ShapeFit.com

[kcb]

Well I think its fat, its just a spongy bit in my lower belly. This is my ab exercise that I do once a week:

Fingers to heel oblique touches 3 sets, each set to failure.
Overhead abdominal crunches 3 sets, each to failure.
Reverse abdominal crunches 3 sets, each to positive failure.

Is this enough to burn the fat? I dont have the time/equipment for cardio, I think my diet sucks aswell (getting about 1000-1500 calories a day), I'm classed as 'underweight' in BMI terms even though Im 5ft 6in and weigh 132lbs.

Is this ab exercise plan good enough?
Does my intake of calories need to increase?
Is cardio really necessary to get those abs I am desperate for?

Any help would be great .
KC

[Dalton85]

diet can cardio can burn fat off quickly
but you cant burn fat in a specific area. - "spot reduction" is NOT possible.

[swanso5]

replace your ab workout which is not good and do this

bulagarian split squats x 10 each leg
push ups x 10
theraband rows x 10
prone ab brace x 30secs

the time it takes to do your ab workout is how long you'll repeat this sequence for...keep the time the same but add up tour total reps of all 4 exercises and do more each time you do it

for food have 2 x fruit and solid protein meals than 3 - 4 x solid protein, veg and salad meals....don't count cal's

[kcb]

Ok thanks for the help.

[CAndersonCSCS]

[kcb]

I think im going to lessen my ab exercises (i.e reps) and do cardio instead and watch my diet more carefully.

[swanso5]

don't do more cardio, do more wts / resistance training / sprinting / jumping

[kcb]

Ok thanks swanso

[Dixon]

If you want to burn fat then you must remember a few things (or rather learn them)

Doing traditionaly "ab work" crunches etc... Doesn't burn enough fat to count towards anything. Yea you are burning some fat when you do crunches. But you also burn fat picking up the tv remote. But your not going to burn a enough fat through crunches to actual see a difference.

Cardio will burn fat. But most people have way to high of an opinion of cardio. "If I just ran on the treadmill more I would be super ripped, run 4.3 40s and have 40+ inch vertical" actual cardio is just not that great a deal.

Sprints and strength training (that's right weights etc..) will burn fat. They won't turn you into a bodybuilder (if you don't want to become one) but they will allow you to actual carry a little muscle. Take a look at your average marathon runner. They are doing a lot of jogging and they really don't have all that great of a physique. But a lot of people think that if they trained like a marathon runner they would have a great body.

Diets not so much about how many calories you eat (it is a little bit but not as much as some people think) but rather the important thing with your diet is what you eat.

[kcb]

Hmm ok, I've been doing weights for 5 months now (no change to stomach fat) and I've recently been doing some cardio. Heres what my weekly plan is:

Mon = Wts + 15mins HIIT
Tues= Wts + 15mins HIIT
Wed= Wts + 15mins HIIT
Thurs= Plank exercises + HIIT
Fri= Off
Sat= Off
Sun= Off

Is this any good?
Its not possible for me to work out on weekends as thats when I go spend the weekend with my dad.

[swanso5]

post your wt training days...as long as you do something active with old man that should be fine...could be something you could do together

[Christopheel]

Swanso when you say prone ab brace is the best core exercises I'M not really sure about it, Today I've tried it instead of my usual Stomach Vaccum and that's just way to "easy" compare to SV ... Maybe I've done it wrong but I tinhk Stomach Vaccum> Prone ab brace

[swanso5]

stomach vaccums don't really so anything...they can hold your stomach in a little but they won't strengthen your core area...

i never said it was the best (although it just about is) but it is the best beginner core exercise out there...if you can't do 2mins of this with perfect technique (straight line from head to toe, elbows in front of shoulders, hands apart with thumbs up to the roof, forearms straight out in front, no tilting, no hip hiking and squeezing shoulder blades together with depression) then there is no other core exercise you should be doing

there's endless variations to increase difficulty too

[HOUSTON TEXAN]

[swanso5]

try doing this:

30secs x 2pt brace on left arm and right leg
30secs on right arm and left leg
30secs x 2pt brace on left arm and right leg
30secs on right arm and left leg

keeping in mind all the things i posted above