Question for the exercise gurus

[chperplt]

Here's the deal... I've managed to get about 50lbs of laundry off my washboard stomach so far. I probably have 30 or so to lose.

As I lose more weight, I'm going to have flabby stomach syndrome. What type of exercise (crunches, sit-ups, ect) should I be doing, and how many at a time to help get rid of the flab.

I'm a poor FO again so I can't afford the trainer.

Thanks!!!

 

[FSB99]

it'll take a lot of aerobic activity to shed the inches and flab, as well as continuing a good healthy diet. the thing about abdominal muscles, they don't get the normal exercise and activity most of the other body's muscles do, through everyday activity. even the arms get some exercise doing the 12-ounce curls.. (not really, but you get the picture!) so, yeah, crunches, situps, whichever is less stressful on your back. there's lots of different angles to do, too. standard laying on your back and lifting your shoulderblades off the floor is one.. then hold your legs up in the air, knees bent.. knees bent and down to the right/left, to get the side muscles... on your back, shoulders down, lift your legs up till perpendicular to the floor, etc.. lay on your stomach, spread out like superman flying, lift your right arm/left leg just off the ground, hold it for a few seconds, release, repeat.. then do the other, left arm/right leg.
the point is, the gut muscles/lovehandles, lower back doesn't really get any normal everyday workout from doing everyday things like walking, washing dishes, whatever. so you have to make sure to include them in your workouts.
as far as how many? a lot.. as many as you can do and as often as you can, without hurting yourself.
good luck!

 

[crowbar]

Crunches or situps will help burn fat, but they will build muscle more than burn fat. More running, cycling or other aerobic exercise is what's going to get rid of the flab. If you lose another 30 lbs and still have flab, you need to lose more that 30 lbs of flab.

Also, don't use a scale when you're trying to lose fat, a mirror or the holes in your belt will work better.

Eat right and ride a bike on those country roads for an hour and a half everyday and before long you won't have any flab.
If you're able to ride a real bike instead of an exercise bike you will be able to enjoy burning the fat (a 20 year old heavy steel frame Schwinn Varsity 10 speed works better than a new lightweight bike for burning fat, the workout going up and down those hills will be much greater).

 

[TRLpilot]

sit-ups/crunches will help to tone your stomach muscles but as said before, it builds muscle and doesn't burn a lot of fat.

cycling is one of the best exercises for burning fat because it uses the largest muscle groups - your thighs and butt and those big muscles have to use up more reserves (fat). it's important to build up some endurance and spend at least 45 minutes or more cycling so that your body kicks into real work-out mode, but every little bit will help if you can't spend that much time. another thing is that when you cycle keep your cadence (rpm's) up in the 80-100 per minute range, this gets the lungs and heart working at an aerobic peak. pushing too big of a gear at a slow cadence will just make your knees and thighs hurt and can be damaging. i prefer cycling to jogging because it is low impact on the body, plus you can see a lot more in the same amount of time.

swimming is another good one because it uses so many different muscles but a pool may not be a practical option for many.

 

[Ailerongirl]

What about just plain good old fashioned walking?

 

[skyking1976]

For that matter, how about good old fashioned f@cking? That's aerobic, isn't it? I'm sure there's a way to put those abs to use...

SK

 

[chperplt]

Ailerongirl

I do walk...


skyking1976

I'm in ground school and away from my wife most of the time...

 

[LJDRVR]

Two things are important. First, reducing your bodyfat percntage to where you can see what's underneath. This is doubly difficult because the sub-cutaineous fat around you stomach is the most difficult type of cellulite on you body to burn. Secondly, you'll have to build a little bit of definition on the muscles of your midsection.

To accomplish this, First, modify or tweak your diet somewhat to slightly reduce the caloric intake. Consider eliminating dairy completely, and severly restrict or eliminate any TFA's. Trans Fatty Acids generally come from hydrogenated vegatable oils.
these foods include:

-Crackers
-Chips
-Cookies
-Baked goods
-Low fat cheese
-Chicken nuggets
-Pudding
-Donuts
-Cake
-Salty snacks
-Processed foods
-French fries
-Fish Sticks

Chances are you'fre avoiding these foods already. (Congrats on your weight loss!) Just try to make some further refinements. (Those last few pounds will take much longer and require more hard work than the easy first ones.)

The folks above have all given you good ideas on the target exercise, a trip to Barnes & Nobles should provide you with a wealth of information.

As far as exercise goes, do more. Add interval training. Aileron Girl gave you the best advice. Add a daily walk to whatever it is you do. (The simple solutions are the best)

Best of Luck!

 

[Ailerongirl]

Ailerongirl

I do walk...

No, no...it came out wrong.

I wasn't asking if *you* walk, but rather (to the excercise guru;s that we have on the board), if walking would be just as beneficial as riding.

 

[Wankel7]

To accomplish this, First, modify or tweak your diet somewhat to slightly reduce the caloric intake. Consider eliminating dairy completely, and severly restrict or eliminate any TFA's. Trans Fatty Acids generally come from hydrogenated vegatable oils.
these foods include:

-Crackers
-Chips
-Cookies
-Baked goods
-Low fat cheese
-Chicken nuggets
-Pudding
-Donuts
-Cake
-Salty snacks
-Processed foods
-French fries
-Fish Sticks

Man, don't forget the stuff that you would not think about that has that trash in it. Such as Gatoraid blue ice drink, most chewy candies (skitles and airheads), peanut butter, ANYTHING that tastes buttery and is cheap, margine, papa johns garlic butter stuff, and anything that is cheap and tastes good. That is a good rule of thumb.

Wankel

 

[Big Duke Six]

Eggs are good, so is turkey breast. Have to remember to stay away from bread. Even olives are not good if you're trying to lose weight.

SK had a great idea for aerobics. Another is finding any way possible to get attractive, middle-aged non-revs on your airplane. Tell them where your hotel is and they will "thank you". You will lose weight.

 

[BoilerUP]

I don't trust Adkins...It seems it works very well for those who use it for just a few weeks at a time, but I've heard horror stories about people's health deteriorating after doing it for months at a time.

Best activities I've found are running and swimming. Biking is good as well, but running tends to excercise most of your body and it will help work your abdominal muscles into better shape. If you can run, RUN. It doesn't have to be fast, but start out with a mile or two and extend that out. I used to not be able to run one mile, now I'm running the Indy Mini-Marathon in three weeks. It takes hard work and discipline, but becomes easy and enjoyable after a while.

Something the Adkins/South Beach people neglect to say is CARBOHYDRATES provide the fuel your muscles need when doing lots of aerobic activity. Don't overindulge, but don't avoid them, either. Best of luck!

 

[huncowboy]

check this forum out:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/

So far the largest bodybuilding (and all the related stuff) forum I have seen. Lots of funny posts there, and lots of bashing/immature ones especially in the "sex" section. Check that out too at your own risk for a good laugh.

Good luck!

 

[P3tarbaby]

add weight training

It is not just one thing or the other mentioned here that is going to make the difference down the stretch. Your program needs to consist of a healthy diet AND exercise. Lots of good suggestions here but one thing no one has really mentioned is weight training. Aerobic exercise will burn calories but by adding weight training to your routine, you will increase your metabolism in addition to burning calories and you will add tone to your muscles so they look that much better when that flab does come off. With the stomach, doing tons of ab exercises isn't necessarily going to burn the fat around your middle...there is no such thing as spot burning, but they will build and tone the muscles underneath which will burn calories and give you that six pack when the fat on top of it burns off. So do weight training and aerobic training (weights before aerobics) and vary up your routine so that your muscles aren't doing the same thing everytime you work out. Hope this helps.

 

[Crizz]

but I've heard horror stories about people's health deteriorating after doing it for months at a time.

Just curious what you have heard of?

 

[Wankel7]

stretch....

If you do decide to go running make sure you do a warm up (5 minute walk) and a cool down afterwards (5 minute walk). And then AFTER the workout make sure that you stretch! If you do not know how to stretch do a little internet searching.

Stretching is very important to prevent injuries. And since running is very hard on the body you do not want nor need an injury. After I get done running I spend at least 10 minutes stretching.

 

[daddysquared]

First off, much admiration for the work you have done so far! Shedding 50 lbs. is quite a feat in and of itself.

There has been a lot of good advice here. Please allow me to chip in a bit.

Weight lifting

You have to do this to burn the lbs. As mentioned earlier, increasing muscle will speed up your metabolism which will in turn burn more of what you don't want. All those ab excersises are included here, but don't forget the basics, i.e., bench press, squats, leg raises, curls, leg curls, etc. etc. Work the big muscles first (pecs, quads etc.) followed by the smaller muscles (Biceps, Triceps, Calves etc.) If possible, do three days a week, Day one, Push excersises like bench press, incline press, overhead dumbell press etc, Day 2 Pull excersises like seated rows, lat pull downs, curls, shoulder shrugs, etc and Day 3 legs, squats, leg raises, lunges etc.

Running

I have found basic jogging to be too hard on the joints, all the joints, from the obvious (knees, ankles, back, etc.) to the not so obvious (shoulders, even your jaw.) I prefer running up stairs (much less impact and much more difficult) while walking down.

Swimming

If you have access to a pool, this is the best overall cardio-vascular workout you can get.

Diet

Becuase of the workout your muscles are getting, get plenty of protein in your diet (Chicken, Salmon, Tuna, Lean Beef, pork loin, egg whites (i like to mix 4 eggs minus 3 yolks for my scrambled eggs) 2% milk). Try to get .8 grams of protein for every pound of your target weight. Don't cut out dairy! Dairy products contain Casein, which helps to burn fat (unless you are lactose intolerant, in which case you should avoid casein like the plague). Lowfat yogurt is great. Eating 1/2 a cup of lowfat cottage cheese at night just before going to bed helps deter atrophied (sp?) and causes the body to burn off fat instead of muscle while you sleep. With all the protein in your diet, drink plenty of water. Shoot for 1/2 a gallon a day. Lots of fruits and vegatbles. Asparagus, Tomatoes, Spinach, Boc Choy, and brocolli are fantastic.

Sorry for the length. Just trying to help. This regimen works for me. I'm 34, 6'0" weigh 180 lbs, I have a resting heart rate anywhere from 45 to 50 beats per minute and somewhere between 7% and 9% body fat. Oh, and I'm very happy with the results. I can bench press nearly twice my weight. And the wife loves the guns.

 

[falcon20driver]

Weight lifting

You have to do this to burn the lbs. As mentioned earlier, increasing muscle will speed up your metabolism which will in turn burn more of what you don't want. All those ab excersises are included here, but don't forget the basics, i.e., bench press, squats, leg raises, curls, leg curls, etc. etc. Work the big muscles first (pecs, quads etc.) followed by the smaller muscles (Biceps, Triceps, Calves etc.) If possible, do three days a week, Day one, Push excersises like bench press, incline press, overhead dumbell press etc, Day 2 Pull excersises like seated rows, lat pull downs, curls, shoulder shrugs, etc and Day 3 legs, squats, leg raises, lunges etc.

Nice post, but saying you have to lift is going a little to far, lifting will increase your metabolism and increase your muscle mass which will again cause your metabolism to increase and you will burn more fat. But you can lose fat with areobic exercise alone, just don't over do it on the areobics or you will burn a lot of muscle tissue instead of the fat you want to burn. When I was in boot camp it was clearly evident that I lost lots of muscle tissue, the were not letting us eat enough and the amount of aerobic exercise they put you through in Marine Corps boot camp will make anyone lose every bit of fat you ever had.