Toning

Zillah

Hi. I'm 20, about 11 stone 6'4 and in pretty good shape. I've been working out for years, but only at home on my own time(read: not very regularily). I don't do weights or anything, just push ups and sit ups. The thing is I've heard from several different people the "right" way to do sit ups and how any other form will cause permanent damage.

I'm aware that 11 stone is very little for 6'4, I have virtually no body fat, but I'm what I'd like to called defined. I'm still working on it. I don't want to put on muscle mass, just continue to tone and define, so I was wondering if anyone has some advice, particularily on sit ups.

silverside

go swimming or circuits or something. sit ups and push ups on their own won't give you balanced muscles. at the very minimum do some back raises, twisting situps, dips, etc. go to a class/gym get someone to show you proper technique. you can't describe it over the internet properly.

Stark

The thing is I've heard from several different people the "right" way to do sit ups and how any other form will cause permanent damage.

Avoid lifting yourself the whole way up, only a few inches off the ground. Focus all effort on the stomach muscles, your back should have to do no work. An abdominal crunch focuses on the top half of your abs and you just sit with your legs bent, hands by your ears (behind your head can strain your neck) and lift your torso up a few inches at a time. Do leg raises for the lower abs. Either lift your legs a few inches off the ground, keeping them straight and holding. Or have your legs bent towards your chest and kick out each leg in alternation, in bicycle fashion. For the side abs, sit with legs bent, hands by your ears, touch each knee with the opposite elbow in alternating fashion. You can combine this one with the bicycle one, by lifting your leg to meet your elbow.

Oh and ps: I think overly defined six packs look vile but that's my personal opinion

pwd

That combined bicycle crunch Stark describes is the most effective exercise you can do for your abs without weights.

Sangre

How the hell are you 6'4' and 11 stone? You must be an absolute stick.

Leeder

The basics ::

Situp to tone your upper abdominals.

Legups to tone your lower abs.

Most people just do the situps and then wonder why their stomach isn't goin in, yet they have an impressive 2 pack...

But yes as everyone else already said that these excercises are to be done with a few others.

Zillah

Stark wrote:

Do leg raises for the lower abs. Either lift your legs a few inches off the ground, keeping them straight and holding.

Is this with my back flat against the ground?

Stark wrote:

Oh and ps: I think overly defined six packs look vile but that's my personal opinion

I concur.

Sangre wrote:

How the hell are you 6'4' and 11 stone? You must be an absolute stick.

I call it slim. My bone structure has always been quite narrow, but in the mirror everything seems to be in proportion

Stark

phlematic wrote:

Is this with my back flat against the ground?

Yes.

BrianD3

IMO you'd be better off upping the resistance and trying to gain some muscle mass instead of spending time doing low resistance exercises with the intention of "toning" (whatever that means)

If you put on muscle mass and maintain your body fat reasonably low then you will look more defined and you'll increase your weight. Your current weight is really too light for your height, I work your BMI out at 18.7 which is right at the bottom of the normal range. I'd say you'd feel and look better if you could put on about a stone of mostly muscle, and it wouldn't be hard to do if you train and eat right. However you probably will have to join a gym or else you'll have to invest in some of your own equipment.

If you don't want to do this I would recommend you add chin ups and hanging knee/leg raises to your routine (assuming you have somewhere you can hang from to do these exercises) You could also add bodyweight squats.

BrianD3

case_sensitive

Hmm, I disagree, I don't know why you guys work out, but I do it mostly for confidence/ego, which is fed by girls attention, and I've yet to find one who found my abs vile.. That said, I'm a fair bit bulkier than phlematic, BMI of about 23.5. I think the problem is with overly defined figures without any muscles, how many girls you know have pin-ups of 10k Olympic runners?

A great one for your lower abs (upper abs well covered by Stark) is the hip flexor (known as captin's chair), done in the gym on the same aparatus that you do tricep dips on, or in the kitchen on the corner of the work surface.
put hands about 50cm up either side of the 'L' shaped corner of your kitchen surface, facing out into the kitchen. Raise up locking elbows, stabilise lower back, and with feet together, raise your knees (see pic).
really works lower abs, but you have to be very careful with your back, as with all ab exercises.
Nearly every book worth it's salt will tell you that you should exercise your lower back in equal proportion to your abs.

About.com have a section on good exercises:
http://exercise.about.com/cs/abs/l/aa100801a.htm

Putting on weight should be a priority I would have thought.

Zillah

I work your BMI out at 18.7

Don't you need my wrist measurements and stuff for that? Anyway, thanks all for the advice/opinions, but I have no intention of bulking up, just staying fit.

D!ve^Bomb!

I work your BMI out at 18.7

That seems quite high considering his height and weight