Bit of advice on my exercise routine

zoobizoo

Hi

I'm mid 30s - 12 stone and trying to keep fit, lose weight off my belly

My routine is this
Monday, Wed, Friday: I use dumbells and do a fairly full routine (arms, shoulders, chest and legs) - I also do crunches, pilates stomach strengthening exercises and leg lifts etc - it all takes about an hour in total (I do stomach stuff in between weights).

Then on other days I do yoga/stretching and maybe go for an hour walk or an hour of cycling and I also do the stomach exercises.

I eat pretty well and have been cutting back on fats and sugars lately (although I still eat some chocolate) and seem to be about to reach a tipping point where my stomach is reducing and I can see muscle below.

Do I need to do stomach exercises every day or should I split that over two days?

Any other advice would be welcome.

sfag31

Stomach muscles are pretty much like all others.
By that I mean as little as one intensive session a week can suffice if the stomach is hit during your other exercises (it probably is).
No harm in doing more if you fee like it - but every day - phew.

You will only see stomach muscles with very little body fat - 10% bodyfat and less (I'm talking pretty lean) so if seeing them is what you want then diet down some more.

The saying goes - abs are made in the kitchen - not in the gym.

Transform

sfag31 wrote: »

Stomach muscles are pretty much like all others.
By that I mean as little as one intensive session a week can suffice if the stomach is hit during your other exercises (it probably is).
No harm in doing more if you fee like it - but every day - phew.

You will only see stomach muscles with very little body fat - 10% bodyfat and less (I'm talking pretty lean) so if seeing them is what you want then diet down some more.

The saying goes - abs are made in the kitchen - not in the gym.

got to do some intervals and list the exact weights you do and the weight you are lifting?

zoobizoo

I have 5kg dumbells.

Doing 10/12 x 3 times (or as much of that as I can) of all the basics - bicep curls, overhead dumbell press, lateral dumbell raises, one arm dumbell rows, Bent over rows, over head tricep extensions, squats & lunges.

I do the stomach exercises in between reps of the above.

Not sure what you mean by intervals.

cheers.

sfag31

If the stomach is taut whilst pressing or pulling then its gets a bit of a work out.
More so if you are bending forward or twisting.
Deadlifts are supposed to be very effective if you want to add those. Some bodybuilders dont do any specific abs exercises - they just lift.

But otherwise I'd say you have to be hitting the spot.

Heres a test.
Try 15 minutes of solid abs - with many variations - eg crunches, bicicle, up stretches, sit ups, abs taught whilst holding a weight, side bends etc.
Then see if you are sore two days after.
If you are then you probably haven't been going intense enough so do a 15 mins abs session once or twice a week.
After that its all diet.

Transform

if you can use the same weight for one arm rows as you can for a lateral raise then the weight is too light.

just make sure that you are gradually increasing the weights week on week and trying new exercises to keep it fresh

This will explain intervals -

http://thetransformationcatalyst.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/rapid-fat-loss-in-less-time/

Also do all of this for core work -

http://thetransformationcatalyst.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/the-best-abs-routine-and-importance-of-stretching/

ejvilla

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