Belly fat

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MarieMorin2015
MarieMorin2015 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a pretty small frame but a little bit of fat on my stomach, I do ab exercises everyday and I can really feel the burn while doing them but the next day my abs aren't all that sore, am I working hard enough??

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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    If you have fat on your stomach the only way to lose it is with calorie deficit. If you are already pretty lean, and cannot afford to lose much more weight, then you are at the mercy of genetics. Weight/resistance training with a progressive overload over a period of time can help.

    For what it's worth, the first time I had visible abs, I had not done a sit up/crunch or even trained abs once. Maintain lean mass in a deficit with compound lifts.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    Ab exercises won't spot reduce belly fat. They're great for building your core strength, but all you can do is reduce your overall body fat through a calorie deficit. Your body decides where it will come from, and in what order.
  • MarieMorin2015
    MarieMorin2015 Posts: 6 Member
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    I do cardio every single day for about an hour, and some weight machines. My arms and legs are usually sore the next day, but never my abs/stomach/core
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    If you are creating a calorie deficit, then you will reduce body fat. Working hard "enough" based on how sore you feel is purely arbitrary.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    DOMS is not a sign of a good work-out, meaning the absence of DOMs did not mean you did not work-out hard enough .. in fact as you get fitter and stronger DOMS happens less and less .. still occurs but rarely

    Abdominal fat can in some people be the very last place to go - but if you're already at a healthy weight you may need to look at body recomposition

    ab crunches aren't that great an exercise, generally put undue stress on the back.

    compound lifts with progressively heavier weights, press-ups, pulls, ups work the core to strengthen those muscles - and stomach vacuums for the transverse

    but it's really about fat levels - if you want visible abs your body fat % needs to be low - personally I like a hint of musculature rather than visible abs so am happy at around 23% (based on my age) .. others may aim more for 17% .. that's too low for my age and personal preference

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