toning your stomach

B1977

whats the best way to tone your stomach region in a gym,ie what machines or weights etc should you be using

BossArky

Drop overall bodyfat if necessary by incorporating some cardio into your routine. When you are down to single digits bodyfat and have done a few months of compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, standing presses, and a few leg raises you may then see your stomach start to resemble a coin holding apparatus.

smuckers

Diet, Ab curl crunches, Boxercise (which kicks ass you feel it afterwards) swimming.

The bridge which is a killer.

jj1310

Look up the spot reduction myth on the net. Basically drop body fat. You probably have an eight pac ( not six pack, you have eight rectus abdominis {abs} not six) already its just under fat lining. Do sit up to half way and see can you feel a defined shape on ab muscles under the skin/fat. If you can congrats you already have the six/eight pack, its just you can't see it because of your body fat level.

DILLIGAF

if one wasn't too keen on dropping overall body fat would something like a slender tone help? I've been told that they don't do **** all!

rubadub

DILLIGAF wrote: »

if one wasn't too keen on dropping overall body fat would something like a slender tone help? I've been told that they don't do **** all!

You heard right! Dont waste your money

davyjose

DILLIGAF wrote: »

if one wasn't too keen on dropping overall body fat

.... one wouldn't get visible abs

Caychadh

I too am very keen to tone up my stomach and didn't want to start a new topic when there's still an active one here. I'm 5ft 4 and 118 pounds so I'm not interested in losing overall body fat, just generally tone up. Is there anywhere on the net that documents any exercises in detail? (phrases like squats, dead-lifts, standing presses etc mean nothing to me!)
Do sit ups and press-ups help? And does diet play a factor? I eat a fair bit of white bread and pasta. Exercise I do at the moment is walking and cycling.
Any advice would be appreciated.

padi89

Caychadh wrote: »

I'm not interested in losing overall body fat, just generally tone up.

Is that not a contradiction?

celestial

padi89 wrote: »

Is that not a contradiction?

Oh...there's that phrase 'tone up' again...it's just not gonna ever go away is it?!:rolleyes:

When people say tone up they generally mean add muscle, even though they don't realise that. It's almost always women who use it, which pretty much shows it's likely a phrase invented by women's magazines to avoid scaring women that they are going to look like muscle-bound freaks. It's not a contradiction as such, as you may not need to lose fat, but may want to build a small amount of muscle to look more 'defined'.

To do this you can use weights or bodyweight exercises. Push-ups, bench pressing, rows, pull-ups, pull downs for upper body, squats, deadlifts, lunges for back and lower body.

www.exrx.net has all you need to set you on your way!

Caychadh

Sorry, I don't really know all the proper fitness terms.

celestial

Caychadh wrote: »

Sorry, I don't really know all the proper fitness terms.

No not referring to you specifically, just generally speaking;) Ask away if you have any more questions on anything, by the way.

WHIP IT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izDf0MCR2DU

Personally find the above 'AB Circuit' good for working the abdominals.

It's not quite as boring as just doing several sets of crunches or sit-ups.

Caychadh

I did 20 sit ups the other night and now feel like I've broken ribs. Ouch; my poor pathetic stomach 'muscles' are confused and perplexed. It's good though, I feel as if I've actually done something. Hopefully if I exercise doing a bit more at a time and do those crunchie things (instead of eating those crunchie things) I'll be like a female version of that youtube guy in no time! :rolleyes:

Diamondmaker

Is the hanging, weighted leg raise.

Hang out of the captains chari. Hook a dumbell between your feet (try 10-20kg) and lift in controlled sets bringing yor knees and thigh to a horiz position.

It is also a whole body routine as all your AB uscles, thighs Arms and shoulders are used. It is truly a killer to wrap up a gym session with 3/4 sets of these!

bman

Diamondmaker wrote: »

Hang out of the captains chari.

What's a captains chari?

BossArky

You can also do the hanging leg raises whilst hanging from a pull up bar.

The captains chair is exactly the same, except instead of hanging from a bar you are supporting yourself on the arms of the chair. Unfortunately, this chair has no seat.

Diamondmaker

bman wrote: »

What's a captains chari?

http://z.about.com/d/sportsmedicine/1/0/f/5/captinschair1.JPG

with Dumb bell hooked between feet. I did them with a 22.5 a while ago, been some time since I have been to the gym regular though.

At the time I could take a serious punch to the stomach, so Im pretty confident in this particular excercise leading to HARD abs, a 6P is a different story....down to low BF.

eclectichoney

another rec for the captain's chair! though i can only manage it without addded weights