Community » Get Advice » Exercise and Fitness » Want flatter abs

Post: Post a New Reply  |  Start a New Topic in this Category
Want flatter abs : Community Message Boards
 AuthorTitle / Message Body
mizsassy mizsassy
Thu, Feb 25, 2010 06:02
 Unrated
Want flatter abs
Can anyone tell some exercises that I can do to help flatten my lower abs? I do crunches 3 times a week, 100 regular crunches and 100 reverses crunches each day. My upper abs are getting flatter, but I can't seem to get rid of the pooch in the lower abs. I eat a lower carb, high protein diet and workout 5 days a week. My back is not the greatest, but I'm willing to try anything. Help please!

lelogosdemoi lelogosdemoi
Charlotte NC
Thu, Feb 25, 2010 15:02
 Rating: 5.0/5.0
cardio and diet
No ab exercises will get you a flat stomach. The only way is to lose the fat on top of your abs. Once you lose the fat you may decide you want to do more focused core work to get greater definition in your abs, but everyone has flat abs, it's the fat on top of them that's the problem.

Unfortunantly for us all, you can't target just your stomach for fat loss - you have to lose it from all over your body and for some people belly fat is the last to go, encouraging I know. The best thing you can do to get a flatter lower stomach is increase the amount of cardio you're doing, and decrease the total amount of calories you're eating. By creating a calorie deficit, you WILL lose weight, and if you are working out to continue building muscle, what you lose will be fat. Be patient though, this is not a quick process.

bayoumuscle bayoumuscle
Mon, Mar 1, 2010 16:03
 Unrated
CHAKA CHAKA
Mon, Mar 8, 2010 23:03
 Unrated
somewhat agree
Altough I do agree that cardio will help you define your abs you have to remember that good abs are made in the kitchen and not the gym. you dont have to decrease the ammount of calories you eat, you have to balance your caloric intake to create an efficient metabolic state for burning fat.
Diet tracker kicks ass for creating a balance. 1 gram of carbs per lb of body weight to burn fat along with 1.5 grams of protein per lb of body weight to maintain muscle. That is per day.
Everything doesnt work for everybody. good luck.

vyskol vyskol
Fri, Mar 12, 2010 16:03
 Unrated
crunches make you good at doing crunches
And contribute to back injury. That's it. They don't magically target your abs for fat loss, and they don't contribute significantly to a stronger core - Try planks and bridges for that. (Front) squats are also great.

superu superu
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 16:03
 Unrated
confused
i thought i heard somewhere that lean muscle burns fat. so if your building lean muscle in your abs arent you burning fat as well?

lelogosdemoi lelogosdemoi
Charlotte NC
Fri, Mar 19, 2010 09:03
 Rating: 5.0/5.0
@ Superu
"Lean muscle burns fat" - this is a short-hand statement for something true but more complicated
Your body composition determines your metabolic rate - how many calories you burn just to stay alive. Muscle contributes more to metabolic rate than fat does, i.e. muscle tissue consumes more calories (energy) than fat tissue does. The muscle isn't actually burning the fat, it's just using more calories, which means that if you're consuming a caloric deficit (taking in less than you burn) your body will metabolize (burn) some of the fat to make up the difference (if all is well in your body - if you are at a huge calorie deficit or not sleeping enough or something is right your metabolism could slow to a crawl or your body might metabolize muscle first vs fat...fat goes first under normal, healthy conditions).

You have no control over where your body metabolizes (burns) the fat from - that's genetically determined. It may come off evenly from your whole body - or it may come off from one place first. Generally it will come off the same way it came on - if you gain fat evenly across your body it'll come off evenly, if you gain in your face first, it'll come off there first, if you gain in your hips first, it'll come off there first. Where you are building the muscle has no bearing on where the fat will come off.

That's a long answer, but I hope it helps.

lelogosdemoi lelogosdemoi
Charlotte NC
Fri, Mar 19, 2010 10:03
 Rating: 5.0/5.0
Cardio clarification
I'd like to clarify my earlier comment re doing more cardio to get a lean midsection....what I mean by cardio is exercise that gets your heart rate (and metabolism) up....not necessarily using cardio machines. Could be polymetric work, intervals, jumping jacks, hill climbers, sprints, etc...in face those activities usually will boost your metabolism more, and over a longer period of time, than just plugging it out at a steady state on a cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical, etc).

And I absolute agree w/ CHAKA re the importance of diet in losing fat.

Topic Rating: 
  • Delicious

Follow Us

Explore FitClick
Browse this section for quick links to our calorie counter and other popular diet and fitness features. From diet plans to weight loss programs, FitClick has the content you need to lead a healthy life. Find workout routines, a calorie calculator and more at your source for diet and fitness information.
We have updated our Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018. We have done this in preparation for the EU's new data privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Please take the time to review our updated documentation by clicking on the Privacy Policy link at the bottom of this page. By continuing to use this service on or after May 25, 2018, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy.