I need to tone up my stomach and chest!

py2006

Hi all,

I have recently lost a bit of weight but I am not happy with my stomach and chest area! I am a 30 year old man and I am a bit self conscious! I am not skinny nor am I fat! I just need to tone up!

Can anybody recommend exercises I can do (without joining a gym) to tone up the stomach and chest area! I don't want to look like Arnie or anything just loose the whole fleshy look!

I know you can do sit ups but I want to know how to do them properly as I believe if done wrong you can harm your back/neck etc

I'd also like to work on my arms but I have bought dumbells for that!

Thanks in advance!

Remmy

alot of neck pain problems with sit-ups are related to people pulling up with their hands on their neck.Just place them across your chest instead.You could try crunches also where just the upper shoulders are being raised off the ground.You also try the 'plank' as well which is held like a pushup but the forearms are used to support yourself.

Adam

The plank? Can you describe this a bit better?

challengemaster

Its where you're lying front downwards, supporting yourself on the outer forearms and on the tips of your toes. It's similar to a lowered push-up position, if you imagine bringing your arms in almost underneath you.. a sort of 90degrees to your body, make two fists and point your hands/arms so your thumbs are facing upwards...having both fists about 1 fist length from eachother.. Keep your back straight and keep the arse tucked in, basically like a plank. Tense, but trick to it is focusing on the breating

Should be demonstrations on youtube. Sorry if my explaination sucks

Probably should be held for 30 secs or 1min at a time

Adam

challengemaster wrote: »

Its where you're lying front downwards, supporting yourself on the outer forearms and on the tips of your toes. It's similar to a lowered push-up position, if you imagine bringing your arms in almost underneath you.. a sort of 90degrees to your body, make two fists and point your hands/arms so your thumbs are facing upwards...having both fists about 1 fist length from eachother.. Keep your back straight and keep the arse tucked in, basically like a plank. Tense, but trick to it is focusing on the breating

Should be demonstrations on youtube. Sorry if my explaination sucks

Probably should be held for 30 secs or 1min at a time

Oh I see, if I'd known it was a hold position it would have made sense! I was wondering where one could possibly go from that position!

Adam

Incidentally, would there be any reason not to combine this with push-ups? Just cranked out a few in the following order

Push-ups: 1-2-3
Hold: 3 count
repeat.

I can feel a similar burn from holding in that position, while working the arms and relaxing the stomach to a degree in between. And as you progress you could bump the push-ups and count to 4, 5 and so on. I'd say building this up to fifty push-ups with a five count hold after every five would be a decent all round work out for the OP's (and my) needs.

mack1

py2006 wrote: »

Hi all,

I have recently lost a bit of weight but I am not happy with my stomach and chest area! I am a 30 year old man and I am a bit self conscious! I am not skinny nor am I fat! I just need to tone up!

Can anybody recommend exercises I can do (without joining a gym) to tone up the stomach and chest area! I don't want to look like Arnie or anything just loose the whole fleshy look!

I know you can do sit ups but I want to know how to do them properly as I believe if done wrong you can harm your back/neck etc

I'd also like to work on my arms but I have bought dumbells for that!

Thanks in advance!

Sit-up won't do much for you anyway, to get rid of the "whole fleshy look" you have to eat right and get exercise (any exercise will do, you cannot spot reduce fat).
Post up a typical day's eating.

mack1

Mirror wrote: »

I'd say building this up to fifty push-ups with a five count hold after every five would be a decent all round work out for the OP's (and my) needs.

I don't know what your needs are, if it is high stamina pec and tricep muscles then this may well help, but it will not make the muscles much bigger or stronger, once you can do more than about 15 reps then you are better off to add weight (try changing the angle of your push ups by raising your feet) to increase size.

py2006

mack1 wrote: »

Sit-up won't do much for you anyway, to get rid of the "whole fleshy look" you have to eat right and get exercise (any exercise will do, you cannot spot reduce fat).
Post up a typical day's eating.

Well my diet isn't great to be honest but I have been trying to improve it lately!

I started eating a breakfeast in the morning which I wasn't doing for ages. So a cereal for breakie and some sort of sandwich for lunch and a typical dinner at dinner time! I have cut down alot on eating between meals and don't eat as much biscuits/cakes/chocolate etc that I used to!

I go through phases of walking. I do a good bit for a few weeks then I stop for a few weeks! I enjoy walking so I am trying to get into it again. But I would really like to tone up my stomach and chest and arms too!

py2006

Remmy wrote: »

alot of neck pain problems with sit-ups are related to people pulling up with their hands on their neck.Just place them across your chest instead.You could try crunches also where just the upper shoulders are being raised off the ground.You also try the 'plank' as well which is held like a pushup but the forearms are used to support yourself.

I must try that, does it work ok for you?

aye

mack1 wrote: »

Sit-up won't do much for you anyway, to get rid of the "whole fleshy look" you have to eat right and get exercise (any exercise will do, you cannot spot reduce fat).

agreed.
as your doing bodyweight exercises OP, your best bet to hit them with a high intensity and mix them with anaerobic exercises like sprinting, and tuck jumps.

you can do push ups, squats, lunges, step ups on a chair, tuck jumps, sprints, jogging, skipping.

the plank is good for working the deep abdominal muscles that pull your stomach in.

when push ups get easier you can do the clap push ups, where you push yourself explosively off the floor so that you can do a clap with your hands, and then land with them and striaght into another push up.

if you bought a chin up bar you could work your back.


a good push up routine is
do 1 - rest
do 2 - rest
do 3 - rest
do 4 - rest
etc until you reach 10. by the time you reach 10 you will have done 55 push ups.
the rest periods should only be very short at the start.

aye

py2006 wrote: »

Well my diet isn't great to be honest but I have been trying to improve it lately!

I started eating a breakfeast in the morning which I wasn't doing for ages. So a cereal for breakie and some sort of sandwich for lunch and a typical dinner at dinner time! I have cut down alot on eating between meals and don't eat as much biscuits/cakes/chocolate etc that I used to!

I go through phases of walking. I do a good bit for a few weeks then I stop for a few weeks! I enjoy walking so I am trying to get into it again. But I would really like to tone up my stomach and chest and arms too!

the word tone, means low bodyfat and lean muscle.
and you cant spot reduce fat as mack1 said.

you need to eat between meals!!! the idea is to eat 6 times days, 3 main meals and 3 snacks.
first off, always have breakfast, you havent eaten for 8 hours while you slept your body needs food, otherwise it will store fat.

the point of eating 6 times a day is to keep your metabolism high, and avoid the body storing fat by entering "starvation mode".
however your snacks should consist of decent foods and have some protein and carbs in them. ryvita and tuna, bananas, yogurts etc.

post a diet of what you actually consume.
and read the sticky on diet.

mack1

py2006 wrote: »

Well my diet isn't great to be honest but I have been trying to improve it lately!

I started eating a breakfeast in the morning which I wasn't doing for ages. So a cereal for breakie and some sort of sandwich for lunch and a typical dinner at dinner time! I have cut down alot on eating between meals and don't eat as much biscuits/cakes/chocolate etc that I used to!

I go through phases of walking. I do a good bit for a few weeks then I stop for a few weeks! I enjoy walking so I am trying to get into it again. But I would really like to tone up my stomach and chest and arms too!

You will need to improve this if you want to lose the flabby bits.
Good that you are now eating breakfast - it really is very important, in fact, it should be your biggest meal of the day. But what cereal are you eating for breakfast? Most are crap and full of sugar, porridge is great. You should also get some protein in for breakfast too - eggs are good.

Eating between meals is also good but NOT cakes and chocolate, you should have a snack between each of the meals you listed, stuff like canned tuna, cottage cheese, nuts, salads, chicken breast etc etc is all good.

As I said above, sit-ups are gonna do bugger all for your belly, only way to lose a fat is burn more energy than you consume, so eat right and exercise, as aye said above, there are lots you can do without a gym.

py2006

mack1 wrote: »

You will need to improve this if you want to lose the flabby bits.
Good that you are now eating breakfast - it really is very important, in fact, it should be your biggest meal of the day. But what cereal are you eating for breakfast? Most are crap and full of sugar, porridge is great. You should also get some protein in for breakfast too - eggs are good.

Eating between meals is also good but NOT cakes and chocolate, you should have a snack between each of the meals you listed, stuff like canned tuna, cottage cheese, nuts, salads, chicken breast etc etc is all good.

As I said above, sit-ups are gonna do bugger all for your belly, only way to lose a fat is burn more energy than you consume, so eat right and exercise, as aye said above, there are lots you can do without a gym.

Ah right ok, I was always led to believe that eating between meals is bad for you! But then again I am not all that active physically but I guess if I as doing regular exercise I would need and have the apetite for it of course!

py2006

aye wrote: »

the word tone, means low bodyfat and lean muscle.
and you cant spot reduce fat as mack1 said.

you need to eat between meals!!! the idea is to eat 6 times days, 3 main meals and 3 snacks.
first off, always have breakfast, you havent eaten for 8 hours while you slept your body needs food, otherwise it will store fat.

the point of eating 6 times a day is to keep your metabolism high, and avoid the body storing fat by entering "starvation mode".
however your snacks should consist of decent foods and have some protein and carbs in them. ryvita and tuna, bananas, yogurts etc.

post a diet of what you actually consume.
and read the sticky on diet.

God 6 times a day seems a bit much! Unless of course your somebody who regularly works out?

mack1

py2006 wrote: »

God 6 times a day seems a bit much! Unless of course your somebody who regularly works out?

6 a day but smaller meals.
It is better for you to eat smaller amounts more often than large amounts infrequently, for a range of reasons, but for losing weight it speeds up your metabolism and lets you control portion size a lot easier.

Once you start doing it you will wonder how you ever got by on 3!

Adam

This is funny (and py2006, please tell me to shag off if you feel I'm hijacking your thread! ) because I am doing the exact same thing as py, three square meals and no snacking. I also started eating a breakfast, which is something I haven't done for years, literally, because generally eating that early doesn't agree with me. It still doesn't, but a dirty big breakfast roll just tastes so good

I also tried eating a large breakfast, and a large lunch, such that I wasn't hungry between meals, and wouldn't get home from work at seven in the evening looking for a big dinner either.

So when you say 6 meals a day, what constitutes a meal in these terms?

mack1

Mirror wrote: »

This is funny (and py2006, please tell me to shag off if you feel I'm hijacking your thread! ) because I am doing the exact same thing as py, three square meals and no snacking. I also started eating a breakfast, which is something I haven't done for years, literally, because generally eating that early doesn't agree with me.

Maybe you're actually the same person!

Mirror wrote: »

It still doesn't, but a dirty big breakfast roll just tastes so good

Um....

Mirror wrote: »

I also tried eating a large breakfast, and a large lunch, such that I wasn't hungry between meals, and wouldn't get home from work at seven in the evening looking for a big dinner either.

So when you say 6 meals a day, what constitutes a meal in these terms?

A large breakfast is good, I used to struggle to eat much in the mornings too, but you soon get used to it and I really notice the benefit.
Large doesnt mean a 3 course meal or anything, but a slice of toast is not a breakfast, as I said above, you really need to aim for some protien here, and it is also one of the few meals (before/after exercise being the other) when you are allowed some free carbs, so get your wholegrains in here.

The rest of your day should be 4 or 5 evenly spread, and somewhat evenly sized (ish) meals. A meal can be anything from a can of tuna, to a large salad, or if you're on the go even just a handful of unsalted unroasted nuts if that's all you can get.

aye

py2006 wrote: »

God 6 times a day seems a bit much! Unless of course your somebody who regularly works out?

you probably eat more than 6 times a day if you are snacking alot in all fairness. people have a mindset that they eat 3 square meals day. but with all the unhealthy savory snack in between, it would be wiser to eat 6 smaller sized meals a day.

Mirror wrote: »

This is funny (and py2006, please tell me to shag off if you feel I'm hijacking your thread! ) because I am doing the exact same thing as py, three square meals and no snacking. I also started eating a breakfast, which is something I haven't done for years, literally, because generally eating that early doesn't agree with me. It still doesn't, but a dirty big breakfast roll just tastes so good

I also tried eating a large breakfast, and a large lunch, such that I wasn't hungry between meals, and wouldn't get home from work at seven in the evening looking for a big dinner either.

So when you say 6 meals a day, what constitutes a meal in these terms?

um a breakfast roll isnt really what i meant. common sense should prevail that its not the healthiest even if it does have the word breakfast in it.
porridge, beans on toast, eggs on toast. get some protein in the morning, you need it after not eating for so long.

large breakfast is good, long as its balanced and not a breaskfast roll, lol
large lunch probably weigh you down for the afternoon, make you drowsy etc.

the idea of six smaller meal is to keep the metabolism going, when you stop eating it slows down and the body start to store fat. this process begins around 4 hours after your last meal.

try get some protein and carbs in these meals.
tuna and a baked potato, tuna on ryvita, chicken and some boiled brown rice.

its easier said than done i know


mack1 got there before me. Nuts are a great snack, almonds in particular.


http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/19015

Adam

aye wrote: »

you probably eat more than 6 times a day if you are snacking alot in all fairness. people have a mindset that they eat 3 square meals day. but with all the unhealthy savory snack in between, it would be wiser to eat 6 smaller sized meals a day.



um a breakfast roll isnt really what i meant. common sense should prevail that its not the healthiest even if it does have the word breakfast in it.
porridge, beans on toast, eggs on toast. get some protein in the morning, you need it after not eating for so long.

large breakfast is good, long as its balanced and not a breaskfast roll, lol
large lunch probably weigh you down for the afternoon, make you drowsy etc.

the idea of six smaller meal is to keep the metabolism going, when you stop eating it slows down and the body start to store fat. this process begins around 4 hours after your last meal.

try get some protein and carbs in these meals.
tuna and a baked potato, tuna on ryvita, chicken and some boiled brown rice.

its easier said than done i know


mack1 got there before me. Nuts are a great snack, almonds in particular.


http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/19015

lol, don't worry, I wasn't kidding myself!

Thanks for the advice, I'm taking it on already!

py2006

Yea thanks for the advice guys!

I started eating crunchy nut cornflakes in the mornings! Nice and light! But I can already see/feel the difference.

mfield

Great info there guys, gonna give this a shot myself. I have always wanted to get a good tone.

I don't have much much fat on me and I train 3-4 times a week with GAA team but I really want to get a toned stomach (something I have never had) and chest. Going to gym is far too hard with all the training, so this seems like a viable option!