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Thread: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

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    God/dess colleen's Avatar
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    Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    My goal is to reduce my overall amount of body fat, and specifically to tone up my abs and waist. I want to work out 6 days a week, but it will probably be more like 4.

    This is what I have planned:

    5 minutes warm up
    10 minutes abs/waist exercises (crunch, twists, etc)
    20 minutes overall toning (ballet, belly dance, pilates, as the mood strikes me)
    30 minutes cardio (bike, ski machine, stair running, aerobic dance, walking when weather gets nice, again as the mood strikes me)

    I know running is better than walking, but I tore up my knees years ago, and the pain from running is not worth the benefits to me.

    Do you think this will be effective? How can I make it better?

    --And--

    What are your best ab exercises?

    All advise appreciated, of course!


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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    YOur plan sounds great!
    I do crunches on one of those easy benches at the gym.
    25 with my legs up, 25 to the left, 25 to the right, then 25 with legs down.
    I do this three times, but not in a row.
    I also love the little padded stand they have. It comes up to my knees only, and I just lean forward while propped on it. I also do this one while standing left and right. It burns big time! I noticed a difference in a few weeks, but I go regularly and really get my heart rate up just on the machines.
    My knees are ruined as well, so I just walk fast around the block, throwing in an occasional jog. Walking/jogging is important for your body to produce calcium.
    I use Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM every day. It has helped a great deal with my joint pain.
    Good luck!!

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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    i love the 7 minute abs program.. it's 8 different exercises for 30 seconds and then repeat the cycle.. it *kills* you at first and youre so freaking sore, but its worth it!

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    Banned Eric Stoner's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    Weighted crunches or ab exercises are best. Don't overwork your obliques- it can thicken your waist. A number of female bodybuilders, figure & fitness contestants follow the Frank Zane approach and don't work their obliques at all. They just do abs.
    I use the ab cradle- 2 sets of 200; then crunches with a 25 lb. weight behind my head (CAREFUL !- use proper form to avoid neck strain and start a LOT lighter- 10 lbs ? ) 3 sets of 50 and then the ab machine where you put your elbows on the pad & barely touch the handles- too many people make the mistake of PULLING with their hands taking all the strain off their abs & defeating the whole purpose. I do 3 sets of 10-12 at about 110 lbs. Obviously you should start a lot lighter & build up. If they are not sore the next day; you didn't work hard enough. I only do abs twice a week. Used to do them every day ; then every other day; now 2 x per week does the trick. Good luck !

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    Veteran Member christian211's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    ^^^ oooh, I didn't know overworking obliques would thicken the waist. I'm cutting most of that shit out then

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    God/dess GoldCoastGirl's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    I'm finding hula-hooping (aka hooping) is doing wonders for my abs and that part of my body! Plus it makes me co-oridinated as well.

    www.hoopgirl.com


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    Veteran Member christian211's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    ^^^ Thanks, I'm gonna try it! I love anything that doesn't actually resemble excercise too much What diff have you noticed, if I may ask? Sorry, not thread jacking, I don't think?

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    God/dess colleen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    Not thread jacking at all, CHristian 2121. I would like to know the ans=er to that, too.


    I did buy the Goddess workout on Vanessa's recommendation, and I like it very much.
    Last edited by colleen; 02-08-2007 at 10:38 PM. Reason: add info


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    When you perform... you are out of yourself--larger and more potent, more beautiful. You are for minutes heroic. This is power. This is glory on earth. And it is yours, nightly.

    --Agnes De Mille

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    Banned Eric Stoner's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    Christian211- Overworking the obliques CAN thicken the waistline. The obliques are MUSCLE, just like your abs. Working them CAN make them bigger. To get a "six-pack" ( and I'd love to get MINE back ) you have to A. burn fat and B. make the ab muscles bigger. So for abs I really want to work them and thus do the workout I outlined above. I don't IGNORE my obliques But I don't go crazy. A set of alternating crunches or I stand in front of a heavy bag and just twist and punch- left, right, left , right at a brisk pace for a couple of minutes. Rest and repeat. And I'm not really punching the bag, just making contact.

    If you're tall & skinny working your obliques probably won't thicken your waist to a noticeable or disproportionate degree. If you're mid-sized ; short and/or have a thicker build, it certainly might.

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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    Can anyone suggest some ab work outs that DONT strain the neck at all? I have chronic pain in my neck that makes crunching unbearable. But Ive had a kid and need to tighted my abs...

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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    Can anyone suggest some ab work outs that DONT strain the neck at all?
    I just did further up in the thread - HulaHooping!

    As for what results... my co-ordination is getting good and well I have only just started personally so i won't see results instantly (it is something more to do long term or well I plan to do).... plus it is fun ! It gets me outside.


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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    Oh that's right---its summer where you are. We have below-zero temps and 12 inches of snow!

    Hmm...I wonder if snow-shoeing is good exercise!


    My MySpace Page:


    When you perform... you are out of yourself--larger and more potent, more beautiful. You are for minutes heroic. This is power. This is glory on earth. And it is yours, nightly.

    --Agnes De Mille

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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    You can do HulaHooping (aka Hooping) indoors. Just find a carpet-ed area as generally it is bad for the hoop to keep dropping down (aka smacking) onto the floor if it is a hard and/or concrete type floor.


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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    Juliet- Use the ab-cradle to avoid neck strain. Keep your head back on the pad and elbows on the pads. Use your abs to pull your shoulders off the floor. OR use the seated ab machine- keep your head back and remember NOT to pull on the handles. Keep your elbows flush on the pads and use your abs to push against them.

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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    If you're getting neck pain, you are doing crunches wrong. Neck strain means you are either pulling on your neck with your arms to do the crunch or that you are pulling your chin to your chest. Lay flat on the floor...then put your hands to the sides of your head (not under). Then, when you do your crunch, you should be looking at the same spot on the ceiling you were looking at when you were laying down.

    Colleen, I love using the stability ball for abdominal workouts. With the 65 ball, I lay on it with my upper back and do crunches that way (it's hard because you are not supposed to drop your hips...they have to stay straight as a board). Then for lower abs, I push backwards so my hands are on the floor and my hips are on the ball and then do leg raises...the ball makes it a little unstable so you build more muscle (and balance) by keeping the ball steady.

    For great lower back exercises (because you never work one muscle group without hitting it's complementary muscle group ), you start out on the stability ball, knees on the ball, hands on the floor (in push-up position) and then slowly bend your knees into your chest rolling on the ball. As you get more advanced, you roll the ball towards you, but you press your hips/butt into the air (jack knife style). I've also done back workouts with 2 balls. One under my hips, hands on floor (push up style) and one ball between my feet/ankles. You lower your feet to the floor and then slowly raise your feet to be level with your body and hold for 3 seconds and then slowly lower.

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    Default Re: Is this workout going to work for me?/name your best abs exercises

    Venus is right. NEVER put your hands behind your head and never rest chin to chest. Either cross your arms or lightly touch your ears with your hands.

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