Lower belly hard but...

speedy740
speedy740 Posts: 141 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone ever heard or seen this. My upper abs are coming in nicely and my lower ab area is quite hard with hardly any fat, I can't see any abs but the problem is it sticks out. My lower stomach sticks out like a pouch. Like I said its hard, but it's now a hard lump. What gives? I do a lot of ab exercises, is it possible I overdid it? Do u think it will turn into visible abs eventually? Any suggestions or has anybody seen/heard of this before?

Replies

  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    Abs visibility is a case of BF% and the lower region you are talking about may just be the way you are built (genetics) or a stubborn area where the last of the weight is to come off...just my two cents.
  • loveculturefitmom
    loveculturefitmom Posts: 6
    Hey! you need to do more cardio and circuit training. forget about belly workout. at least 15 minutes after your workout. I barely do abs workout and mine is starting to shrink. I have a daughter, so you know i have that annoying lower belly monster but stick to your circuit.
  • silenceinspace
    silenceinspace Posts: 142 Member
    Abs visibility is a case of BF% and the lower region you are talking about may just be the way you are built (genetics) or a stubborn area where the last of the weight is to come off...just my two cents.

    Completely agree. "Belly pooch" is very common, especially in women--by which I meant it's a fairly common fat storage area for females.
  • seamonsterr
    seamonsterr Posts: 30
    LOL join the club buddy. You got fat UNDER your ab muscles.....around organs. You can lose the fat same way you lose belly fat.
  • melisa41healthcareaid
    melisa41healthcareaid Posts: 4
    Have you tried practicing enforcing your diaphragm while sitting, by using your lower abdominals to pull in you lower abdominals towards your back, straightening your posture to sitting tall , shoulders back in intervals? I did that after surgery and it helped for sure! Tried it while driving, at work, and at home during watching a show on tv... After a while it becomes a natural stance and abs were flatter ;) Or have you thought of asking a Physician about ruling out internal issue at all?
  • player30
    player30 Posts: 65 Member
    I have often heard that if your stomach isn't held in when you are working out that the lower abs will build muscle outwards.
  • speedy740
    speedy740 Posts: 141 Member
    Have you tried practicing enforcing your diaphragm while sitting, by using your lower abdominals to pull in you lower abdominals towards your back, straightening your posture to sitting tall , shoulders back in intervals? I did that after surgery and it helped for sure! Tried it while driving, at work, and at home during watching a show on tv... After a while it becomes a natural stance and abs were flatter ;) Or have you thought of asking a Physician about ruling out internal issue at all?

    Yes to all your suggestions, I am constantly doing leg lifts while on the couch, and in bed, knee raises in the vehicle, on coffee breaks at work, hold in my belly button while walking, doing it all. Driving my husband nuts with them.
  • Safiyandi
    Safiyandi Posts: 151
    Lol she doesn't have visceral fat if her upper abs are showing.

    OP, probably just need to continue to lower your %bf.

    If your posture is horrible from sitting at a desk all day it can supposedly affect this lower ab area, too (according to the medical university of Google, which we all know is vastly credible. Grain of salt and all that, but it never hurts to correct posture.)

    best-lower-abs-exercise-tilt.jpg
  • speedy740
    speedy740 Posts: 141 Member
    Hey! you need to do more cardio and circuit training. forget about belly workout. at least 15 minutes after your workout. I barely do abs workout and mine is starting to shrink. I have a daughter, so you know i have that annoying lower belly monster but stick to your circuit.

    I do cardio S.S,T, T, S,S for 1 1/2 hours treadmill. elliptical, bike, stair master. Always switch it up everyday. Also on my lifting days I do about 1/2-3/4 hours of cardio after.
  • speedy740
    speedy740 Posts: 141 Member
    Lol she doesn't have visceral fat if her upper abs are showing.

    OP, probably just need to continue to lower your %bf.

    If your posture is horrible from sitting at a desk all day it can supposedly affect this lower ab area, too (according to the medical university of Google, which we all know is vastly credible. Grain of salt and all that, but it never hurts to correct posture.)

    best-lower-abs-exercise-tilt.jpg

    I am down to 94 lbs unfortunately my ribs are showing and I look more skeletal than anything trying to bring my bf down to get rid of this pouch. U might be onto something with the spine idea. I also read that ab muscles contract and bunch up when overworked so I'm stretching them out a lot. Quite often throughout the day.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    Lol she doesn't have visceral fat if her upper abs are showing.

    OP, probably just need to continue to lower your %bf.

    If your posture is horrible from sitting at a desk all day it can supposedly affect this lower ab area, too (according to the medical university of Google, which we all know is vastly credible. Grain of salt and all that, but it never hurts to correct posture.)

    best-lower-abs-exercise-tilt.jpg

    huh... that is totally me!!!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    It might depend on what you expect to see when you say you can't see your lower abs. It's possible that you have a 4 pack genetically. If the lower part is hard and you are under 100 lbs, I'm thinking you either have a 4 pack or you just need to add weights (or more weights) to grow those lower abs and make them pop. Just remember that not everyone has lower abs that do what a 6-pack does. The bottom looks very different :)
  • speedy740
    speedy740 Posts: 141 Member
    Well I'm gonna just stick to the usual routine and see what happens in a month or so.

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