Ab exercises for women?

NYAngel1089
NYAngel1089 Posts: 593 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey ya'll! I'm trying to do my best to lose the flab around my midsection. Can anyone recommend some exercises? Other than the regular crunches. Thanks!!
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Replies

  • FullOfWin
    FullOfWin Posts: 1,414 Member
    Ab exercises aren't what makes you lose the flab around your stomach. That comes from losing fat which comes from burning more calories than you eat.
  • supermodelchic
    supermodelchic Posts: 550 Member
    Are you at home or do you have access to a gym? Planks are easy to do at home , you can alternate balancing on one arm or two. grab a broomstick and place it behind your neck resting there and keep lower body straight and twist from side to side. grab some dumbells and stand up straight lowering dumbell from side to other side going up and down the length of your body..lot's of stuff in a gym you can do just watch what the fit chic's are doing and copy them.
  • lasmit4477
    lasmit4477 Posts: 308 Member
    You can't spot reduce. The only way to lose the fat, is to lose the fat. Meaning, you will need to be in a calorie deficit for this reduction to take place!

    However, to give you more core strength, planks and heavy lifting are excellent for this. I don't really do much isolated ab work. Squats and deadlifts take care of that!
  • Loftearmen
    Loftearmen Posts: 380
    If you want to lose the flab around your midsection then you need to lose fat, not strengthen your abs. I don't know where people got the idea that exercising an area makes it smaller but it's simply not true. That being said, before you decide you are going to perform a specific exercise, you need to know what kind of training effect you are attempting to illicit by the performance of that exercise. For example, if you are trying to jump higher you would need to perform exercises that will directly effect your lower body strength and explosiveness. In your case, all you need to do is lose fat which DOES NOT require the performance of abdominal exercises. Strength training as a whole could help you reach your goal in conjunction with cardiovascular exercise and proper diet but doing endless sets of crunches in search of a flat tummy will leave you nothing more than tired, overworked and disappointed.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Exercises for women are the same as exercises for men. But no amount of crunches is going to get you the results you're looking for. To get rid of belly flab (or any other flab) you're going to have to lose weight.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    dead lifts and squats
  • NYAngel1089
    NYAngel1089 Posts: 593 Member
    I am losing weight. I guess I chose my words wrong. I want to strengthen my abs, tone if you will. I am losing the weight so I know that will go down, but I need to tone and strengthen.
  • Masterdo
    Masterdo Posts: 331 Member
    As everyone said so far, you will not spot reduce no matter what you do.

    Then the focus of an ab exercise should be on making your abs stronger. Core strength's importance cannot really be overstated.

    My favorite so far is Ab Wheel Rollout. Tutorial -> http://www.beastskills.com/ab-wheel-rollout/
    When you can do the full movement on that one you have abs of steel. By that time whatever you do for cutting calories will most likely have progressed quite a bit, so your core will look good and be very strong :)
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    dead lifts and squats

    YES
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    dead lifts and squats

    YES
    Seconded.

    Also, what everyone said about a calorie deficit and losing weight.

    Don't stop believing!
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    dead lifts and squats

    YES
    Seconded.

    Also, what everyone said about a calorie deficit and losing weight.

    Don't stop believing!

    hold on to that feeeeelinnnnn
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    grab a broomstick and place it behind your neck resting there and keep lower body straight and twist from side to side.

    Please don't do this. It can really screw up your back. (We used to do it at softball but its stopped beig used years ago)
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    i only know the men ones. wish i could help. :indifferent:
  • baxgilter
    baxgilter Posts: 246 Member
    leg raises, rowers, bicycles a few ab excercises I do, but like everyone else said you can't spot reduce. I recommend lifting, it works, slowly but great! I can feel the abs under the fat, can't wait for the day I can see them!!

    - JoAnna
  • Loftearmen
    Loftearmen Posts: 380
    dead lifts and squats

    YES
    Seconded.

    Also, what everyone said about a calorie deficit and losing weight.

    Don't stop believing!

    "heavy Squats and Deadlifts" is the proper answer for practically any fitness question. ;)
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    dead lifts and squats

    YES
    Seconded.

    Also, what everyone said about a calorie deficit and losing weight.

    Don't stop believing!

    "heavy Squats and Deadlifts" is the proper answer for practically any fitness question. ;)

    i like you.

    you can come over to my house and **** my sister any time.
  • kobly
    kobly Posts: 2
    Planking is very good for core,as well as crunches and different forms of core work....using a yoga ball,medicine ball...etc...all the best...:)
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    Sit with your back flat against a wall and bend your legs so your feet are touching eatch other (kinda like indian style but not crossed) and have them raised a bit above the ground and then push them straight out keep repeating this with them not touching the ground for as long as u can. Feels like a situp when you do this only you're sitting upright and it feels like it burns faster.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
    I don't know, old article but it does make sense, I like looking feminine so i'll stick with it for now..... http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1305014
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
    grab a broomstick and place it behind your neck resting there and keep lower body straight and twist from side to side.

    Please don't do this. It can really screw up your back. (We used to do it at softball but its stopped beig used years ago)

    But putting the broom in your hands, and sweeping it side to side, is awesome ab work for women. :laugh: As long as it is followed by bending over with the dust pan, sweeping into dustpan, then lifting dustpan to empty out in the garbage.

    Some other good exercises are: vacuuming, dusting, cooking, and cleaning up after the kids. :laugh:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I am losing weight. I guess I chose my words wrong. I want to strengthen my abs, tone if you will. I am losing the weight so I know that will go down, but I need to tone and strengthen.

    You will want to strengthen your whole core, not just your abs. Your can do this with any number of exercises, but push-ups are good for a start.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/zero-to-100-pushups-for-complete-beginners/
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    I don't know, old article but it does make sense, I like looking feminine so i'll stick with it for now..... http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1305014

    There are many things in this article making me go :sick:
  • jodimoon12
    jodimoon12 Posts: 11
    grab a broomstick and place it behind your neck resting there and keep lower body straight and twist from side to side.

    Please don't do this. It can really screw up your back. (We used to do it at softball but its stopped beig used years ago)

    But putting the broom in your hands, and sweeping it side to side, is awesome ab work for women. :laugh: As long as it is followed by bending over with the dust pan, sweeping into dustpan, then lifting dustpan to empty out in the garbage.

    Some other good exercises are: vacuuming, dusting, cooking, and cleaning up after the kids. :laugh:

    Must be single.......
  • NYAngel1089
    NYAngel1089 Posts: 593 Member
    HA! I do that at work!! lol I am working at a daycare
  • NYAngel1089
    NYAngel1089 Posts: 593 Member
    Thanks everyone for your help!
  • bradmacoubrie
    bradmacoubrie Posts: 1 Member
    Flat on the bed or against the wall, try to make your belly button do a J. Pull it into your back and then up. Do not arch your back or lift your rib cage or shoulders. Only thing moving is the abdomen. Squeeze and release. Hard to do at first. Advance as you build some strength. Use an exercise ball or against the wall and lift one knee while holding the J , then advance to lifting the opposite arm straight up in front of you to above your head. Keep buttocks and shoulders flat against the wall, feet as close to the wall and together as possible.

    I am using this to help strengthen my core, because I cannot do lifts or crunches related to back injury and bulging disk. Not only is this making my core stronger, but changing my posture, which keeps my belly from sticking out.


    As an added bonus it has other benefits, google kegel exercises.

    I recently started down this road, after deciding I was not going to be destined to +300 lbs and living on the couch.
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
    grab a broomstick and place it behind your neck resting there and keep lower body straight and twist from side to side.

    Please don't do this. It can really screw up your back. (We used to do it at softball but its stopped beig used years ago)

    But putting the broom in your hands, and sweeping it side to side, is awesome ab work for women. :laugh: As long as it is followed by bending over with the dust pan, sweeping into dustpan, then lifting dustpan to empty out in the garbage.

    Some other good exercises are: vacuuming, dusting, cooking, and cleaning up after the kids. :laugh:

    Must be single.......

    Nope. I got married, again, last March.

    Cleaning is good exercise. You can't really spot reduce fat, so every physical activity you can do will help get rid of your belly fat.... as long as you stay in a caloric deficit. From cleaning to playing with the kids, to playing with the spouse, shopping, or whatever you do in the gym will all help you achieve that caloric deficit to lose body fat.
  • Wendy__D
    Wendy__D Posts: 51 Member
    I haven't seen reverse crunches mentioned yet. Lay down with your knees low to the ground and bring them up to a tuck position and back down. To make it harder go slow on the way down and don't let your legs rest on the ground. Careful though I could see how this could hurt someone's back without too much trouble either. (I did a quick youtube search and found this video fairly close to what I mean since some people combine in regular crunches to reverse crunches apparently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB2oyawG9KI) Also planks have been mentioned and they're really good. You might also look into side planks, flutter kicks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcXBNRua2eo), or bicycle kicks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FGilxCbdz8).
  • Kotuliak
    Kotuliak Posts: 259 Member
    grab a broomstick and place it behind your neck resting there and keep lower body straight and twist from side to side.

    Please don't do this. It can really screw up your back. (We used to do it at softball but its stopped beig used years ago)

    But putting the broom in your hands, and sweeping it side to side, is awesome ab work for women. :laugh: As long as it is followed by bending over with the dust pan, sweeping into dustpan, then lifting dustpan to empty out in the garbage.

    Some other good exercises are: vacuuming, dusting, cooking, and cleaning up after the kids.
    That, combined with Kegel exercises, That's what my wife does and that it works for both of us.

    God Bless!
  • theoesque
    theoesque Posts: 36 Member
    I'm a fan of this set of exercises - they're challenging, work all the different muscles in your abdomen, and can be done anywhere: http://fit-healthy-happy.tumblr.com/post/5497136465/great-ab-workout

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