Getting Abs as a woman?

holly55555
holly55555 Posts: 306 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Even at my absolute thinnest I have never had abs.

I now have way more muscle and weigh about 125 lbs (I'm 5'8), but my stomach is not as tight as I would like and even though I do regular abs, it just isn't getting me progress I want. I also weight train 3x a week, cardio for an hour 5x times a week, and do martial arts and dance.

I do not want a six pack or anything, just for my stomach to be tight and more defined.

Has anyone (women in particular, as I feel like it's easier for men to develop abs) have a weight loss story where they were able to get stomach definition when they've never had it before?

I'm thin now and I'm not "skinny fat" anymore, but my stomach is the one place that won't get definition (even though it's flat)!

Replies

  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Do you lift heavy?

    And do you do compound lifts??
  • loril13
    loril13 Posts: 320 Member
    I hear you.
    5'7", 128 lbs, training for a half marathon on two weeks.
    Tummy pooch that will just NOT go away.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Abs are nothing more than a result of having a low enough body fat percentage to let the abdominal muscles show through on the stomach. But thinness has basically nothing to do with abs. How many starving Ethiopians do you see with a 6 pack? The answer is "none", and that is because "thin" does not equal "low body fat percentage".

    Lift heavy weights to drop body fat, while maintaining your lean muscle mass. Eat a a moderate calorie deficit, and eventually you will see abs show through.
  • LeannJeffers
    LeannJeffers Posts: 486 Member
    I am no professional and i am only speaking from what i have witnessed. A friend of mine is training for a fitness competition. She changed her diet and watched her macros and that's when her six pack started to show, and she was also skinny to start.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    I am no professional and i am only speaking from what i have witnessed. A friend of mine is training for a fitness competition. She changed her diet and watched her macros and that's when her six pack started to show, and she was also skinny to start.

    This has merit. I lifted heavy for a year, and only barely had any ab definition, then I started to train for my competition and ate very very low fat, VERY high protein, and my abs popped out pretty quickly, in a matter of weeks.

    My diary is always open, should anyone be interested in seeing how I eat.
  • ashley11scott
    ashley11scott Posts: 63 Member
    Its diet just skinny wont do it. Google pics women body fat% and you will see the lower the % more abs show through. Deit is the hard part for me personaly. Keep up the great work!
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    I hear you.
    5'7", 128 lbs, training for a half marathon on two weeks.
    Tummy pooch that will just NOT go away.

    heavy lifting??
    At all??
  • holly55555
    holly55555 Posts: 306 Member
    Thank you all, this was really helpful! Especially the comment about Ethiopians with a six-pack, I've never actually thought about the difference between thin and low body fat.

    I guess I'll just have to keep lifting and eventually they'll come out! I also have problems with eating enough protein and staying under my calorie limit - mostly because I love bread and want to eat that too haha!
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
    Pics and stuff.
    No abs at 170
    No abs at 117
    No abs at 131
    Abs at 142

    No clue what "I do regular abs" means to you, but I am going to guess it means you need to do something different if you want to see something different.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Thank you all, this was really helpful! Especially the comment about Ethiopians with a six-pack, I've never actually thought about the difference between thin and low body fat.

    I guess I'll just have to keep lifting and eventually they'll come out! I also have problems with eating enough protein and staying under my calorie limit - mostly because I love bread and want to eat that too haha!

    PROTEIN IS A MUST!!!!
    don't sacrifice that, to up your carbs and eat more bread.
    Not an option with your goals.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,028 Member
    this is a length article, but well worth the read.

    http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/null/sexy_female_training
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
    I'm 5'9" and I have abs at 165 pounds. That's because I lift heavy.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1161603-so-you-want-a-nice-stomach

    ETA: I am a female.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
    it does seem like lifting heavy and doing things such as OHP is really the only thing your not doing

    if your not doing any hanging leg raises i suggest that.

    I'll be honest, it does seem like men have an easier time building abs, but one might think it should be as easy or almost easier for a woman to develop some kind of visable abs, because men TEND (not always) to carry most of thier fat in the midsection.
  • Maryaly40
    Maryaly40 Posts: 551 Member
    bumping for later
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    Abs are mostly diet. Mine show more when I'm on a gluten free high protein diet and when I'm eating a lot of white processed carbs, they show less and I'm fluffier. Everyone has muscles under there, the abs just look better when they're showing. I don't do much in the ways of traditional ab work, I depend on my diet and compound lifts to work my abs, but I will do a few minutes of planks/ab vacuums a couple of times per week.

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