abs

www.randomabs.com is great they will email you a daily routine.

I started doing a cardio/circuit training class at my gym a few months ago -- mixing up abs with other whole body work and intervals works GREAT (and I've ALWAYS had the belly fat issue, ALWAYS). There's a lot of great interval workouts online, too, that you can print out and do on your own anywhere.

Ab exercises will firm your abs, but you need to combine it with cardio to shift belly fat so you can see them...this is what I'm trying to do. Its hard, but I am determined that one day I will see my abs!!!

www.randomabs.com is great they will email you a daily routine.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing this!

you can't spot reduce. you must trim down, and that unfortunatly happens all over your body. but some how, the fat you want gone right away, disappears last.

i don't do a single crunch or sit up. try planks, rolling planks, and hanging leg raises. also, many freeweight exercises force you to keep your core tight and focus on balance, therefore working out your abs while you work out other parts of your body. if you do things like lunges, squats, dips, pull ups, and chin ups, and do them properly, you'll never have to do a single sit-up again in your life.

plank


rolling plank

Unfortunately, you can't spot-reduce fat. You will build muscle, sure, but the only way to burn belly fat is to burn all fat. As your body fat% decreases, you will notice a difference

Completely agreed, abs are made in the kitchen! :flowerforyou:

www.randomabs.com is great they will email you a daily routine.

I still liked that site, gonna try it myself, thanks! :laugh:

you can't spot reduce. you must trim down, and that unfortunatly happens all over your body. but some how, the fat you want gone right away, disappears last.

i don't do a single crunch or sit up. try planks, rolling planks, and hanging leg raises. also, many freeweight exercises force you to keep your core tight and focus on balance, therefore working out your abs while you work out other parts of your body. if you do things like lunges, squats, dips, pull ups, and chin ups, and do them properly, you'll never have to do a single sit-up again in your life.

plank


rolling plank

Above is correct, IMO also.

I saw the best results in my abs when I ...


A) Added in weight routine doing full body with heavy weights
did all of the exercises above, plus a few others of similar type
C) begin dropping Body Fat percentage - NOT scale pounds, but body fat. Not always the same thing.
D) Made sure I was getting enough protein to support muscle improvement and growth. When my protein goes lower, I stall on fat loss, and muscle changes, and inch loss
E) of course hitting calorie goals for your needs, but I must be careful not to go to low. To low, everything stalls out.

I actually weight 10 lbs more scale weight then I did a when I wore 1 pant size bigger then I wear now. I am smaller all over though.
Its inches changes, and fat loss, and muscle improvement and growth, that gave me the abs and body firmness I want. I am not completely there yet, but expect I will be in about two more months.

I used to do crunches, situps with weights etc all the time, and lots of cardio. Never had the ab or body definition I do now.

I still do lots of cardio, but I also do heavy weights three times a week.

Just my experience, been working out steady for about 5 years now, and tried many many home DVDs, and routines, and plans. I am older, and dealing with C Section surgery scar tissue, and loose/damaged skin from pregnancy and C section. But I almost have a flat belly now, and have some good definition showing. The last three months I have seen hugh changes.

This is what works best , and fastest, for me.

See Stacys story for a good example of the differences cardio only vs weights added in can do for your body.

http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

I know I need to continue cardio. I do cardio 4-5 times a week. I just want to add some ab workouts along with it. Thanks for all the great advice,

Check out this video. It helped me tremendously. The best core exercise ever! Do them every day, mixing up your sets and reps. For example, three sets of 6; three sets of 8; two sets of 10; etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6q7k_D6DGQ&list=PL4CE51ED9E54AA7C3&index=2&feature=plpp_video

To get the most out of any ab exercise remember to squeeze your belly during planks, swiss-ball rollouts, etc. And when doing crunches, squeeze your belly BEFORE you lift your shoulders and go into the crunch.

More great ones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCgGlW8I5MI&list=PL4CE51ED9E54AA7C3&index=3&feature=plpp_video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWzwEePu_N8&list=PL4CE51ED9E54AA7C3&index=5&feature=plpp_video

Getting lean enough will reveal your abs, doing ab training will cause them to reveal more definition. Planks and the many variations of planks are good, classic crunches when done PROPERLY still give me a great burn, leg raises, jack-knives, twisties, etc. are also great.