Getting Abs as a woman?

holly55555
Posts: 306 Member
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)!
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)!
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Replies
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Do you lift heavy?
And do you do compound lifts??0 -
I hear you.
5'7", 128 lbs, training for a half marathon on two weeks.
Tummy pooch that will just NOT go away.0 -
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.0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
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!0
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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??0 -
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!0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
this is a length article, but well worth the read.
http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/null/sexy_female_training0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
bumping for later0
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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.0
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