Working Lower Abs/ Losing Belly Fat
I am 18 yrs old, 5'4, 127 lbs, and fairly muscly (which I hate because it always makes me weigh more and have stupid thunder thighs! Oh, the joy. :)) I workout 5-7 days a week by running 3 miles continually, eat around 1300 calories a day, and eat healthy. My goal is to get down to about 120, anything less and I'm sure I would look awkward because of my muscle (and i would like to keep my boobs, aka stay a girl, thank you very much!)
Anywho, in searching this lovely little thing we call the internet, I've found that you really can't see your abs until you're down to about 10% body fat (how factual that is, I don't know).
If this were the case, is it pointless for me to be doing an ab workout about 3-4 times a week until I lose all my fat? Or can you do cardio and an ab workout when you have more than 10% body fat, and the ab workout will have some effect? And one more question-- how often should I be doing ab workouts pr/week if they DO have an effect?
Anyways, thank you so much for all your help!!! Much love.
Natalie
Reason: moved to fitness
Also, maybe it's just me, but 1,300 sounds a little low even for someone of your build.
I don't know, (I'm 5'2, 128, f, 20 btw) I have been doing eight minute abs and my round little flub on my tummy has somehow seperated itself into four distinct little packs. It's like the fat on top of the muscle has been reorganized by the muscle underneath. I say do it! this way when you lose all that weight and actually want to get toned you'll be ahead of the game and a little more activity certainly can't hurt. Besides, it's a nice incentive to see such improvement! I'm even starting to see definition in my arms and thighs now and it is REALLY motivating to see the effect of my hard work, even if it is just rearranging the way the fat looks. it gives me a preview of what my body will look like when its gone! Also, my belly hasn't been "pushed out" or been made bigger, so don't worry about that. I even have a little line around my four pack where my oblique is. If someone with MY flub can see the effects of an ab workout then I'm sure anyone could. even if it doesn't burn more cals, it is a great motivator.
( my 2 cents warning): I'm two inches shorter than you and I eat 1295, you could probably hang out around 14-1500 if you wanted. lucky!
I have the top two muscles right now but that blasted fat is covering the bottom too ... I may never have a 6 pack but i do plan to "one day" have a flat and attactive tummy, in my opinion its better than nothing.
BTw im in a similar boat to you 5ft 4 currently 119lb's hoping to be 110lbs and im currently eating 1,500 and doing fine, i find if i go any lower on the cal's i get hungry and misrable and don't have the energy to do a really good workout in the gym...
first off, be PROUD of having a more muscular physique! some women would kill to have muscle on their bodies...
if you want to have 6pack abs- you need to have low body fat & great musculature-- in combination- your abs will show thru--
remember tho- that spot reduction does not exist- so you have to watch diet, stress, sleep, and fitness in the abs equation.
try to clean eat- 6 small meals a day combo of protein & complex carb. this keeps your insulin consistent- and with greater glycemic control, you are less likely to park flab on the abs area & it will assist in lowering overall body fat.
only you know what your best daily caloric intake is, but do not drop below 1200 bc you will pay a price for it not only as a woman, but just as a human -- it's bad for your heart & other organs and SLOWS the weight loss process.
so, consider the equation to be 80% diet & 20% fitness- bc no matter how many hours upon hours of ab work you do- (and hopefully your covering every ab section from your upper, lower, mid obliques and lower back) you will never see the benefit of it...
and yes, you can bow out your abs by OVERTAXING them, but that's be way over doing your abs- like every single day- and it'd be a combination of visceral fat under the abs with subcutaneous fat on top of the muscle--
eat better & do WHOLE body works outs-- i'd say do some comprehensive and diverse cardio that relies on your core strength to help & of course, weight train, but obviously, you don't see the benefits of adding 'muscle' to your frame, which, by the way, only enhances the female form but weight lifting helps you to burn more fat & increases your metabolism. muscle does not defer from female beauty it enhances it! Remember, - we don't make enough testosterone to bulk up huge like a dude! & i think chicks like jessica biel are way hotter than super skinny women!
Working your abs will strengthen and enlargen them, sure, but it will also push out your belly fat, making your belly even bigger. Don't waste your time.
This seems like strange advice. I have seen some body builders that have poofed out abs and look like they may have some crazy super resistance routine for them. However for most people I would say that working their abs will only tighten their muscle structure. Eventually with a lot of dedication your abs will start building OUT but it won't happen in any short amount of time so you can stop I guess if it is getting out of control. But by that time you might be at the BF % that you are after and already have the stomach that can take a direct hit from a cannon ball. Might as well keep working those abs while losing belly fat at the same time. Just because you can't see your abs doesn't mean that you won't benefited by working them (i.e. not a waste of time). My 2 cents.
10 percent is absolutely not true. maybe for men it is more accurate but a women shouldnt even be under 12 % body fat- that is what is "essential fat" for women, without that much body fat we will start missing periods and hurting our bodies. i have 17-18 % body fat if i am doing well and about 19 % when im slacking or eating bad and even when im at 19 i have a six pack- or at least the top four, at 17 percent i have great abs, very defined. but it is true you need to loose fat on top to see your abs- some people may have a six pack already, but its hidden under fat. stick to a good cardio routine and full body training- i have always found working out your abs every day a waste of time, because most lifting requires you to engage your core anyway. personally i hardly ever work out my abs, they just kind of happened after getting serious with lifting and running.
Yeah!!!! GREAT comments meaganmeagan!!!!
As far as Body fat goes…women need to maintain 12% body fat or more…any less then the bones will start to deteriorate, and things go south from there. Men have to maintain 3% or more…I’m at 5% body fat.
yeah, i was thinking the 10 percent was maybe a reference to men, cause that just sounded rail thin to me, and I wouldn't ever want to be that thin if you payed me. Anyways, thanks so much for all the advice, it really helps!! :)
how do you calculate how much body fat you have?
Try Pilates or Yoga based ab exersizes to keep the abs flat. There are several layers to the abs. Traditional sit-ups only focus on the external abs. The external abs are the ones that give you the six pack and are very important. However, the tranverse abs (internal abs), give you the flat stomach. If you strenghten the external but not the internal you will get the poofy, stuck-out six pack. You want to target both to get the flat six pack. Pilates and Yoga based exersizes do this. Do roll-up, variations of the plank, boat pose, etc. Just some thoughts...
Original Post by cmedancing:
Try Pilates or Yoga based ab exersizes to keep the abs flat. There are several layers to the abs. Traditional sit-ups only focus on the external abs. The external abs are the ones that give you the six pack and are very important. However, the tranverse abs (internal abs), give you the flat stomach. If you strenghten the external but not the internal you will get the poofy, stuck-out six pack. You want to target both to get the flat six pack. Pilates and Yoga based exersizes do this. Do roll-up, variations of the plank, boat pose, etc. Just some thoughts...
Not only will pilates give you a flat stomach, it'll make your muscles longer and therefor make you taller. Pilates will also straiten your teeth and make you hair shinier as well as increase your IQ and improve your singing ability. Am i missing any?
increased sex drive...and less acne.
And you wonder why people feel intimidated to post sometimes . . .
Generally speaking I agree with you Sully - yoga and pilates are marketed for things that are impossible to achieve and I've read a lot of posts on the subject (including many of your *cough* feelings on it). However, in this case, I do think that they are beneficial for core strength. So, I'll grant that it's really not possible to "flatten" abs as cmedancing said - that's a myth engendered by mass marketing and inappropriate terminology - but I occasionally do practice yoga for flexibility and balance and I ALWAYS feel it in my abs the next day.
So there you go.
You could always try TVA exercises:
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Flat-Abs-Doing-TVA -Exercises
I haven't been doing these long enough to really tell if they work, can anyone vouch for them?
