Flat abs? (I'm a girl) page 2

[Ripped]

lose fat by eating less

[little vase]

Don't do targeted ab work. All it does is build the stomach muscles, thereby making you look bigger and wider. The flab on top of the muscles will still be there no matter how many crunches you do.

Always suck in and tighten your gut when lifting and exercising. And yes...deadlifts. You have to lift heavy weight, and lose the fat by eating right.

[zoebird]

Posture itself, also makes a difference. I had a postural training the other day (from a physio), and when he adjusted how I stand and walk (and generally use my body, it compltely changed how my belly looked. I was in a class with a couple of other folks, and the toher lady in there was a hard-core personal trainer. Very fit (also very tight, obvs no mobility work!), but had a belly. Until he put her into the right stance, and then she didn't.

Also, most women have a rounded lower belly -- this is because our muscles there are shaped slightly different than a mans, and we have a larger organ pretty much right underneath it (uterus). So, that's kinda cool.

The excess fat that I'd always had on my "pooch" came off with good diet/primal. The sticky-out-ness of it improved more when I learned to stand properly.

So, yeah.

[Annieh]

Zoe that is very interesting.

[little vase]

Read this:
Body Composition: That ‘Last Five Pounds’, and How to Deal With ‘Problem Areas’ | Go Kaleo

She's not primal/paleo, but she has a lot of smart things to say. (Wow, that sounded like I was saying that only primal/paleo ppl can say smart things, I wasn't!!) I noticed that you have 3 lbs until your goal weight, so I think the things in this article would be very helpful. Let me know what you think!

That was a really good read! The whole site is very inspiring. Added to my daily list!

[zoebird]

Zoe that is very interesting.

My guy is doing a training at my place probably next weekend (17 Feb) -- PM me if you are interested. It's a full day of work. I don't know the cost yet. BUt, I tell you, it's priceless.

I have zero pain when I stand right. ANd lots of it when I stand "normally." HUGE differences in A LOT of ways.

[yodiewan]

My guy is doing a training at my place probably next weekend (17 Feb) -- PM me if you are interested. It's a full day of work. I don't know the cost yet. BUt, I tell you, it's priceless.

I have zero pain when I stand right. ANd lots of it when I stand "normally." HUGE differences in A LOT of ways.

That's awesome. Is it similar to Esther Gokhale's style that Mark posted about?: How to Improve Your Posture | Mark's Daily Apple

[zoebird]

yodiewan,

I would say yes and no. Yes in that the blog post talks about one of the first elements that we do -- the pelvis. But we are also looking at a lot of other processes besides about shifting weight, how to move in the thoracic lumbar junction, the thoracic spine, etc. how the lats and glutes work together, etc.

It may be exactly the same thing, though.

[lyn c nito]

How badly do you want flat abs? I am older than you, 5'4, 110 at my heaviest and sported abflab for years, despite dedicated Atkins eating and working out several times a day. I thought it was having children, aging and genetics until...I tried Robb Wolfe's 30 day Paleo challenge in its most restricted form - basically I ate nonplant protein and vegetables and drank tea or water. Almost immediately, I felt better and lost my belly. When I added foods back in, I learned that some "allowed" foods made me pudge right back up (and caused the sinus problems that I thought were seasonal allergies).

At the same time, I changed my workouts. I got serious with weights (I recommend DeFranco's Westside for Skinny Bastards or Wendler's 5/3/1.) Ignore anyone who tells you that you will bulk up like a man. You will find your abs get a great workout, lose flab and build good muscle. I also now limit cardio to a few tabada or hiit sessions (10 to 20 minutes) and do 2 long walks a week. Try it and see if it helps.

[Smartass99]

IMHO, this is pretty sound advice here... Everyone has their own anecdotes that got them to where they are. I don't really buy the whole "working your abs will make your ab muscles stick out too far" gig. Sure there are exercises that will definitely add some girth, but those are typically externally weighted exercises. Even in a person that wants to maintain a slim profiles (powerlifters usually actually want a wider base), I believe externally weighted ab exercises have their merit.

The consensus seems to be on the board that diet is the key to the whole "seeing your abs" thing. While I wholeheartedly that the only way to see the sexy stomach typically envisioned is through loss of fat (i.e. mostly through dieting), I also believe that your muscle condition has a lot to do with it. Let's say that you unveil the wall (or sheets... whatever) of fat. If there isn't strong muscle base, than there really won't be anything to show off. Sure, it'll be flat. But will it be that definition and "6-pack" you're looking for? I think the answer is yes only if you incorporate both diet and some decent work on your abdomen. Lots of studies and anecdotal evidence have shown that people (stereotypically guys) that want to have that ripped and super musular look in the summer use a combination of diet, some cardio for fat loss (be it HIIT, steady state, etc.), lower repetition (3-5 reps) and a proportional amount (read high) of weight to give your muscles a good amount of intramuscular tension. It's not a circus trick, its just using the weight training to create tension in your muscles to make them stand out prominently. This also implies that the emphasis of your abs, while always can be good, will not always be "great".

WS for Skinny Bastards and 5/3/1 are both excellent programs.

How badly do you want flat abs? I am older than you, 5'4, 110 at my heaviest and sported abflab for years, despite dedicated Atkins eating and working out several times a day. I thought it was having children, aging and genetics until...I tried Robb Wolfe's 30 day Paleo challenge in its most restricted form - basically I ate nonplant protein and vegetables and drank tea or water. Almost immediately, I felt better and lost my belly. When I added foods back in, I learned that some "allowed" foods made me pudge right back up (and caused the sinus problems that I thought were seasonal allergies).

At the same time, I changed my workouts. I got serious with weights (I recommend DeFranco's Westside for Skinny Bastards or Wendler's 5/3/1.) Ignore anyone who tells you that you will bulk up like a man. You will find your abs get a great workout, lose flab and build good muscle. I also now limit cardio to a few tabada or hiit sessions (10 to 20 minutes) and do 2 long walks a week. Try it and see if it helps.