Ab workouts - feel like I’ve been duped

[Anonymous]

My whole life I have heard that you can’t get good abs if you don’t lose the belly fat, there’s no way to lose just belly fat, so if you don’t lose weight and fat overall, you won’t get abs. It felt like, what’s the point? I am not overweight but I have some mid-body padding. I have been having back problems so I decided to work on my core. As part of that, I do a 10 min ab workout daily. I have not lose any weight.

I can see ab muscles poking through the fat! And not only that, my waist has gotten smaller even without losing weight. It all is a little tighter, and this is after just a couple weeks. Yes, I will never have a flat tummy without losing weight, but this definitely looks better than it did before! Pants fit Better and I am overall happier with my midsection.

So if you think you have to tackle the weight first, you don’t need to!

And now I’m feeling more motivated to lose weight because I know there are good abs underneath. Just wanted to share.

[Anonymous]

What's the ab workout?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the ab workout?

OP here. Just whatever has a lot of views on YouTube. I tried Chloe Ting, which is great but gets boring every day. So I switch between that, Pamela Reif, and a couple others I can’t remember. I don’t know if it matters. In 10 minutes, most videos will hit all ab muscles. Those two don’t aggravate my back.

[Anonymous]

The benefits for the back are huge, keep going, OP!

[Anonymous]

OP, I started strength training in Dec. and decided to focus on building muscle over losing weight. Just by upping my protein and doing a 20 min functional strength training 5 days a week, I've not only gotten stronger, I've lost 3 lbs. I'm following Nourish Move Love's Strong in 20 program. For ab, check out Caroline Girvan. And try with weights! Just make sure you are increasing your daily protein.

[Anonymous]

Core strength is one of the single best things you can do for your overall health. And yes, even without losing weight, having a strong core will make you carry the weight you have differently.

I don't feel like this is a secret? This is a major reason behind the popularity of workouts like barre and pilates which tend not to be that aerobic (and thus don't burn as many calories as other things) but focus on core strength and stability.

[Anonymous]

You're confused. Everyone has abs. You mean strong, visible abs. Of course you won't have visible abs unless you aren't surrounding them with A LOT OF fat. This is completely dependent on how overweight you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're confused. Everyone has abs. You mean strong, visible abs. Of course you won't have visible abs unless you aren't surrounding them with A LOT OF fat. This is completely dependent on how overweight you are.

I think everyone reading this knew what OP meant. Thanks for mansplaning tho

[Anonymous]

I didn't really know this either. Thanks for motivating me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The benefits for the back are huge, keep going, OP!

Doing Pilates three times a week helps also.

[Anonymous]

Totally agree!!! I cannot believe how much we’ve been lied to. Daily core work has completely changed my shape. I’m shocked and thrilled.

[Anonymous]

I don't disbelieve you OP and I think it's a good PSA--core work is v important even if 95% of women will never see visible abs.

But can someone explain to me how core work (without losing weight/fat) could possibly make your waist smaller? Or is it just that OP must have replaced a bit of fat with muscle with her new routine?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't disbelieve you OP and I think it's a good PSA--core work is v important even if 95% of women will never see visible abs.

But can someone explain to me how core work (without losing weight/fat) could possibly make your waist smaller? Or is it just that OP must have replaced a bit of fat with muscle with her new routine?

If you have a stronger core, it can improve your posture (seated, standing, walking posture, all of it) and also make it easier to engage your abs when you move, even something simple like sitting up or crossing your legs. Even with the same amount of weight, this shift in posture and engagement can make your waist feel narrower and more defined because you will be more lifted and engaged.

I did ballet at a high level in high school and college, including partner work with lifts. Very good core engagement (muscle engagement generally but core engagement is essential) can make a person feel like the weight less. You may have experienced this in picking up a sleeping child (zero muscle engagement) versus a child who is sort of helping you lift them by reaching up and sitting up tall. Core strength and engagement can be transformative for a body.

[Anonymous]

Weird, but stronger abs literally hold your guts in better, haha. You don't get as much visible bloat, etc. with stronger, tighter abdominal muscles, which could make your midsection/waist feel/look smaller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree!!! I cannot believe how much we’ve been lied to. Daily core work has completely changed my shape. I’m shocked and thrilled.

+1 working the transverse abdominals is like building an internal corset and you will get "cuts" on the sides and a smaller waist.