Why are abs impossible?!
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hnaquin280 wrote: »yes, abs have nothing to do with clean eating. Tracking your food intake and lifting is key. You need to add some type of weight training to your exercise routine. I don't have access to a gym, but I do a variety of exercise with weights and HIIT at home. After 2 kids and at 41 years old I have a stomach I am proud of, all while not cutting out any types of foods or drinks. You can do it!
ETA: Look back at some of usmcmp's threads. They can help you out too!
Thank you! I have just been doing body weight ab excercises and it makes sense to start adding weights. I was just worried at first that it would bulk up my abs without thinning me down and give me a bloated look
They aren't saying to do abs exercises with weights. The suggestion is to do overall resistance training with weights. This will help lower your body fat overall (since you can't spot reduce) as well as activate your core in other ways. Look into a whole body lifting program (NROLFW, Strong Lifts 5x5, etc) and have fun with it! And you won't bulk up by doing this.
Also listen to @usmcmp, especially the So you want a nice stomach thread someone else posted. She knows what she's talking about.0 -
I was running about 30 miles a week, doing a Nautilus set three days a week and planks daily. I have a fitbit wifi scale (aria) that measures body fat %. It may not be accurate but I didn't start to see abs until I hit 16% after losing 50 pounds and now that am back to 22%....there gone.0
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I will be in the minority and say that from personal experience I fail to see how heavy lifting is needed for visible abs. Low body fat is what it takes. If you get there by lifting or not, it is irrelevant. Contrary to what many people on MFP seem to believe, long distance runners for example usually have visible abs. At least theones who are serious about it. As in every sport.
Have you seen what it takes to be a successful distance runner (not just someone that survives marathons). Try doing Benji Durden's 81 week Marathon Training Program (yes, 81 weeks)...you can find a copy in Hal Higdon's "How To Train". Most people simply do not have the time for that sort of training. That is why HIIT is a popular form of training but it sometimes lacks enough aerobic (as opposed to anaerobic) training. Weight training is a great way to add lean muscle and the benefits of adding lean muscle have a compounding effect. Muscle burns almost twice as many calories than fat cells even while at rest...of course that doesn't really add up to a whole lot if like a typical person you only have 25 pounds of actual muscle tissue (the rest is water, fat, bone and organ). However, every pound of fat replaced by lean muscle not only burns more calories while at rest...but muscle burns a lot more calories when put into action (fat cells don't tend to get into action much). If you want to learn how to lift with high intensity I recommend "High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way" - Mike Mentzer's last book, but he took his HIT formula to the extreme in it so realize this book is a progressive work and centered around bodybuilding...still, very good advise.0 -
excellent post ^0
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CorvusCorax77 wrote: »Pammeycakes55 wrote: »OK, while we are on the suject of abs.....is it possible for a woman 60 years of age, new to weight lifting, with time and patience, see some toning and definition in her lower abdomin? I've had two C sections and hystorectomy. Is there anything anyone can suggest? Thanks~
All i can say is my mom is 74 years old, took up lifting this year, and has muscles she has never had before in her life.
@ CorvusCorax77: Is your mom on any type of routine, food/exercise wise? Any advice?0 -
Pammeycakes55 wrote: »CorvusCorax77 wrote: »Pammeycakes55 wrote: »OK, while we are on the suject of abs.....is it possible for a woman 60 years of age, new to weight lifting, with time and patience, see some toning and definition in her lower abdomin? I've had two C sections and hystorectomy. Is there anything anyone can suggest? Thanks~
All i can say is my mom is 74 years old, took up lifting this year, and has muscles she has never had before in her life.
@ CorvusCorax77: Is your mom on any type of routine, food/exercise wise? Any advice?
sounds like she's on the lift heavy *kitten* routine
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Neversettle78 wrote: »I will be in the minority and say that from personal experience I fail to see how heavy lifting is needed for visible abs. Low body fat is what it takes. If you get there by lifting or not, it is irrelevant. Contrary to what many people on MFP seem to believe, long distance runners for example usually have visible abs. At least theones who are serious about it. As in every sport.
Is it only me who finds it difficult to accept the opinion of someone without a profile pic? Maybe that's just me though.
The body composition I envision of a long-distance runner is personally not how I would like to achieve ab definition...but that is just my personal preference.
I could post a pic, but how would you know it is me? How do I know your profile pic is yours? It is the internet.
Anyway, while I like lifting, I had visible abs for years without lifting. Yes, there was resistance training involved, as in I would do crunches, push-ups etc, but main activities were lots of dance, aerobics and running.
I have barely visible abs now, despite lifting, because I have an extra 4-5 kilos, and at least a couple of them are in the belly area. My abs are in awesome shape, and definitely bigger than they were before, but they are not that visible, because... body fat.
Most distance runners I know (have several friends who are running marathons) have visible abs. Because they maintain their body fat low. Most teenagers I see in my kids martial art school, they have visible abs. They do bodyweight exercises as part of their training, none of them lifts. My friend who is a fanatic cyclist and does absolutely no other exercise, has abs and quads I have never seen in any weight lifter. On the contrary, most people I see at the gym while lifting have absolutely no visible abs, too much fat in the belly area for anything to show. So, in general, it comes down to body fat more than it comes to what type of training you do. Obviously if you do no exercise at all and spend your days on the couch just not eating, you will not have abs or muscle anywhere.0 -
wscottkent wrote: »I will be in the minority and say that from personal experience I fail to see how heavy lifting is needed for visible abs. Low body fat is what it takes. If you get there by lifting or not, it is irrelevant. Contrary to what many people on MFP seem to believe, long distance runners for example usually have visible abs. At least theones who are serious about it. As in every sport.
Have you seen what it takes to be a successful distance runner (not just someone that survives marathons). Try doing Benji Durden's 81 week Marathon Training Program (yes, 81 weeks)...you can find a copy in Hal Higdon's "How To Train". Most people simply do not have the time for that sort of training. That is why HIIT is a popular form of training but it sometimes lacks enough aerobic (as opposed to anaerobic) training. Weight training is a great way to add lean muscle and the benefits of adding lean muscle have a compounding effect. Muscle burns almost twice as many calories than fat cells even while at rest...of course that doesn't really add up to a whole lot if like a typical person you only have 25 pounds of actual muscle tissue (the rest is water, fat, bone and organ). However, every pound of fat replaced by lean muscle not only burns more calories while at rest...but muscle burns a lot more calories when put into action (fat cells don't tend to get into action much). If you want to learn how to lift with high intensity I recommend "High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way" - Mike Mentzer's last book, but he took his HIT formula to the extreme in it so realize this book is a progressive work and centered around bodybuilding...still, very good advise.
People have abs without ever running marathons. People have abs without ever lifting. People had abs 10 or 20 years ago when HIIT was not the newest trend. I admit I do not know how it works when trying to lose a lot of weight and go from e.g. obese to visible abs and what kind of routine would help get there faster, as I have no experience with this, but in general all sorts of exercise routines will get a person to having visible abs.0 -
Pammeycakes55
It is possible to improve your lower abdomen, it just takes time, patience, and commitment.
I am 61 and at my goal weight, I eat at maintenance plus 50% exercise cals from Zumba, aqua fit and pathetic swimming, but don't eat back resistance work cals.
I started resistance by doing body weight exercises using nerd fitness. I also have had a brief spell using machines at the gym, not my favourite but helped a bit with confidence, and I am now, slowly, working my way into SL5x5. I say slowly because I am still using hand weights for all but the dead lift ( I can manage an empty Olympic bar for that). I am quite petite so I strive to lift progressively heavy for me, you could probably lift more sooner.
My goal is to maintain my muscle mass as I age, but I can say I have flatter abdomen now than I had pre- menopause.
Cheers, h.
Sorry all, not a thread hijacker by nature.Pammeycakes55 wrote: »OK, while we are on the suject of abs.....is it possible for a woman 60 years of age, new to weight lifting, with time and patience, see some toning and definition in her lower abdomin? I've had two C sections and hystorectomy. Is there anything anyone can suggest? Thanks~
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wscottkent wrote: »I will be in the minority and say that from personal experience I fail to see how heavy lifting is needed for visible abs. Low body fat is what it takes. If you get there by lifting or not, it is irrelevant. Contrary to what many people on MFP seem to believe, long distance runners for example usually have visible abs. At least theones who are serious about it. As in every sport.
Have you seen what it takes to be a successful distance runner (not just someone that survives marathons). Try doing Benji Durden's 81 week Marathon Training Program (yes, 81 weeks)...you can find a copy in Hal Higdon's "How To Train". Most people simply do not have the time for that sort of training. That is why HIIT is a popular form of training but it sometimes lacks enough aerobic (as opposed to anaerobic) training. Weight training is a great way to add lean muscle and the benefits of adding lean muscle have a compounding effect. Muscle burns almost twice as many calories than fat cells even while at rest...of course that doesn't really add up to a whole lot if like a typical person you only have 25 pounds of actual muscle tissue (the rest is water, fat, bone and organ). However, every pound of fat replaced by lean muscle not only burns more calories while at rest...but muscle burns a lot more calories when put into action (fat cells don't tend to get into action much). If you want to learn how to lift with high intensity I recommend "High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way" - Mike Mentzer's last book, but he took his HIT formula to the extreme in it so realize this book is a progressive work and centered around bodybuilding...still, very good advise.
That first part is the biggest straw man I've seen in a while! Are you suggesting that you have to train like an elite marathoner to get six pack abs by running only? So, someone who is a amateur casual runner needs to do an 81 week training program to have to same benefits as HIIT or resistance training?0 -
WOW all this negativity on clean eating?? I rinse my fruit-veggies like three times and hand wash my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher..0
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hnaquin280 wrote: »Hi! I've been on MFP for about 5 months and have lost 35 pounds and hit my goal weight. I'm now focusing on maintaining and strengthening. Overall, I think I've lost a significant amount of weight, but my midsection still bothers me. I eat clean, do all kinds of abdominal excercises that are not just sit ups and crunches, and I do cardio 45 minutes a day 5 days a week. I'm just not seeing any progress in my midsection. I'm not going for a ripped 6 pack, I'd just like to tighten up and tone and see some definition and not flabby lower belly fat ): is this a problem for anyone else?
To get a flat stomach an Abbs all depends on only one thing drop yr carbs simple.. And carry on training when I want shaper Abbs I drop my carbs very low sometimes no carbs up my protein and fats.. That's the only way.then u can maintain how u want to look.0 -
hnaquin280 wrote: »why does everyone equate clean eating with abs?
When I say clean eating I just mean I've cut out processed foods and eat more fruits and vegetables and make all of my dinners from scratch. I've noticed a huge difference in my body after starting that. I don't do any crazy detoxes or anything, just eating better.
You can still eat processed foods or junk food and get abs. Some people find it easier to stick to a calorie deficit by limiting those, but you could still include them.
Yes this is true ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE VISIBLE ABBS IN THE FIRST PLACE. If a person has no Abbs then your advise is 10000% wrong.. If u want Abbs drop the carbs.0 -
hnaquin280 wrote: »why does everyone equate clean eating with abs?
When I say clean eating I just mean I've cut out processed foods and eat more fruits and vegetables and make all of my dinners from scratch. I've noticed a huge difference in my body after starting that. I don't do any crazy detoxes or anything, just eating better.
You can still eat processed foods or junk food and get abs. Some people find it easier to stick to a calorie deficit by limiting those, but you could still include them.
Yes this is true ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE VISIBLE ABBS IN THE FIRST PLACE. If a person has no Abbs then your advise is 10000% wrong.. If u want Abbs drop the carbs.
Why can't you create a caloric deficit through manipulating another macro?0 -
hnaquin280 wrote: »why does everyone equate clean eating with abs?
When I say clean eating I just mean I've cut out processed foods and eat more fruits and vegetables and make all of my dinners from scratch. I've noticed a huge difference in my body after starting that. I don't do any crazy detoxes or anything, just eating better.
You can still eat processed foods or junk food and get abs. Some people find it easier to stick to a calorie deficit by limiting those, but you could still include them.
Yes this is true ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE VISIBLE ABBS IN THE FIRST PLACE. If a person has no Abbs then your advise is 10000% wrong.. If u want Abbs drop the carbs.
lulz...no. You're still wrong. Usmcmp is still right.0 -
hnaquin280 wrote: »Hi! I've been on MFP for about 5 months and have lost 35 pounds and hit my goal weight. I'm now focusing on maintaining and strengthening. Overall, I think I've lost a significant amount of weight, but my midsection still bothers me. I eat clean, do all kinds of abdominal excercises that are not just sit ups and crunches, and I do cardio 45 minutes a day 5 days a week. I'm just not seeing any progress in my midsection. I'm not going for a ripped 6 pack, I'd just like to tighten up and tone and see some definition and not flabby lower belly fat ): is this a problem for anyone else?
To get a flat stomach an Abbs all depends on only one thing drop yr carbs simple.. And carry on training when I want shaper Abbs I drop my carbs very low sometimes no carbs up my protein and fats.. That's the only way.then u can maintain how u want to look.
LOL complete and total bro science..
I know plenty of people that are shredded and eat carbs...
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hnaquin280 wrote: »why does everyone equate clean eating with abs?
When I say clean eating I just mean I've cut out processed foods and eat more fruits and vegetables and make all of my dinners from scratch. I've noticed a huge difference in my body after starting that. I don't do any crazy detoxes or anything, just eating better.
You can still eat processed foods or junk food and get abs. Some people find it easier to stick to a calorie deficit by limiting those, but you could still include them.
Yes this is true ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE VISIBLE ABBS IN THE FIRST PLACE. If a person has no Abbs then your advise is 10000% wrong.. If u want Abbs drop the carbs.
No.0 -
hnaquin280 wrote: »why does everyone equate clean eating with abs?
When I say clean eating I just mean I've cut out processed foods and eat more fruits and vegetables and make all of my dinners from scratch. I've noticed a huge difference in my body after starting that. I don't do any crazy detoxes or anything, just eating better.
You can still eat processed foods or junk food and get abs. Some people find it easier to stick to a calorie deficit by limiting those, but you could still include them.
Yes this is true ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE VISIBLE ABBS IN THE FIRST PLACE. If a person has no Abbs then your advise is 10000% wrong.. If u want Abbs drop the carbs.
So I must be a special snowflake eating pizza, ice cream and Twinkies during competition prep. I had never had abs up until that point and I continued to eat higher carb through prep.
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hnaquin280 wrote: »Hi! I've been on MFP for about 5 months and have lost 35 pounds and hit my goal weight. I'm now focusing on maintaining and strengthening. Overall, I think I've lost a significant amount of weight, but my midsection still bothers me. I eat clean, do all kinds of abdominal excercises that are not just sit ups and crunches, and I do cardio 45 minutes a day 5 days a week. I'm just not seeing any progress in my midsection. I'm not going for a ripped 6 pack, I'd just like to tighten up and tone and see some definition and not flabby lower belly fat ): is this a problem for anyone else?
To get a flat stomach an Abbs all depends on only one thing drop yr carbs simple.. And carry on training when I want shaper Abbs I drop my carbs very low sometimes no carbs up my protein and fats.. That's the only way.then u can maintain how u want to look.
LOL complete and total bro science..
I know plenty of people that are shredded and eat carbs...
Beat me to it ^^^^
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