There's Always Something to Say About Abs
The point is, working your abs is important. Your abs (as well as your back) need to be strong to support your body in everything you do each day. Just don't go overboard with your ab training and have reasonable expectations of what you'll get out of it - strong abs, but not necessarily that six-pack.
The great thing is, there are ways to work your abs when doing other activities (like yoga and Pilates) and there are also ways to work your abs that don't involve those mind-numbing crunches. I'm a big fan of involving as many muscle groups as possible at the same time (which is more functional, more dynamic and burns more calories) and the resources below offer some ideas for how to do this:
- Yoga for Abs. If you do yoga, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that many poses work your abs. Ann shows you some specific poses that will work your abs while you build flexibility, strength and balance. Not a bad deal, if you ask me.
- Supported Roll Back. Pilates is another activity with a focus on the 'powerhouse' - the pelvic muscles, abs and back. Most Pilates exercises will work your abs and the supported roll back is one of my favorites. Marguerite also offers a Flat Abs Series so you can really get busy.
- The Abdominal Muscles. Before you do another ab exercise, take some time to learn the physiology of your abs. Why? Because knowing what's going on in there is essential for getting the most out of your workouts.
- Dynamic Abs. This workout includes a few exercises that target the abs in a different, often more challenging, way.
- The Deep Muscles of the Abs. In this article, Weight Training Guide Paul Rogers talks about the mysterious Transverse Abdominis, how to use it and why you should care about it when it comes to weight training.
Start Here Before You Stress over your Abs
Comments
Not entirely correct regarding “your body determining where you store fat.” If you are overweight and wear low rise clothing like tight low jeans, your waist will get bigger even if you are working out often. Pilates can tone the abs but unless you have a personal session it’s easy to do improper core training and build the waist –even up on a fit person–just google Winsor Pilates “Afters” and you’ll see how thick waisted eveyone is, including the instructors. Deep tansverse abs work should only be taught one on one or in a small class setting.
If you want a tiny waist and flat abs yes you have to do cardio daily but you also need to do waist twists and oblique work for a sculpting effect. Higher waisted clothing also makes a big difference–when waist lines were higher like 80’s and early 90’s people had smaller mid sections and there was less obesity.
Well I’ll be darned. I had no idea that fat deposition was directly related to the skin/clothing interface. You should write this key scientific discovery as an article in a fashion magazine.
Amanda – That statement is going to need some legitimate support (i.e. research study, etc). It’s fairly doubtful that the location of stored fat in your body has anything to do with your external garments.
Well look at the waistlines of America and even at many younger girls with muffin bodies and tell me what proof you need!!
Americans are all becoming dangerously apple shaped and improper core training is making it worse. I’m not saying the garmet itself causes fat deposits but by having less material holding you in, you are more likely to over eat and let those muscles get slack and lazy.
Even very fit Hollywood celebs have these abs that are built up above the hiplines because of too much core work. The waist squares off which I think neither looks good or is very healthy.
Joesph Pilates wanted his VERY powerful and percise sequence of mat exercises only done twice a week but now
pilates or what people are calling pilates is being over done and practiced daily.
The proof need not be “scientific” because let’s face it, studies in fitness and nutrition contradict themselves everday.
The best method to a flat stomach is lots of daily waist twists, very moderate core training, daily cardio and most importantly three small balanced meals a day with MAYBE one high fiber/protein snack.
The five small meals a day may work for athletic men or women who can afford a personal chef but it’s just made most women’s stomachs bigger and encouraged obesity.
Three small meals was how people ate when waistlines in this country were much, much smaller.
A healthy hip to waist ratio should always be the order of the day.
Interesting observations, Amanda. You may be correct about the disappearing hour-glass figure of earlier decades. Your controversial point that tight clothing could promote fat in specific locations unfortunately got the main attention. I agree with what I think is your main point that (after losing the fat through aerobic training and proper nutrition) effective, intelligent core conditioning (and shaping) can start and then should work back, obliques and deeper muscles of back and abs in a balanced manner, and to a lesser extent the overly-hyped rectus abdominus.
Amanda- according to your logic, everyone should just wear corsette’s and they’ll be just fine… right? The fact is spot training is proven not to work. Your genetic make up determines where your body stores fat. Yes, if you overwork a specific area it can grow to unbalanced proportions, but 80’s clothing trends have no say so. The only way to maintain a fit body is through continous exercise and proper diet short of being blessed by God. If your goal is to lose or gain weight simply determine the calories your body requires (Find your metobolic rate) and either cut or increase the calories by 500 a day until you’ve reached the desired weight.
No! Corsets are just for fun but most clothing until the mid nineties had a mild corset like effect on the waist line and abs and was consequently mostly made in this country and much higher quality and attractive.
My argument isn’t for an hourglass figure either, it’s for keeping a hip to waist ratio that most women regardless of body type should have for health.
reasons.
In the 50’s for instance, Audrey Hepburn, Bardot, Betty Hutton, Marilyn, Lucille Ball, Anita Ekberg and Sophia loren all had very different bodies and frames but they all had healthy waist to hip ratios.
And unfortunately most women today are not happy with a basic diet and exercise programs you mention because they reach their goals and still have problem areas like abs , upper arms and inner thighs. Pilates, when done properly, especially on a reformer, can resculpt ankles, feet,adductors, outer thighs triceps and others areas perfectly that virtually all other methods miss or bulk up.
The problem is too many teachers are training students to make the abs the focus of every single pilates and weight training exercise that the obliques start to build.
Only ONE the basic 27 pilates postures (The Saw) focuses and sculpts the obliques, almost all the others I would not give to clients unless they literally had just a C section or had very weak abs from chronic obesity.
And you are wrong, genetic makeup can be ENTIRELY changed by exercise if you know what you are doing and want to put the effort in.
AND while doing 1000 situps isn’t going to give you a flat stomach if you are overweight, training a muscle 5 to 6 days in a row will sculpt it when combined with cardio. Women are told to rest every other day as male weight lifters do and they end up with bulky thighs and bulging triceps, if they sculpt two to three days in a row and then take one day off they get much better tone.
Finally the transverse abs are the new “muscle du jour” and while it’s crucial in terms of pelvic floor strength in both men and women, if over worked it can create the thick waisted look in a matter of days. With proper breathing, moderate core work and just daily exercise the transverse can get plenty of work as it is!
Photo #14 in my space photos shows a good example of proper core training without getting squared off.
That is most clothing was more attractive with the exception of acid wash jeans and reeboks with scrunched socks!
Boot cut jeans are great, i just think that rises should be a bit higher.
Amanda- Now you’re making stupid arguments. Once again, I never said that genetic make up could not be changed. I said, “Your genetic make up determines where your body stores fat”. Meaning, if you are a man, you will tend to store fat in areas such as the stomach, the back, etc. Women tend to store fat in their hips, thighs, triceps, etc. What genes your parents give you do determine how hard you have to work to stay in shape, though. I garauntee that Brad Pitt doesn’t have to work near as hard to stay in shape as Steven Seagal. It’s obvious you are just trying to promote pilates, so I’ll give it to you. Yes, pilates is a good form of exercise. Happy?
My arguments are no stupid at all, they are actually very sensible: three small meals a day, moderate core training twice a week and a daily cardio sculpting plan plus keeping the waist accentuated instead of spilling out is easy and sound…I can bet you women training to have masculine six packs and squarish hips will go the way of the aerobic dance at some point.
Actually I’m mostly biased AGAINST pilates unless it’s one and one and the teacher REALLY knows her stuff which is VERY rare.
Are you male or female? Are you a trainer?
Because men have been training women’s bodies incorrectly for too many years, especially in Hollywood.
Other than the wood chop exercise, every abs exercise on the above list that Paige posted is for the front of the stomach.
The side plank actually taxes the obliques and is what gives women a tube effect on their obliques when it should pull in like a V. Once again, guys to great with these workouts but women need to not train like men unless they want a squarish look.
I think Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer love Hewitt and Salma Hayek have it over square work out junkies like Aniston, Madonna and Jessica Alba ANYDAY!
I think we can all agree that Yahoo trainers need to have more variety in their advice!
im 30yrs old already 1 son honestly i weight 95kilos before and i have a big tummy my father has a big stomach also im here in france most woman here are flat tummy before i tought i wont get slim but i come to realized it was up to you wish kind of life or decision will you make i guest the enviroment here in france encourage me to exersice so i can wear all the clothes i want now!!!
so amanda if i do pilates twice a week will i get that sort of v shaped torso or is there something else i need to do? btw thanks for saying that u saved my life!email me at moniquemolina2002@yahoo.com please i would love to talk to u
Hey Amanda, I know this is over a year later, but i would love to get advice from you too. I basically have an hourglass figure, but i am starting to look squared off from improper ab work. I used to have such a tiny waist. Please help. Email me at dixie91480@comcast.net Thanks