Thread: how do I firm up my abs?

I assume that you mean "tone up", meaning lose the fat on your abs, if so no amount of exercise will do this, there is no such thing as "spot reduction". You need to work on proper diet & nutrition to lean up.

Any fat or water in that area is going to cover it up yep.

I've been on a healthy diet now and my size 34 pants fit me loose now . My stomach still pops out, so any suggestions on how many reps and sets of sit ups i should try ?

Originally posted by five8
I've been on a healthy diet now and my size 34 pants fit me loose now . My stomach still pops out, so any suggestions on how many reps and sets of sit ups i should try ?

guess you did not read my fitst post...you can do sit-ups until you're blue in the face, but it will NOT get rid of the fat on your abs, that is a myth.

Originally posted by Prince
guess you did not read my fitst post

lol.. how can you have patience with that prince? i commend you.. yup, no such thing at spot reducing.. gotta get cardio and have a good diet if you want abs

I know that spot reduction is a myth, but thanks anyway. So would just doing cruches actually make my abs rock hard, even with a layer of fat on them?

yes, doing crunches will strengthen your abs or make them "rock hard". But you still wont be able to see them if there is a layer of fat over them.

Try some cardio

What does your diet look like. Abs are made in the kitchen

If you only focus on your upper abs with crunches, you won't have a well developed midsection.

There are several distinct areas...upper abs, lower abs, obliques, lower back and deep abdominal muscles that all need to be worked to have a strong core...working just one part of them is like working your shoulders by only doing front raises. It doesn't promote proper development.

Originally posted by five8
I've been on a healthy diet now and my size 34 pants fit me loose now . My stomach still pops out, so any suggestions on how many reps and sets of sit ups i should try ?

Are you male or female?

If female, have you had any children?

I am male, so no I haven't had any kids. Will doing lower ab exercises like leg raises firm up the lower area? I would assume so, but I just don't know. I have done alot of reading and I have gotten plenty of contradictory reports. I am really CONFUSED!

What are you confused about? Ab exercises should be varied so you hit every angle. However, as Prince said, all the sit ups in the world wont give you that lean look you want. You need to loose the layer of FAT that is OVER your abs. This can only been done through a good diet and cardio plan.

what does ur diet look like dawg?that could be the main problem

Originally posted by ponyboy
There are several distinct areas...upper abs, lower abs...

not really, the Rectus Abdominis is actually only ONE muscle.

btw, here is an Abs article that I wrote awhile back:
http://www.ironmagazine.com/article42.html

Originally posted by Prince
not really, the Rectus Abdominis is actually only ONE muscle.

Yeah, yeah...get all technical on me, why don't you...

even if it's one big muscle... can you still make other parts of that muscle look bigger or more defined by doing only exercises that target that area of the muscle? cause i never really work my obliques... i just don't like the way it feels... i do lower back raises, leg raises, decline sit ups, ab rollers, etc. will this affect the growth of my obliques?

Originally posted by Skib
even if it's one big muscle... can you still make other parts of that muscle look bigger or more defined by doing only exercises that target that area of the muscle?

doesn't that imply that you can "shape" a muscle?

Originally posted by Skib
even if it's one big muscle... can you still make other parts of that muscle look bigger or more defined by doing only exercises that target that area of the muscle? cause i never really work my obliques... i just don't like the way it feels... i do lower back raises, leg raises, decline sit ups, ab rollers, etc. will this affect the growth of my obliques?

The recuts abdominus, like prince stated, is one muscle. You can't make one part look bigger than the other. That would be like saying you can make the part of your bicep which is closer to your elbow larger than the part wich is closer to your shoulder. The upper part of the rectus abdominus (the top 4 out of the "sox pack") is more superficial (ie they are closer to the top of the skin). While the lower protion is less superficial, which explains why it takes longer to see those "lower abs", and is ussually covered with subcataneus fat, especially in men.

so then why would anybody ever work their obliques if they're just going to be worked in other exercises anyways... obliques are a part of the rectus abdominus, right?

if you want bigger, better and more visible abs, you gotta hit all parts of the abs to stimulate decent growth?

i split my training up into...
mon - top abs/obliques
wed- bottom abs
fri - top abs/obliques

in the top abs and obliques session i do 1 set of oblique exercises for every 2 sets of top ab exercises

if the abs are 1 muscle, am i better off doing...?
mon - top and bottom abs
wed - obliques
fri - top and bottom abs

i really dunno, maybe i should just do a 2 diff abs exercises each session, anyone got a killer abs routine??

would be appriciated

i think i have a pretty decent set of abs and i don't do any 'ab' exercises. i can see them, feel them and they're 'toned' to my liking. i used to do abs on back and arm day but my abs seemed to be growing and sticking out farther so i stopped. i think they get enough of a workout from my other workouts. however, i think i should at least 'train' them for stability purposes and such. what would someone recommend for strengthening abs as opposed to 'working' them out to make them toned and bigger?

also, mamck688 have you tried to contract your abs and just feel them? cus, more than likely if you're already working every body part, your abs are getting worked and there'll be some definition you won't see until you diet away the layer of fat. i haven't done a crunch in almost a year but when i started dieting right a couple of months ago they've been coming out nicely as the fat is going away. could always feel them, just never see them.