I've been doing everything they say your suppose to do (cardio, ab exercises, eating right) and nothing seems to be working. I've lost a good amount of
weight so far and my abs seem to be my problem area and its getting frustrating. Does anyone have any good pointers or anything that's worked for them?
Getting rid of Ab fat?
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 Jcschick307 |
Getting rid of Ab fat? |
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Posts: 5016 (08/27/2008 8:19 PM) |
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Suzdawg |
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Posts: 554 (08/27/2008 9:08 PM) |
Everyone's body is different, but I was in the same situation as you. I was working out regularly, toning up pretty much everywhere except my abs. When I
started running, however, that's why my abs started to flatten.
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BOMBSHELL XXX |
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Posts: 830 (08/30/2008 12:12 AM) |
I think abs are all about diet diet diet! If you eat clean they'll tone up right away, or at least you'll notice a difference pretty quickly.
That's the hardest part for me!
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hallesoul |
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Posts: 1752 (08/30/2008 11:48 PM) |
i'd like to know too what's the best way to get rid of belly fat i'm caring most of my weight in my belly. Does cardio help?
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Jcschick307 |
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Posts: 5030 (08/31/2008 7:34 PM) |
I've changed my diet so eating right is what I've been doing for a long time now. I'm going to give turbo jam a try on top of my regular work out
routine.
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Caterina2 |
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Posts: 915 (09/01/2008 7:54 PM) |
I can't remember where I found this....it may have been from a post here a while back, but maybe you could try this.
There are three components to having great abs:
1) A Balanced Fat Burning Diet. "Good abs are built in the kitchen." The truth is that no matter how many abdominal exercises you do, or for how many repetitions, if you don't follow a diet that emphasizes fat burning you'll never see the results you want. If you go to an anatomy class in college, you'll see that even without exercise, everybody has a great set of abs. However, they're covered by a layer of fat and water. In order for you to be able to see your abs, you need to get your body fat to be low enough for the abs to show. In general, your body fat percentage needs to be less than 10% for men and 14% for women to begin to see your six-pack abs. 2) Enough cardio built into the program to start the fat loss process and burn some extra calories. HIIT is better than steady-state cardio because it burns more fat and produces the most rapid changes to your body. 3) A Good Weight Training Routine that has you in the gym for 45-60 minutes 3x a week. I saw Lance Armstrong's trainer on TV, who said that weight training makes your metabolism click and allows you to continue burning fat and calories long after your workout is done. He said that once you're off the treadmill, you stop burning calories. I had a few free sessions with a trainer at my gym and he said the same exact thing. Trainers always work with their clients doing weight training exercises because it's what cuts fat and helps you define your body. It's impossible to instruct your body where you want to burn fat, but general fat loss means fat loss on the abs. A good routine uses exercises that engage multiple muscle groups at once. Doing tricep kickbacks, for instance, only works a tiny muscle group and won't do anything for your metabolism. It's essentially a waste of time/effort. The best exercises are weighted lunges, weighted squats (which engage over 200 muscles), deadlifts (which work the glutes, abs, obliques, forearms, hamstrings, and quadriceps, as well as smaller muscles), standard push-ups (great for pectoral muscles, which keeps your breasts perky and abs). I'm doing the New Rules of Lifting for Women. After three workouts, my glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abs, obliques, back, biceps, triceps, and shoulderblades have all been sore. Even my lower back muscles have been sore (not the back from doing the exercises wrong, but the back muscles themselves). I'm also down 1/2 lb. on the scale and growing in strength. The book does what the trainer was having me do, except it was $30 at the bookstore instead of $560/month. I really think in 6 months, my body is going to be lean and defined. Also, steer clear of those gimmick machines in the gym. The intent of adductor/abductor machine is to isolate the muscles that spread the legs apart and bring them together. Don't get me wrong, the machine will allow you to feel the burn in the target areas. However, despite the perception that these machines "tone" flabby thighs, they don't actually apply enough resistance to burn enough calories. Because they don't allow the legs to stabilize (such as what a squat or lunge would do), the abductor and adductor/abductor machine doesn't do much for adding strength or muscle. If you want to tone your legs, then you need to squat, lunge, and deadlift. These simple, but powerful compound movements will easily/effectively develop the thighs' inner and outer areas. Given that the squat hits over 200 muscles in body, you also can't beat it for the other benefits it brings. So, in sum, there's no easy way to get great abs. Otherwise, we'd all do 100 sit-ups a day and get them. It takes lifestyle changes in your overall diet and exercise routines. |
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