Need to kill my stomach

[killerasp]

i have belly. not a big belly anymore. it has gotten smaller over the last 6 months or so. are there any excercises that i can do to help develop muscle and burn more fat in that area?

[RWTD]

Various crunches or hanging leg raises will firm your midsection or make it more muscular depending on how much weight used but to lose the fat to make your toned abs visible you need to increase your overall activity level relative to calories consumed to create at least a slight deficit in calories consumed vs. expended. See the inner thighs thread for more discussion on this but you do not spot reduce fat so any fat burning exercise will target the stomach fat that is just where you tend to accumulate it and hang onto it the longest.I suggest to burn the fat you get on a cycle or trainer (or walk,jog,swim,c/c ski etc.)and do more long slow paced aerobics and/or faster paced interval sprints and get your diet under control.

[sebring]

Check out www.menshealth.com they offer a wide variety of different muscle groups that you may not have thought of. They show a lot of ab work outs.Resistance training with aerobic training is a great way to lose the pounds. I do Weight Watchers and weight lift as well as mountain bike and use my trainer in days I can't get out to ride. I usually lose around 5 pounds per 12 days.

[late]

Hi,
your body decides for you where the fat will come from. Ab exercises are great, and they may help your posture, which just might give you a slimmer looking profile.
But....burning fat is pretty simple. The easier you exercise, the greater the percentage is of calories burned from fat. So....you want to take some nice long rides. Slow is better than fast; but the key thing is to get out and ride.
A walk of a half hour to an hour, after dinner, can help.

[sebring]

Variation in work outs is also a good thing. The body will adapt if you do the same thing over and over again. Muscles grow from stimulation. Nice long rides or doing some intervals or a combination of both is a good way to go. Mix it up. Also, try not to eat a late dinner and watch what you have as an evening snack. I work a 12 hour shift, and don't have dinner until after 7pm. I usually hop on the trainer and do like a half hour spin and maybe throw a couple intervals in as well, just to stimulate everything a little. Also, make sure you don't skip meals. Try to have larger meals in the morning instead of at night. You can eat the same amount of food, just make it a large breakfast and smaller dinner.

[WoodyUpstate]

You cannot pick and choose from where you want to lose fat. Your body decides this. You can exercise and tone the muscles in the area, but this alone will not remove fat.

Generally, with weight loss men lose their bellies last and women lose their butts and thighs last.

If calories expended exceed calories consumed, you will lose weight. Exercise and proper nutrition are the magic bullets.

[Pat]

Everyone has their own peculiar shape. Some people can be quite thin and still have a small pot belly. Just like some women have large thighs, or large posteriors or large breasts. It is an individual thing.

Crunches and stuff will tone the abdominals. If you have a fat tummy and do crunches, you will have rock hard abdominals under your fat tummy.

If you lose enough fat, you will eventually lose the last hold out spots, but it might not be worth all the effort. Getting below say 10% for men and about 20% for women is rather tough. The minimum for men is about 5% and the minimum for women is about 10%.

[lovemyswift]

I just got a book called "Stronger Abs and Back" by Dean and Greg Brittenham, published by Human Kinetics. There are 165 exercises to build the "center of power". It's the first source I've found geared toward athletes that has a plan.
The authors focus on having a strong, fit core, not awesome abs.
Most of the excerises are very common. There are suggestions for making them easier or harder. Also, there is a specific order in which to train the muscles.
Once a foundation is built there are excerises for strength and power, if you chose to do those. There are also excerises for trunk stabilization and balance using the fitball.
I haven't had the book long enough to know if the plan works but my abs are certainly getting a workout which is more than they were getting before.

[Machka]

No, sorry.

You can't lose weight in a specific area. You can do abdominal exercises to build up the muscles which is good too, and I'd recommend that for more than just building muscle - it will also make you more comfortable riding the bicycle longer distances.

If you want to continue to lose weight, ride more. It's all about exercise.

[orguasch]

some ladies like men with big belly, so there nothing to despair about,

[lovemyswift]

In the Brittenham's book they make the observation that most athletes develop the muscles needed for their sport and ignore their core. However, since most movement originates or is coupled through the core the primary focus of training should be the abs and low back. Strong abs and back enhances fitness and athletic performance

In my case I focus on strengthening my legs and upper body for skiing and biking. On a recent ski trip I spent the day skiing bumps. They were the perfect size and I could ski them fast and with good rhythm. The next day my abs, especially the obliques, and back were killing me. My legs were fine. I was so sore I could barely ski. Every time I moved it hurt. I was shocked that I was so sore because I already had 7 days in and figured I was had worked through any soreness. This hit home to me how much we use our core and that I need to strengthen it.

I thought training on the fit ball was the answer until I got the Brittenham's book. All of their fitness training is on the floor.

I also have a pot belly and flabby abs. In the gym I don't like wearing tight fitting tops because I don't look toned.

Don't suggest I need to lose weight. I'm only 105lbs.

Also, fat above the waist line is considered unhealthful.

So, my focus for the rest of the winter is training my abs! They are now no.1 priority. Strength training and cardio are second.

[juciluci]

hi, some tough but effective core exercises are outlined here
http://www.sissel-online.com/top_exercises.php

altho it looks funny.. the swiss ball is a wonderful fun exercise that has so many variations.. you don't get tired of it. there are numerous pilates exercises you can do w/without the ball that will help your middle.
i suggest cardio.. twice a day(i know that sounds radical) for a few weeks til it starts to melt off.. then once a day with at least two days of real sprints or intervals.
mixing up the routines keep you working out.. no boredom.
and you will see results in just 6 weeks
don't forget to change you routine every 6 weeks or so too..
your bod will be so happy.:D
jmo... good luck

[lovemyswift]

It's funny but I've done all of those. I have a fit ball, I took Pilates before it became popular. I just had a hard time doing them consistently and they didn't seem that hard. I was probably because I was working my lower abs region more and not the uppers and obliques enough. Following the "Stronger Abs and Back" routine I'm really feeling my upper ab region and obliques.
The book specifies the region the exercise focuses on. This way I am able to pick exercises that hits all 3 regions and work the abs from different angles. You can do lots of exercises with fewer reps. For example, I am doing 3 obliques, 3 upper abs and 3 for the lower. I also do 3 for the back. This seems like a lot but I am only doing 6 reps. and one set. After 4 weeks I will increase the number of reps. After that you either increase sets or reps. every 2 weeks. After 6 months then you go to a maintance plan. As I progress there are suggestions on how to make the exercises harder or I will change them.
Also, positioning of hands and feet make a difference in the difficulty of the exercise. I didn't realize that!
The goal here is fit and strong abs not wash board abs.
BTW, the authors of this book consider the fit ball good for trunk stabilization and balance but they do not include them in the basic fitness plan.
I like this book because it gives me directions for developing a plan and I have a better understanding of how to work the muscles. My weight lifting plan is a periodization plan and I find I am more consistent with my strength training because it is always changing. I may not get rid of my stomach but I at least I won't be so sore after a day of skiing bumps.