I have been working out every day for the past month, and before that, walking 3.0 miles (total) to work 4 days a week and going to the gym the additional 2 days.  At the gym, I walk the treadmill for one hour, then go do weights (alternating days for upper and then lower body).  I always do crunchies every day - 100 front and 20 to each side.  I finish up in the steam room.  Now that you know my routine, my question is:  although I have made significant progress on my stomach, there is a portion which I believe is just skin (from pregnancy/C-Section when I was younger) and the weight gain I'm attempting to get rid of now.  Is there ANYTHING I can do to get rid of it, short of a tummy tuck?  Overall, I have lost 15 pounds and about 2 or 3 dress sizes.  Thanks ...

Ellen

Hi reader247, Congratulations on your weight loss! You should be very proud! Your workout regimen looks very good! Incorporating both cardio and strength training into your your week is crucial to the long-term success of any weight loss program. While cardio strengthens your heart, providing wonderful benefits such as lowering blood pressure, total cholesterol, resting heart rate and % body fat, as well as burning a lot of calories, strength training allows you to maintain/increase lean muscle mass! Although we cannot "spot reduce" a certain body part, we can definitely improve the aesthetic look of our bodies through performing a variety of exercises, reducing body fat and increasing % of lean muscle. Crunches are a good tool for strengthening and toning your abdomen, but it isn't necessary to perform 100+ of them to see results. I would encourage you to continue to perform regular crunches, sit-ups, etc. and perform them for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time. Begin to include other ab exercises. The FitBall is a very effective tool to perform core exercises on. There are great DVD's that include exercises on the FitBall, again, focusing on the core (abs/back) such as Gunnar Peterson's Core Training. I would also suggest Yoga and Pilates that also really strengthen, lengthen and tone the core. By utilizing different types of exercises, you should see very positive results. As you continue to lose weight and body fat, you'll become more lean and by performing sit-ups, yoga poses such as the plank, pilates, kickboxing, etc. that incorporate the abs into many of the movements, you'll begin to notice the difference in your stomach. Continue to eat healthy and work hard! Best in fitness, Kelli

 Paul and kelli,

I also, like many women are trying desperately to get a firmer abdomen.  I have been incorporating lots of ab floor exercises with a medicine ball, stability ball , as well as crunches.  This of course in addition to my cardio workout.   My question is, do you need to allow abs a day to recover as you do with upper and lower body?  I know you guys recommend alternating days for strength training and I was wondering what the rule of thumb was for abs?

Thanks,

Stephanie

 Hi Stephanie,

Excellent question!  Yes, like any other muscle in your body, the abdominals need several days rest in between workouts to recover and grow.  If you work them efficiently and hard, there is no need to do consecutive ab workouts.  In fact, it will do more harm than good. If you are working them correctly, you are tearing down the muscle, and the rest period is a critical time for repair. 

When you focus on abs, just be sure to remember that it's quality - not quantity that counts.  Crunches should be done slowly and deliberately, make sure you are sqeezing and contracting with every repetition and pulling from nowhere else except for the abs.  Take your workouts to the point where you really can't complete any more without compromising form - and when that happens, you know it's time to stop. 

Keep up the awesome effort and keep us posted on your progress.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Good Luck,

Paul