

    This. I am lifting heavy and my muscles are getting stronger. Unfortunately, they are still under layers of the old me. I am losing slowly. But the exercises mentioned above (Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks) are the hardest and most effective. Good luck!!!

    Barbell sqats, deads, cleans...
  • BrittKnee_Rae
    BrittKnee_Rae Posts: 111 Member
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    okay I was afraid of that. I don't have a problem pushing food away I am determined. There is not one piece of food out there that is worth me gaining weight again. I do 90 minutes of sweating cardio every single day. It sucks though that I have lost 20 lbs and still can't fit smaller pants. It doesn't show either. UGH. :mad:

    weight training helps tremendously with body recomposition. i've also lost around 20 pounds and since most, if not all, of it has been fat i've gone from a size 20 jeans to a size 14 jeans. i also do cardio but the crux of my workouts has been strength training


    ^^wish that was the case for me!!
    Apparently everyone is different!! All I can say is have patience.. After losing my first 40lbs I had only went down one pants size!! It was frustrating!! Started at a size 20 and now at a size 14, 80 LBS later.. Before the weight was coming off, but not my belly.. And now the weight is coming off slower and the fats disappearing! Just have faith and don't give up, eventually you will see a difference.. I suggest cutting back calories, cardio, and strength! All 3 is what has helped me!! Good luck
  • hannahcall2
    hannahcall2 Posts: 175 Member
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    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    So genious. And every word of it is true. You must have patience!
  • hifromjamers1984
    hifromjamers1984 Posts: 300 Member
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    Add strength training and eat more. Cardio is good but my trainer says strength training is better. So we do maybe a total of 10 minutes of cardio and the other 50 minutes is strength training. I'm down 2 pants sizes and though I don't see many changes I feel the changes. I agree take your measurements too. The plank is a great exercise for the core. I started at 15 seconds but now I can do 20+ seconds before I move on to the next exercise.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
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    Calories deficits. Do them every day.

    Fork put downs, plate push aways, dessert refusals, and table pushbacks.

    These can be the most difficult exercises, but totally worth it.

    Squats, Deadlifts and pushups are nice as well

    Agreed!

    Planks and such are great for building a strong core, but will not make your tummy smaller. Only a deficit and time will do that. Strength training (of any kind) will help the overall "look" of the end product.

    A voice of common sense. ^^^ I thought the myth of being able to reduce stomach fat by doing ab work went out with the dinosaurs. Come on peeps, the OP will NOT improve her stomach area by doing all the planks and sit ups in the world if she is still carrying excess body fat. You can reshape those muscles all you want, but you'll never see them unless you shed the fat.
    g
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,079 Member
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    I hate to say it, but if you have only lost 20 pounds since April, then you are not logging your food correctly. You should have lost around 50 pounds by now. Your belly fat will disappear whether or not you exercise. It's all about a calorie deficit. You know this - you've been here long enough.

    So put on your big girl pants and buy yourself a food scale, and start logging all your food. If you aren't losing more weight than 2.5 pounds per month, you're doing it wrong.

    I think you are NOT so serious.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    You have to lose the fat by creating a calorie deficit. To firm up the area, but as others have said, you must lose the weight through diet, you can do exercises.

    If you dislike situps and crunches (crunches are more common today), use the Captain's Chair station at the gym. It's one of the more effective ab exercises. If you like floor work, you could do bicycles, a very effective exercise, or planks.

    You can Google all of these exercises. My personal favorite is the Captain's Chair.

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