Can anyone tell me some good exercises for my stomach? I seriously look like I'm about 10 months pregnant with twins...... Okay.. Maybe I just look about 9 months pregnant. But Seriously, my stomach is my big problem area & something I really want to work on.
I have a DVD player at home & I have hip hop abs but I'm still a little too fat and out of shape for it.
If anyone knows any stomach exercises that I can do without a video (Because I work night shifts & have lots of free time at night but no access to a DVD player) that would be great!!
There are a lot of fabulous ab exercises but doing them will not reduce your stomach size. I am not saying don't do them 'cause having a strong core is great for you but it is not possible to spot reduce - you need to reduce your body fat levels overall.
Unfortunately some of us carry our weight more in our stomach (I am SO with you) & it seems to be the last place to go.
Pilates is great for core work. Even if you can't see defined abs because of excess weight or loose skin, you can really tell when your abs are strong!
I have a great exercise that can be as easy or a difficult as you want to make it and you can do it just about anywhere. All you need is a book (or something with some weight, start light) and a counter or desk that stands about waist high (kitchen counters work great).Then all you do is:
1) Stand with you back to the counter holding the book in front of you with both hands. (don't lean on the counter)
2) Turning at the waist set the book on the counter to your right.
3) Continue turning just at the waist pick the book back up and turn the other way set it on the counter to you left.
4) Repeat.
The trick is to maintain good posture (back strait, chest up). Keep your abs tight the the whole time (focus flexing at your bellybutton not top of your abs). Take your time, don't throw you body from side to side, Go Slow.
You can do this sitting on the floor as well. Then you can work your way to your videos or into more advanced versions of this exercise.
Have fun, at first I hated it but now I love to workout.
Z~
I like using Ab Boot camp. I can't think of what the guy's name is - Billy something. Anyway, its pretty good with alot of different exercises. Sometimes instead of doing the whole DVD I will just pick a few to do while I am watching TV. I can't really see the muscles building, but I can definately feel them.
Yeah, what others have said. You just cannot spot reduce fat (unfortunately). I carry most of my weight in my tummy, too, and I so wish you could. Bleah.
But you can still build a strong core. Crunches, leg lifts, planks, even pushups ... all good core building activities.
I also agree that Pilates is awesome for building tummy/ab muscles. I can always feel it across my middle after a good Pilates class!
When I was thinner, but still had belly fat, I did crunches everyday--about 100-150. Not much, but as the belly fat came off, my core looked great. Too bad it wasn't a life changing experience for me Now I'm back to square one, but we all gotta start somewhere, right?
Body Beach Abs ripper 200 and BodyBeach P90 Ab Ripper X are great. When I 1st started I couldn't do most. Now I can do most but not as many reps and the ones I still can't do I tweek a bit to where I can do them.
Belly fat SUCKS. lol. I carry my weight in my lower body, so I have a huge butt, huge tummy that is now hanging thank you very much genes, and big legs.
You want to get your tummy muscles strong, which I am starting to work on. The thing is if you do carry your fat mostly in your tummy or midsection area, it will come off at some point I hear. I like the idea of hula videos...that sounds like a lot of fun.
As for exercises you can do, do a search on Google and you'll find more information about specific exercises. I was looking into this myself and the one thing I read over and over again is to avoid just doing the usual sit ups. There are exercises that have you lay on your back so your back is nice and straight, then you bend your knees and lift your legs/knees up toward your chest and while you do this you can put your hands behind your head and crunch toward your knees. You hold this position and then you want to move your pelvis/knees to the left and right, but you don't want to move your entire body and the whole point is control and slow movements. Then you center and relax back and do it again and again. You can also just bring your knees up and crunch then hold. The control is in those lower ab muscles and the key is not to pull yourself up with your hands and etc.
I have a DVD that I use that has the same move and I do feel it in my lower abs and etc. Exercises like that are great, you can do them anywhere, and they are quiet so if you are concerned about noise then you're all set.
Crazy as it may sound, walking for 5 hours a week dramatically reduces my tummy size. I believe it may have something to do with the internal fat around the organs or it may simply be because the exercise is fat-burning.
The October 2008 issue of Prevention had an article about how to get rid of belly fat - Walking!
They also had some cool exercises designed, I think, for people who are already size 2 and trying to get down to a 0. I could not do one of them.
But they did talk about using interval training with walking, to get your metabolism up, and I think that is likely to help. I have a hard time with abdominal exercises, because many use leg movements, and that stresses my knees, but we do some abdominal exercises like clams in water aerobics, and I can feel abs when I try the exercises.
I think I'm going to alter my routine and add walking in there. I wish I had a treadmill, but oh well lol. I totally don't go walking enough, 5 hours a week sounds good to me.
I do a lot of stomach and core exercises - I can feel that I have stronger muscles there, and can even see them sometimes, but there is still a fat layer covering most of them up... I walk almost every day on my elliptical and have seen a decrease in the fat, I'm hoping weight training will get rid of the rest.
I've had 7 children and look like I've had 7 children and almost ready to give birth to number 8---which I am not. The youngest is 7 years old. Anyway, I used to run, lift weights, etc. before I started having children but I have been just a blob for at least 15 years.
I am going somewhere with this. If you have not been doing basic exercises for awhile, get ahold of The Core Program: 15 Minutes a Day That Can Change Your Life by Peggy Brill. It's very likely your library as all of them in my area did. Read the review at amazon and you'll understand why I recommend it. The stomach exercises are great and everything works together to strengthen your core. All of my aches and pains are gone and I do believe this and "The Thin Commandments" have totally changed my life.
Some good stomach exercises??
Now I'm back to square one, but we all gotta start somewhere, right?
