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Is there a best time to do core and ab exercises?

GiftedHealth
GiftedHealth Posts: 259 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does it matter what time I do core ab exercises? And does it matter if I do it on a full stomach or not?

Answers

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,108 Member
    No, exercise whenever you have most energy to do it. Just having food in your stomach or not has no bearing on building stomach muscles.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,108 Member
    Probably DON'T want to do it on a full stomach. But there is no dictated time that's BEST when to train abs. You do them when you can do them.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 40 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,751 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Probably DON'T want to do it on a full stomach. But there is no dictated time that's BEST when to train abs. You do them when you can do them.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 40 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    I was trying to envisage doing core exercises on a full stomach and couldn’t 🤢

    OP if you meant are they more effective in a fasted state - no. You want to be fuelled enough to do them but (in my personal case) not have a full tummy. Actually I wouldn’t want to do any exercise on a full tummy!
  • Interbeing
    Interbeing Posts: 68 Member
    I find that an early morning workout works best for me as I get it done before a lot of other distractions kick in. Plus, I feel that the endorphins kicking in carry me through the morning and I feel more productive. I get to the gym just before 6:00am to beat the morning rush, and do a 44 to 66 minute HIIT circuit and eat breakfast once I get home. Everyone is a bit different, and I believe that consistency it the key to success more than the time of day. Best of luck in you fitness journey.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,316 Member
    Whenever it works best for you.

    As far as eat first, or no: Sure, start out doing it with a fair interval since the last significant eating, but if your schedule works better if you do it after a meal, experiment by gradually doing it closer to eating, and see what happens.

    Others have described the common scenarios where it bothers a person to work out with a full stomach, or even after eating at all. I'm not that person, and I'm sure a few others aren't, too. I'd probably avoid being over-full before ab exercises, but I wouldn't hesitate to do them after moderate eating. My performance is poor if I exercise fasted, and it feels miserable. I could probably do moderate ab exercises fasted, because most of my personal situation is IMO fueling-related.

    Generally, there are some issues with where blood flow gets directed more to stomach/intestines for digestion (postprandial hyperemia) that could be an issue for some, as well as the potential for digestive distress or simple physical discomfort. But there's a lot of individuality IMO, about the interaction of exercise and eating, including ab exercises.

    Experiment carefully; you can figure that out, if it matters to you for scheduling convenience.

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