The FastDay Forum

Planks are great for your entire core - stomach, back, everything in that central core. Do side planks too, and work your way up to 2 min each.

Any stomach exercise is going to strengthen those muscles underneath, but won't actually get rid of the fat on top of the muscle.

Tbh, I like a bit of a round, curvy belly, I think it looks nicer than a washboard stomach on a woman. So I'm aiming for strong core underneath, but not totally flat.

Planks are great for your entire core - stomach, back, everything in that central core. Do side planks too, and work your way up to 2 min each.

Any stomach exercise is going to strengthen those muscles underneath, but won't actually get rid of the fat on top of the muscle.

Tbh, I like a bit of a round, curvy belly, I think it looks nicer than a washboard stomach on a woman. So I'm aiming for strong core underneath, but not totally flat.

Good thought about that. .. Washboard abs are probably less sexy than a bit of a curve there so I guess it's just the extent of the curve I personally need to reduce. Maybe. I can look 2 mths pregnant not 3 lol

I'll. practise planking this coming weekend

I think there are a few things to consider here: yes you can 'spot tone' in the sense that you can focus on strengthening and firming specific muscle groups, but that's a separate issue to getting rid of the fat. And many exercises that are supposed to help don't do an awful lot.

But the good news is that there's lots you can do that will help. Please bear with me if I get a bit anatomical here!

With the abs, there are 3 groups of muscle - the straight down the middle muscle (rectus abdominis) which goes from the breastbone to the pubic bone - that's the one with the striations or 'washboard' you see on someone with very little fat in this area.

Then the obliques are the ones that run diagonally on either side - their job is to help the straight muscle and they are also involved in twisting or turning. The third muscle is the transversus which sits underneath the obliques and acts as a sort of girdle. It's not involved in any movement but it's crucial to posture (pulling the tummy in). It works particularly in conjunction with the back muscles, which is why it's important to hold it firm when making movements that could put undue pressure on the back, such as lifting heavy weights.

When you understand about the 3 types of abs muscle, you realise that not all abdominal toning exercises are the same. The kind of 'plank' exercises that strengthen the transversus and work on core stability do serve a purpose, but they don't work the rectus abdominis or the obliques as effectively as, say, crunches, where there is up-down and diagonal movement (eg opposite elbow to opposite knee).

Another common issue is people not pulling in their abs adequately when performing crunches or curls, so as they curl their body up the abs are being pushed outwards. (NB: tightening your abs doesn't mean holding your breath, as I'm always telling my husband in the gym!) You can't tell this from looking, as if you have fat there (which most people have) then that will bulge up - it has nowhere else to go. But if you give your belly a poke while in the crunch position then with a bit of luck what you should feel beneath whatever flab you might have is something firm and flat underneath it. If instead you feel a hard, domed muscle, as they say 'you're not doing it right'. A good exercise teacher would always explain this.

As regards the fat that accumulates on the tummy, it varies from person to person - you might find it's the first or the last place that your body holds onto fat. You can't spot-tone the fat away (that's the role of the 5:2) but you CAN tone the muscle that's there, so that when the fat is burned off your firm, toned midriff will be revealed in all its glory! (Although you would probably need a very low body fat percentage and you'd need to train like an athlete if you seriously wanted washboards!)

Another thing to consider is that a completely flat tummy all the time would mean holding the transversus taut all the time - which may not be comfortable or feasible - the tummy muscles are deliberately flexible to allow the abdomen to expand for example after a big meal, or in pregnancy. Holding your tummy in can also inhibit proper breathing in that it can impede the movement of the diaphragm. (I used to wonder why I always ran out of breath when singing, and then realised I had become so obsessed with holding my tummy muscles in I just wasn't allowing my lungs to expand and fill properly!)

Sorry for the long post, hope it's interesting. I used to teach exercise classes for a living, back in the day.

Well I don't have a waist and the area where it's supposed to be don't shrink very much, nor does the hip area, or the tummy it self. But thighs, boobs, chin and cheeks are less that they used to be. It is simply frustrating.....

That massage sound like the one I learned when my oldest was a baby to get rid of tummy aches and for that it worked

Thanks lizzieh. Quite the contrary I love the detail, what you don't get in the airy fairy fitness magazines that gave brief articles to fill content between slimming diet supplement ads and ads for gym gear.

I do remember one article in a good magazine that explained abdominal muscles well. ill have to find it in my pile of old health mags I stored away

Crunches, planks (and side planks, when you're resting on one elbow and forearm, facing front) and leg lifts. In the days when I did have a flat stomach I would do 5 to 10 mins of these 3 - 4 times a week. The correct technique with back supported and core muscles involved is important though otherwise you can strain your back. For crunches the movement itself can be quite small, as long as it's your stomach muscles that are working.

100 crunches every day (20 up with hands to ears, 20 up and to the side, 20 up and to other side, 20 up with hands to ears and 20 up with hands crossed in front) should do it.

Think I'm going to take my own advice ... time to lose this middle-aged muffin top permanently!

[carieoates]

@lizzieh
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated and digested. I took a before pic of my belly button as I was fed up of it being a slit rather that an indentation which it was 18yrs ago.
I will add the before and after pic early November.

@lizzieh

Could you suggest any tummy or back exercises for someone with a prolapsed disk in her neck that had the misfortune to squish inward and crush the spinal cord.
Planks and crunches just put way too much pressure on the neck region. (i am waiting for surgery).
I can 'feel' the muscles complaining about the lack of exercise.

edit. I used to do 120 crunches every day and had lovely firm muscles all the way around under the layers of fat.

Here in France women get sent to a physio after having a baby and the transverse abdominal exercise is a big part of the exercises. Personally my stomach went pretty flat from those sessions but then I'm pear shaped anyway, in any case I'd say there a good exercise to do.

The plank is also good, you can get a lot of variations on it to make it easier/harder.

Try googling yoga/pilates stomach exercises, you should find some good toning exercises.

Here in France women get sent to a physio after having a baby and the transverse abdominal exercise is a big part of the exercises. Personally my stomach went pretty flat from those sessions but then I'm pear shaped anyway, in any case I'd say there a good exercise to do.

The plank is also good, you can get a lot of variations on it to make it easier/harder.

Try googling yoga/pilates stomach exercises, you should find some good toning exercises.

Wow. What specific treatments does the physio give to the lady and for how long. Is this nation - wide. Govt sponsored? Free? Nothing like that in Australia as far as i know. No medical care after giving birth.

Yes you get ten abdominal sessions for free through the health service and more if you need them, after you've done ten sessions of pelvic floor exercises! I did a lot of different exercises, i'll have a look tomorrow and see if I can find the papers, but it was basically lots of very tiny movements, different breathing things, back exercises as you need to tone all the way round to get a flat stomach, and transverse abdominal exercises.

Wow. Impressive.

Such proactive health care is completely unheard of here and i guess in the US too. you would do it at your own expense or worse, not at all

That is impressive. Never even heard of such a thing here in the US.

I have been doing the stomach massage mentioned in this thread at night before sleeping and when I wake up. It gives me something to do in bed when I can't fall asleep or when I awake groggy and not quite ready to get out of bed. My stomach feels flatter and I have been "going" twice a day instead of every other day which can't be a bad thing. I have tended toward constipation all my life and it has been compounded by both this WOE and low carbing.

Could you suggest any tummy or back exercises for someone with a prolapsed disk in her neck that had the misfortune to squish inward and crush the spinal cord.
Planks and crunches just put way too much pressure on the neck region. (i am waiting for surgery).
I can 'feel' the muscles complaining about the lack of exercise.

edit. I used to do 120 crunches every day and had lovely firm muscles all the way around under the layers of fat.

Hi @julieathome - ouch, that must be really nasty. I'm not medically qualified so this is at your own risk. You could try taking the neck out of the equation by keeping the head/neck supported and move the lower body instead. For example have you tried reverse curls - lying on back with knees bent and head/neck supported on a cushion/pillow, bring knees into chest and contract abs so that knees come towards you a little and hips try to lift off floor - there won't be much movement but the contracting will work the rectus abdominis at least - do what reps you can of that. Another possibility might be same starting position, bring knees into chest and slowly lower from side to side as you contract the abs - requires strong core to begin with. If too tough do it with feet on floor. Good luck, let me know if that helps - as I say, please check first with a doc if these exercises are new to you and you're not confident.

Yes you get ten abdominal sessions for free through the health service and more if you need them, after you've done ten sessions of pelvic floor exercises! I did a lot of different exercises, i'll have a look tomorrow and see if I can find the papers, but it was basically lots of very tiny movements, different breathing things, back exercises as you need to tone all the way round to get a flat stomach, and transverse abdominal exercises.

this health care had me fascinated and i googled it.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_France

it seems and i quote

The French health care system is one of universal health care largely financed by government national health insurance. In its 2000 assessment of world health care systems, the World Health Organization found that France provided the "close to best overall health care" in the world.[1] In 2005, France spent 11.2% of GDP on health care, or US$3,926 per capita, a figure much higher than the average spent by countries in Europe but less than in the US. Approximately 77% of health expenditures are covered by government funded agencies.

Jean de Kervasdoué, a health economist, believes that French medicine is of great quality and is "the only credible alternative to the Americanization of world medicine." According to Kervasdoué, France's surgeons, clinicians, psychiatrists, and its emergency care system (SAMU) are an example for the world.



I guess the US and Australia can learn from such a system. Not sure how it goes in the UK but i believe if you have a disabled child, many Australians emigrate to the UK for better health care.