what excerises to get tone up my tummy

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chezzabelle82
chezzabelle82 Posts: 302 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello
I need advice i want to start to tone up my tummy but i dont go to the gym whats the best way to tone it at home????
I have tried to do sit ups but i dont really see much difference :-S

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    you can't spot reduce...sorry, just a fact of life..

    if you want your stomach to look more "tone" then you need to lose weigh and as the weight comes off your stomach will get flatter...

    I only do ab work about 30 minutes a week...

    compound lifts are great for your abs..as are pullups..

    you can also do weighted crunches, decline crunches, side bridges, reverse medicine ball crunches etc....
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    basically what ndj said. You can't spot reduce sadly. After losing tons of weight, I now have smallish arms and legs and have the belly of a pregnant woman. Genes define how your weight gets distributed and where it comes off from etc.

    Do strength training. It will help you but the main thing to help you is losing body fat. Abs are made in kitchen after all, not in the gym.
  • chezzabelle82
    chezzabelle82 Posts: 302 Member
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    I am worried i am gonna look odd if i lose anymore weight have already gone from 11stone 7lb to 9stone 7lbs :-S
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    I am worried i am gonna look odd if i lose anymore weight have already gone from 11stone 7lb to 9stone 7lbs :-S

    Keep going. I am going through the same thing. Only person I look odd to is myself in the mirror. To others, they see I am losing weight and compliment me.

    You have a choice. You can stop losing weight and be fat forever in the fear that you would look odd while losing weight. Or you can continue against your own insecurity and keep going.
  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 900 Member
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    Exercise your wrist and index finger by logging all your calories in MFP honestly and accurately to maintain a calorie deficit.

    Oh, and do some full body/compound weight lifting.

    The end.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    It's all about diet. Exercise is nice, but toning is a function of diet and weight/fat loss.

    But to your question...
    Lots of things... compound lifts are great if you focus on your core. There are tons of varieties of crunches/situps that will work. Planks, pilates, yoga, etc. The core stabilizes your body in virtually everything you do, so it's constantly being worked.
  • txslady
    txslady Posts: 3 Member
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    I have no weights to hold in my hands when i walk however I hold cans while i walk. I have bad knees & a bad hip. So I am hoping by me walking & watching what i eat I can lose weight. What else can I do I have an Ab roller that I can use. I will be using that tonight & a workout WII that has Jillian Michael's from the biggest loser I have family & i feel embarrassed when i work out in front of them i guess that is because they laugh at how i am working out. So that is why I had stopped trying to exercise. But now my health is not that great so I want to get back on the right track & lose weight for myself so I can be healthy. Any more advice?
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    You can't spot reduce. You're not overweight but if you see a flabby tummy you probably have a higher body fat % than you'd like. I noticed in past posts you refer to trying to lose baby weight/belly. Is it possible your ab muscles got separated during pregnancy or that it's loose skin? Look up diastasis recti for the muscle separation issue. When my tummy was still sticking out at 6 months I looked up exercises and while it's you can't spot reduce fat, planks can help to pull in your midsection because it works muscles that act as a girdle around your tummy. They really helped me. Not in getting rid of the fat, but in pulling it all in so at least it wasn't sticking out as much.
  • chezzabelle82
    chezzabelle82 Posts: 302 Member
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    You can't spot reduce. You're not overweight but if you see a flabby tummy you probably have a higher body fat % than you'd like. I noticed in past posts you refer to trying to lose baby weight/belly. Is it possible your ab muscles got separated during pregnancy or that it's loose skin? Look up diastasis recti for the muscle separation issue. When my tummy was still sticking out at 6 months I looked up exercises and while it's you can't spot reduce fat, planks can help to pull in your midsection because it works muscles that act as a girdle around your tummy. They really helped me. Not in getting rid of the fat, but in pulling it all in so at least it wasn't sticking out as much.


    Maybe it is lose skin then will look up the muscle thing too its been 3yrs since i gave birth am wondering if i have left it too late to sort it out :-S
    Also how many times a wk would you say to do the plank and how long for to get results?
  • chezzabelle82
    chezzabelle82 Posts: 302 Member
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    Just done a little test i found online for diastasis recti and i think i may have it but not bad two fingers wide but i am not sure if i done it right :-S
    I suppose it makes sense if i do have it as i have never been able to get my tummy to go down no matter how much weight i lose or exercise i do just read sit ups make it worse so gonna have a look later for exercises for it
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    You can't spot reduce. You're not overweight but if you see a flabby tummy you probably have a higher body fat % than you'd like. I noticed in past posts you refer to trying to lose baby weight/belly. Is it possible your ab muscles got separated during pregnancy or that it's loose skin? Look up diastasis recti for the muscle separation issue. When my tummy was still sticking out at 6 months I looked up exercises and while it's you can't spot reduce fat, planks can help to pull in your midsection because it works muscles that act as a girdle around your tummy. They really helped me. Not in getting rid of the fat, but in pulling it all in so at least it wasn't sticking out as much.


    Maybe it is lose skin then will look up the muscle thing too its been 3yrs since i gave birth am wondering if i have left it too late to sort it out :-S
    Also how many times a wk would you say to do the plank and how long for to get results?

    I did it every day for a week or so starting at 20 seconds a time and moving up from there. Probably did it a few times a day. Also look up vacuum exercises (nothing to do with cleaning) and those you can do almost anywhere anytime. It's basically contracting your core muscles to suck in your tummy.
  • kathycyr2012
    kathycyr2012 Posts: 2 Member
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    Sign up for Pilates or Yoga. CXworks has an amazing effect as well.
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I will re-state the fact of not being able to spot reduce.

    I never felt like I did crunches properly.

    I have seen the greatest results in tightening up my midsection by doing planks, compound lifts, and I feel it a lot in prone jackknifes.

    Also, from my brief exposure to them - kettlebell swings seem to target my lower core muscles, at least, I can generally feel the workout in that area the day after.
  • chezzabelle82
    chezzabelle82 Posts: 302 Member
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    I will re-state the fact of not being able to spot reduce.

    I never felt like I did crunches properly.

    I have seen the greatest results in tightening up my midsection by doing planks, compound lifts, and I feel it a lot in prone jackknifes.

    Also, from my brief exposure to them - kettlebell swings seem to target my lower core muscles, at least, I can generally feel the workout in that area the day after.

    Sorry to sound thick but whats a jack knife?
  • domisgone
    domisgone Posts: 59 Member
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    basically what ndj said. You can't spot reduce sadly. After losing tons of weight, I now have smallish arms and legs and have the belly of a pregnant woman. Genes define how your weight gets distributed and where it comes off from etc.

    Do strength training. It will help you but the main thing to help you is losing body fat. Abs are made in kitchen after all, not in the gym.

    Jesus you are describing my body to the T.

    Everyone at works thinks I'm pregnant because my legs and arms are small and I have bit of a small tummy.


    Damn... I've been pregnant for two years now, you think people would catch on.
  • kramalicious
    kramalicious Posts: 143
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    I started yoga to help my core and it has been wonderful. Yoga, pilates, and any exercise that works your core muscles are the best things for all of those areas,. Crunches... not so much. Planks are best, and have lots of variations. When you are in position think of tightening every muscle from toe to shoulders, squeezing the abs , legs, chest, and squeezing that belly button. How tight can you make it? How long can you hold it? This plus heavier weight lifting has worked for me. A atrong core makes all exercise better. Even biking on the street or trail will help tone your core. Also, try other balancing exercises , like on a bosu trainer.

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