ShapeFit.com

roca250 · Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 4

So I lost 40 pounds and for the past 2 months I've been doing lots and I mean lots of ab exrecises, yet no six pack. My obliques show up nicely but that's it. Everywhere I read know one mentions anything about excess skin after losing weight and I think that is my problem. I'm 5'11", 165lbs, 39yrs. Whatever I have left in my belly and my love handles is a result of skin having been over stretched due to being overweight, or at least that's what I think. There is no way I can drop more pounds. Any doctor I visit, website I visit says 165 is my ideal weight. SO, is there any way to correct this excess skin without surgery?
PS- My mistake I think was I lost the 40lbs in just a month and a half. Yes I know this was a terrible idea, but it's too late to go back and fix it.

SarahPT · Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 575 Location: Western Maine

The ab exercises aren't going to give you good abs necessarily. I know that sounds wrong, but seeing those abs is a result of losing the fat. If you just lost this weight recedntly (I believe you did?) give your skin some time and it may start to look more normal.

swanso5 · Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:48 pm Post subject:

you've lost a lot of muscle so build that up first than worry about abs

roca250 · Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 4

Thanks for the reply guys. Since I was concerned about the abs in my question I didn't go into much detail. Actually I lost the weight over 8 months ago and have been doing weights and all but until recently have been more focused on my abs because I've taken my shoulders, biceps, triceps, back and chest to a very defined and grown shape and don't want more than that.
As I mentioned before my obliques are pretty defined now, but that's about it. All my other muscles have grown too, in fact I could probably say I should have about 10 new lbs of muscle. Do I need more? Since losing the wight I've been able to keep it off, but it seems I should at least lose another 10 lbs in order to see them?

swanso5 · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:05 am Post subject:

i've never heard say they don't want to be more defined???

use compound exercises only and as many standing one's as you can and do them heavy for sets of 6

maybe cut out any unneeded simple carbs only having at breakfast and post training meals

roca250 · Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 4

Thanks again swanso5. I will try adding more weights to my ab exercices which btw were all taken from this site, and I do them ALL 2x a week. As far as a training meal plan I don't have one, I'm just eating healthier, sticking to recommended daily caloric intake and burning off any excess during the weekends.
Thanks again

swanso5 · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:24 pm Post subject:

- no, you missed the point there...ab exercises don't build abs, heavy compound exercises do (squats, deadlifts, shoulder presses, lunges etc)
- you shouldn't be putting on excess to burn off if you're doing it right and weekend of activity won't do that anyway

racer501 · Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 24

swanso i dont really understand how sqwats, lunges, deadlifts, and shoulder presses are supposed to work your abs so greatly it just doesnt really click in my head they just dont seem to work the abs that much when i do them ... i was curious as to how those exercises help your abs get so defined....

HOUSTON TEXAN · Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 715

They are the best indirect ab exercises, they are not meant to be your only ab work.

Look up the serratus crunch.

Just read this.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=576447

swanso5 · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:50 pm Post subject:

let's put it this way...

lift a wt up above your head as in a shoulder press...now imagine if your mid section was made out of paper...yes you'd simply collapse...you obviusly need the core to kick in when your doing these types of exercises or you simply wouldn't be able to do them...you won't 'feel" them working but they are, 100 times more than they do with crunches

racer501 · Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 24

never thought of it that way i guess... it actually does make alot of sense on how it works every core muscle

L_Dub · Joined: 26 Apr 2008 Posts: 14

First off, congrats on losing all that weight!

Now here's the reality check. To get a six pack, you need to have low amounts of BF. For men, it's in the single digits.

So, just b/c you did lose all that weight, it doesn't necessarily mean you've reduced your body fat low enough to get a six-pack.

Also, try yoga to tighten up your loose stomach skin. Yoga in general has lots of health benefits, and can definitely help with loose skin. Here are a few yoga exercises to tighten up loose ab skin

Good luck.