I have a question

mechanicmom
mechanicmom Posts: 5,700 Member
edited September 18 in Fitness and Exercise
When you do ab crunches, or glutes exercises, do they actually make your stomach and rear get bigger at first? It seems that way but I didn't know if it's just my imagination. I know muscle grows and then fat burns off, so I was thinking the muscle gets bigger but the layer(s) of fat doesn't go away as fast. ???
And a vent moment: why do people have to lose fat where it doesn't really matter (i.e. fingers, feet, ankles etc) instead of where they have the most stored like hips, rear and stomach?! It's very frustrating, especially since you can tone those areas with specific exercise but you have to lose fat overall to make them shrink!
OK I'm done. Thanks!

Replies

  • mechanicmom
    mechanicmom Posts: 5,700 Member
    When you do ab crunches, or glutes exercises, do they actually make your stomach and rear get bigger at first? It seems that way but I didn't know if it's just my imagination. I know muscle grows and then fat burns off, so I was thinking the muscle gets bigger but the layer(s) of fat doesn't go away as fast. ???
    And a vent moment: why do people have to lose fat where it doesn't really matter (i.e. fingers, feet, ankles etc) instead of where they have the most stored like hips, rear and stomach?! It's very frustrating, especially since you can tone those areas with specific exercise but you have to lose fat overall to make them shrink!
    OK I'm done. Thanks!
  • sanlin20
    sanlin20 Posts: 73 Member
    It is important not to exceed your diet goals while you are gaining muscle mass with resistance trainings. Depending on how much you exceed you caloric goals, not only is it possible to retain all your fat but you can also gain even more fat.
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    Yes, just based on my experience. I'm a girl who builds muscle mass quickly, which is usually hidden a bit as I'm losing. I've noticed that my pants got tighter before they started to get looser.

    But, the muscle will end up being smaller once you lose the stuff on top. I read once that a pound of muscle is the size of an orange, and a pound of fat is the size of a grapefruit. I love that visual. If you watch really, really in shape ladies (dancing with the stars or figure skaters) you'll notice that their stomachs aren't flat, but they have a little "pooch". Which is their sickly defined ab muscles.

    The fat takes time to go away. I kept waiting and waiting, and now I'm finally seeing some definition. Keep it up, sister!:flowerforyou:
  • yenn2
    yenn2 Posts: 25
    I quit doing abs for about 6 months, because it seemed to me like i was just building myself a ponykeg barrel stomach -- not a six pack !! (This to the frustration of my trainer -- that I quit and told him "i just want to be skinny around the middle") But just working out was just building up muscle underneath all my fat, and until I started seriously cutting down on my food, the muscle was only adding to the overall bulk ! Yeah yeah muscle helps you burn fat by boosting metabolism yada yada, but I'm not an 18 year old guy (I'm a 41 year old woman) and so that effect really has been minimal for me. Now that I'm svelte enough, I am back to doing abs and glutes and everything and ... yes .. it has snapped into shape and looks great !! So I say, stick with it ... especially if you can pair good eating habits with the exercise !!
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