abdominals

windekind
windekind Posts: 6 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi Folks,

Issue: I do not particularly need to loose (a lot of) weight I think, but my belly is always very round which makes it difficult to wear tight tops. Now I blame my lack of abdominals, and would love for them to exist! But, as so many, I have very VERY little time, am often tired and certainly do not have the time/money to go to the gym. Does anyone have some magic tips for simple abs working out at home? Or tips on how to get myself stimulated in the morning/evening to actually do them?

Many many thanks!

Replies

  • thejubster1
    thejubster1 Posts: 57 Member
    Have you considered Pilates? Focus is on core strength - and you find muscles you - never knew existed! Tonight I did a different Aquarobics class - my stomach muscles were switched on for almost the whole 45 mins. I never considered it possible to effectively do equivalent of a Boxercise class in water ... I may not be able to see my stomach muscles - but I can still feel them 4 hrs after class.. :)
  • angieroo2
    angieroo2 Posts: 970 Member
    Try P90X Abripper X. It's 16 minutes and a great burn.
  • arnfolly
    arnfolly Posts: 79 Member
    A combination of aerobics and core exercises would do the trick. If you are limited in time try pilates. start slow though, you can really hurt yourself. There are a number of web sites online which show you different exercises. All you need is around 20 minutes a day to get that tummy going.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    While I agree somewhat with the above things you can do to do a workout, however you simply can't spot reduce and losing belly weight comes down to diet and reduced body fat. Some genetically store their weight in the abdomen area so it becomes harder.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    Hi Folks,

    Issue: I do not particularly need to loose (a lot of) weight I think, but my belly is always very round which makes it difficult to wear tight tops. Now I blame my lack of abdominals, and would love for them to exist! But, as so many, I have very VERY little time, am often tired and certainly do not have the time/money to go to the gym. Does anyone have some magic tips for simple abs working out at home? Or tips on how to get myself stimulated in the morning/evening to actually do them?

    Many many thanks!

    Part of this is due to your lack of abdominals and part of it is due to your bodyfat. You can do all the ab exercises in the world but if you're body fat isn't at a certain percentage they they won't be exposed or your stomach won't be flat.

    There aren't any magic tips.

    Eat at a calorie deficit and strength train.

    You Are Your Own Gym & Convict Conditioning are two programs that you can do without gym equipment. However if you don't have the time or inclination to put the necessary effort forth your results will reflect this.

    As far as stimulation goes coffee always does the trick for me.
  • windekind
    windekind Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks guys, those are some great tips!
    I'm in my mid twenties, 175 cm tall (5 foot 75?) and weigh about 60 kg - I don't feel like I'm having a lot of fat on my body/belly..but maybe I'm wrong? Although my diet is super healthy, my body does tend to store fat around my belly rather than anywhere else (lucky me :s) but still I think exercise is the way to go here. I'll start searching for some websites!

    Thanks!!
  • jimmie65
    jimmie65 Posts: 655 Member
    Thanks guys, those are some great tips!
    I'm in my mid twenties, 175 cm tall (5 foot 75?) and weigh about 60 kg - I don't feel like I'm having a lot of fat on my body/belly..but maybe I'm wrong? Although my diet is super healthy, my body does tend to store fat around my belly rather than anywhere else (lucky me :s) but still I think exercise is the way to go here. I'll start searching for some websites!

    Thanks!!

    You can think exercise is the way to go all you want, but what others have told you is correct - you cannot spot reduce. You have to lose weight to lose the belly.
  • windekind
    windekind Posts: 6 Member
    But my ribs are sticking out already! I'm not sure if I should loose a lot more weight if people are already asking if I have an eating disorder. But I guess when everybody is saying so.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    But my ribs are sticking out already! I'm not sure if I should loose a lot more weight if people are already asking if I have an eating disorder. But I guess when everybody is saying so.

    Being 5'8 130 lbs according to my calcs, no you don't need to lose more weight but also I'm sure what you consider fat is quite possibly only in your eyes. It also means that even though you are small for your stats, you possibly have a higher body fat % and your abdominal area is more than likely where you store your fat. Still suggest strength training as it will help strengthen those muscles.
  • jimmie65
    jimmie65 Posts: 655 Member
    But my ribs are sticking out already! I'm not sure if I should loose a lot more weight if people are already asking if I have an eating disorder. But I guess when everybody is saying so.

    If that's the case,you need to lose body fat and maybe not so much weight. Still requires a calorie deficit, though.

    You should, of course, exercise as well. Just don't worry about "targeting the abs".
  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    Figure out your body fat percentage. Weight has nothing to do with definition. I'm estimating here - but between 7 and 12% body fat is when you should see your abs.

    Everyone has abs, it just depends how defined the muscles are.
  • windekind
    windekind Posts: 6 Member
    Ok cheers that helps. Now hopefully I'll finally find the discipline to do it!
  • Gettinyoung
    Gettinyoung Posts: 39
    You may not need to lose weight, but watch what your eating - too much sugar and refinded carbs will help store fat around the middle. Weight training is the best for building lean muscle. Okay, now I have to take my own advice !!!
  • pebbles171
    pebbles171 Posts: 3
    same problem belly and thighs
  • windekind
    windekind Posts: 6 Member
    During the day I (almost) only eat veggies and fruit, but I always start the day with Scotts Old fashioned porridge with water and soy milk. I'm still able to stay around 1200 kcal, but maybe I'm ruining it with the carbs of the porridge? Is there a better alternative for breakfast and should I work out before having breakfast or can I do it at night?

    Sorry, I'm quite new at the whole thing :) All help is really appreciated though!
  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    You're doing the right thing by eating carbs early in the day so your body can use them as energy. You don't really need them at night - but I have heard runners eat a lot the night before a race because they break down slowly and give off good energy the next morning. I'm getting off topic, but your carb intake in the morning isn't hurting you that much especially if you're doing cardio.

    Working out before or after is up to you.

    If you're at a good body fat percentage overall and you still can't see your abs - I would recommend carb cycling. Basically it's low carb days followed by a high carb day to keep you metabolism active. It isn't that difficult, and will get you down a few percentage points in body fat, but you really need to be precise.
  • jaxxie
    jaxxie Posts: 576 Member
    Abs are made in the kitchen.......
  • kwol18
    kwol18 Posts: 25 Member
    Try P90X Abripper X. It's 16 minutes and a great burn.

    I'll second that one. It's the hardest ab routine that I've tried. I love it.
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    Just watching your calories and make sure you're drinking enough water, it actually takes drinking more water to lose more water weight. Dancing is a great one. I really like the Billy Blanks Bootcamp-Ab Bootcamp videos and the Billy Blanks Jr Dance Party Bootcamp. Or kettlenetics if you have a kettle bell is a great one too.
  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    Abs are made in the kitchen.......

    Best answer I've seen
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    Okay froam what I can gather, you are 5'8" 130# with ribs sticking out and a fatty belly eating 1200 calories a day? I think you should eat more (probably 2200 calories or so, enough to be at a calorie SURPLUS so you can make real muscle gains), eat at least 100 grams of protein a day, and lift HEAVY to build muscle. You are describing what I think of as "skinny fat", which means low BMI but high body fat percentage, and the only way to fix it is to build muscle which means gain some weight, before trying to reduce fat further.
  • windekind
    windekind Posts: 6 Member
    Nice! Many thanks! Hopefully I can update soon with positive results!
  • annepage
    annepage Posts: 585 Member
    Hi Folks,

    Issue: I do not particularly need to loose (a lot of) weight I think, but my belly is always very round which makes it difficult to wear tight tops. Now I blame my lack of abdominals, and would love for them to exist! But, as so many, I have very VERY little time, am often tired and certainly do not have the time/money to go to the gym. Does anyone have some magic tips for simple abs working out at home? Or tips on how to get myself stimulated in the morning/evening to actually do them?

    Many many thanks!

    Whatever you end up doing, do be careful. You never really know how much you use your core until you strain it. Then it can (not in all cases of course) snowball from there.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    Abs are made in the kitchen.......

    Best answer I've seen

    Idk I kinda think your post telling a female 7-12% BF is a good aim was good info. Yea, ok!
  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    I'm not a dietician, I'm a statisician
  • megthreerocks
    megthreerocks Posts: 1 Member
    I learned something after I had my babies (three large ones!) from my physical therapist. Especially if we've gained weight or had large pregnancies, our ab muscles move to the side. He told me that I could do as many crunches and ab workouts I wanted but it wasn't going to make a difference because my muscles had shifted.

    He had me lay down on my back, do a pelvic tuck and the start of a crunch. Then he showed me how far apart my stomach muscles were by feeling down the middle where the edges of the muscles started. When I did crunches, it looked like I had a french bread loaf under my skin down the middle of my belly b/c my muscles had moved during the pregnancy. This sounds weird but the gap between my muscles was four finger tips wide.

    He had me start on moving my muscles back toward the center. The easiest way to do this was by wrapping a towel around my stomach, lay down on my back and when I did a crunch, I had to pull either side of the towel in a criss-cross fashion as tight as I could while I held the crunch.

    It took a while but I was able to move my ab muscles back to the center of my body and now I no longer have the french bread loaf when I do crunches and I only have a one fingertip gap between my ab muscles. Now when I do my ab workouts, I can see the cuts in the obliques on the side as well as the front.
  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    But I was wrong - add 5% to what I said. I'm a guy so I was thinking of male recommendations.+
  • cathymarie75
    cathymarie75 Posts: 222 Member
    Just started Jillian Michaels killer abs to add to my routine and diet. Its about 30 minutes and has 3 levels and I got it at walmart for $9.99.


    So far I like it!

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