Belly when in plank :( need support.

shorty35565
shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
in Motivation and Support
Today made I made the horrible mistake of looking at my stomach while I was in plank. I almost started crying & could barely finish my workout after that. It hung down so awfully. I didn't really think I had any loose skin. I'm 139lbs at 5'5. I carry a lot in my stomach, but it just seems tight & fatty when I'm standing up. But in plank it just looks so horrible. I feel like I'm never going to have to body I want. I will just b this freak show with loose skin on my belly when it finally goes down instead of being fat. I can't win for losing. Please tell me this can flatten out & not end up with loose skin some1 who has experienced this. I need a light at the end of the tunnel.
(Oh and I haven't had a baby. I know that plays a factor sometimes.)
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Replies

  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
    Girl I have the same issue, My belly looks ok standing up, but I made the mistake of looking down while doing a Jillian vid last week (some plank based move), and saw all the skin hanging (I have had two babies) (I also noticed that way it bunches up in crunches, YUMMY!) It was a WTF moment for sure....I don't know, I hope it tightens with the exercises I'm doing, so I'm not much help, but I offer you support! Hopefully we will both get a better answer!!
  • cllovesdw4eva
    cllovesdw4eva Posts: 74
    Keep planking and keep working your core and drinking water. It will go down.
  • AmberJslimsAWAY
    AmberJslimsAWAY Posts: 2,339 Member
    My stomach looks good standing, get me hunched over or in the plank, it's a whole different story. Yuck
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
    Girl I have the same issue, My belly looks ok standing up, but I made the mistake of looking down while doing a Jillian vid last week (some plank based move), and saw all the skin hanging (I have had two babies) (I also noticed that way it bunches up in crunches, YUMMY!) It was a WTF moment for sure....I don't know, I hope it tightens with the exercises I'm doing, so I'm not much help, but I offer you support! Hopefully we will both get a better answer!!

    Ur stomach looks amazing in ur picture! Mine is still fat. I hope it will go away with the fat.
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
    I JUST experienced this last week, it's awful. I wish I had advice, but know that you're not alone!!!!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    It's just skin. Nothing you can do about it. A lot of women have it. I have it. Don't freak out. We aren't all perfect nor will we be. If it looks good standing up then, great, you've got better results than a lot of people. Don't go doing planks on the beach.
  • Sarahbara76
    Sarahbara76 Posts: 601 Member
    so glad I am not alone in this!! so sorry you all are as upset by it as I was!
  • ChristyU74
    ChristyU74 Posts: 234 Member
    Don't look down! :smile:

    Keep at it, and I'm sure eventually it will tighten up. I'm not a fan of my own saggy belly, but I do think it's getting better with lots of planks and weight training. (Also, I usually wear compression capris that hold everything in while I work out...it makes me feel better not to be jiggling!)
  • Fit4_Life
    Fit4_Life Posts: 828 Member
    How gravity gets the best of us! I looked once while planking..and refuse to look again. Lol
  • TinkrBelz
    TinkrBelz Posts: 866 Member
    I only do planks with a top on....no one wants to see what I have there after 6 kids. I wish I had some awesome advice on how to make your tummy skin look better while you plank...but I don't know.
  • kb_CG_wife
    kb_CG_wife Posts: 181 Member
    It's gravity and everything INSIDE you're body, like organs. Can't fight with that, and can't make it go away.
  • lmd172
    lmd172 Posts: 172
    ***note to self***

    do NOT look down when doing planks...ever!

    ok, sorry, i really don't have anything to say or add except you are def not alone...keep on doing what you're doing!
  • grex1949
    grex1949 Posts: 125 Member
    Continue exercising and building core strength. Drink lots of water. If it goes, it goes. If it stays, so what? Fitness is what's important.
    We are often our own worst critics, women maybe more than men, but we men have issues, too.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    I have shed an entire person worth of weight, including 19.5" off my waist... my tummy looks okay standing up and great under clothes, but in a plank all of the loose skin just hangs there.

    It's nasty, but it's just skin. The muscles are getting a work out and that's what counts.
  • insatiable_need
    insatiable_need Posts: 127 Member
    I have the same problem with my stomach. The skin has gotten somewhat tighter with the more ab exercises I do and I try my best to stay hydrated. I may have to accept the fact it will never be perfectly tight, though.
  • xraylady33
    xraylady33 Posts: 222 Member
    Wear spanx while working out..it reminds you to hold it in. Thats all I have, but right there with you!
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
    My stomach looks good standing, get me hunched over or in the plank, it's a whole different story. Yuck

    Ur tummy looks great too! I hope stuff like tht can b tightened up.
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
    I love the plank test to check how fat I am. It's good motivation. I know what bowl full of jelly means now...

    I'd view it more as something to measure and work towards rather than something that is inherently bad. When you make progress you'll be able to tell quickly and simply.
  • KiaMcGeea
    KiaMcGeea Posts: 1
    Everyone with ANY extra weight has that!! Don't worry about it--how often do people look at you in plank??
  • Gilbrod
    Gilbrod Posts: 1,216 Member
    Also remember, that you're constricting muscle. Like when you show off your bicep, you're doing the same with your abs. So it does look weird. Keep at it. Ask someone to take pics of you planking. You'll see your form and see if you need to make adjustments. You'll be fine. You might also see that your stomache area might not look as bad. If you feel it does, use it for motivation.
  • gumigal82
    gumigal82 Posts: 350
    It's prob just skin, something you can't help too much. I have the same issue. I've lost a bunch of weight (it feels like it), but in any plank form, I see the tiny tummy! I've heard it gets better over time. So just keep pressing on--that's my plan:)
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
    Thanks guys. I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. I will hope it's not so bad when the weight on my belly comes off. It doesn't really do tht when I bend over & you guys are right, who is going to see me planking?
    The problem is more common than I thought. At least I'm not alone. I just wanna have a fit, toned body when I'm finished. Here's hoping I can still get it.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    This happens to me too. If the biggest complaint I have after losing 100+ pounds is that my stomach hangs a little while holding a 3+ minute plank...

    umm, I think that means I WIN.
  • jamiesadler
    jamiesadler Posts: 634 Member
    Dont feel bad I have this as well as some serious bat wings as well. They are slowly shrinking but its been a long process.
  • StaceyL76
    StaceyL76 Posts: 711 Member
    Continue exercising and building core strength. Drink lots of water. If it goes, it goes. If it stays, so what? Fitness is what's important.
    We are often our own worst critics, women maybe more than men, but we men have issues, too.

    THIS!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    This happens to me too. If the biggest complaint I have after losing 100+ pounds is that my stomach hangs a little while holding a 3+ minute plank...

    umm, I think that means I WIN.

    no kidding. if you can hold a 3 minute plank i think you'd need a bit of extra skin just to hold in all the extra awesome
  • Syreeta6
    Syreeta6 Posts: 377 Member
    This happens to me too. If the biggest complaint I have after losing 100+ pounds is that my stomach hangs a little while holding a 3+ minute plank...

    umm, I think that means I WIN.

    no kidding. if you can hold a 3 minute plank i think you'd need a bit of extra skin just to hold in all the extra awesome

    3+ minute plank??! gtfoh! :huh:
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    This happens to me too. If the biggest complaint I have after losing 100+ pounds is that my stomach hangs a little while holding a 3+ minute plank...

    umm, I think that means I WIN.
    How funny, because I just did a 3 minute plank last night and thought the EXACT SAME THING!
  • kattbyrd67
    kattbyrd67 Posts: 39 Member
    Go watch some exercise videos. Pay attention to the stomachs of all of the instructors. They all have skin that bunches during certain moves. ALL of them. Your skin will always be a little bit loose. This is a GOOD thing; you don't want to split wide open when you bend over, do you? No BODY is perfect. Be the best YOU possible and forget about perfection. You'll be much happier in the long run.
  • suzikay12
    suzikay12 Posts: 150 Member
    Do a search on loose skin or sagging skin and see the hundreds of threads with thousands of replies that are all from people who are right there with you.

    Chances are, some of the people you know who's bodies you are envious of are also afflicted by this. But can they even do a plank? We all know you CAN!

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