Secret to awesome abs

michis05
michis05 Posts: 99 Member
edited October 1 in Fitness and Exercise
I know there isnt a real secret or fast or easy way to get amazing abs. I know nutrition plays a key role in this..abs are made in the kitchen...exercising helps out too and blah blah blah..so please dont preach me on this!! All i am asking is what do you do to get awesome results. For example, what exercises do you do? What kind of food do you eat? You meal plan? Exercise plan? Things like that! Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    I'm not sure if I'd say abs are made in the kitchen.... its more that Low body fat = defined abs. High body fat = flab covering your abs. Ditch the body fat and you'll see your abs and they will look amazing.

    As far as exercises, there are a million and the best ones are not the basic crunches.

    try some of these:
    http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercise_demos.asp?exercise_type=core

    Remember you need to strengthen your back too, not JUST your abs.

    But mostly, low body fat. That's really all there is to it.
  • michis05
    michis05 Posts: 99 Member
    Thanks!! i Have heard about the back too, which i havent been concentrating in, but ill start doing this!! thanks!
  • sarahsmart88
    sarahsmart88 Posts: 84

    Remember you need to strengthen your back too, not JUST your abs.

    Ditto. Remember to strengthen your whole core-- Upper and lower abs, obliques, and back.

    As far as food, I have to agree that you should try to lower your body fat. Usually that means burning more calories than you take in, which is high intenstity cardio often produces a flat belly. Overall, abs may be the most difficult to train depending on your body type, and it takes more than one "secret" to achieve great definition.
  • Charlie175
    Charlie175 Posts: 232 Member
    Planks, regular and variations of them are good for the core. .Stability exercises on a bosu ball. .
  • michis05
    michis05 Posts: 99 Member
    Usually that means burning more calories than you take in


    This one is a hard one!! I am training for a marathon so I dont tend to do to much, i dont want to hurt myself so i keep it moderate..but there are days where i will burn about 800 cals. but trying to burn more than what i eat..uufff!! good luck michelle!!
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    -dont chew gum or drink through straws: this makes you swallow air and appear bloated. STAY away from artificial sweeteners too!
    -RUN RUN RUN. running (especially sprints) is a great core workout that most people fail to understand.
    -crunches: not just on the floor, do it on an exercise ball, off the edge of your bed, on an incline at the gym holding an 8 lb medicine ball on your chest...anything to maximize your crunch experience
    -watch your whole grains: eat them, eat them for sure but focus on fruits and vegetables. yeast sometimes expands in the tummy and make you appear bloated
    -LIMIT SUGAR AND SODIUM AND ALCOHOL. actually, limit alcohol entirely.
    -not hungry yet want to binge? NO. chew and suck on a bowl of ice cubes. binges are like, the high school bully of great abs
    -PROTEIN after you workout. tuna, some eggs...that will solidify your results and keep them longer!

    -dont work out your abs every day....give them time to rest <3 alternate sprints/crunch days. GOOD LUCK
  • corpus_validum
    corpus_validum Posts: 292 Member
    Haha. There's no secret. Just a lot of damn effort, food intake discipline and patience.

    I've been trying to get a 6-pack over the last 6 months (starting from over 20% body fat) and I'm finally starting to see some definition, though my stomach area still resembles more of a keg than a six-pack.

    I do a combo of JM's 6 Week Six-Pack DVD and a few ab exercises of my own: captain's chair and bicycle crunches. These were found to be the top two most effective for the abs based on a study by the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University:

    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/a/Best_Ab_Ex.htm
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