Agree, there are a lot of apple shaped runners. |
My husband has run over 20 marathons. When training he runs 40 to 50 miles a week. He still does not have a flat stomach. It’s genetic. |
| Yup, and cyclists too. Looks at middle-age cyclists -- men and women. So many have big bellies, but fabulous butt legs and arms. |
Jesus. |
I do a combination of running on the treadmill and fast walking with an incline. I’ve found that the fast walk with the addition of the incline keeps me in my target heart rate and burns the same amount of calories as my running pace. I’m also in my 50s and am trying to be kind to my knees so I’m running less and less. |
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I am amazed to see all the cardio suggestions and hardly any discussion of strength training. Cardio does not build muscle. If you want to tone and effect specific areas you need to do strength training. Targeting an area will not directly effect the fat in the area but strengthening those muscles will help the appearance of that area. A combination of cardio and strength training is more likely to achieve your goals then simply cardio.
Looking at the Peloton running programs, they all include different types of runs AND strength training. I suspect that the same holds true for other training programs. I don't run so I don't have experience in those areas. I do know that when I worked with my trainer our sessions were half strength and half cardio. The trainers I ride with on Peloton all stress that you need 3-4 strength classes a week as well as 3-4 cardio, minimum. My Doctor always mentions making sure that strength training is a part of every exercise routine. |
| If you are genetically predisposed to retain fat on your belly, there isn't much you can do other than get your body fat % down to extremely low levels via VERY disciplined eating - no refined sugars, eat mostly protein/veg, low carb. The only times I have had a flat stomach were when my body fat got down to levels where you could count the ribs on my sternum (lost weight due to stress). For me, the trade-off necessary to maintain a 6-pack just isn't worth it. YMMV. |
I'm really mad right now because I can see ab definition starting to come out but there's you much stomach fat over most of it to be visible but I can't seem to lose it.
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That's me! The only time I had a five pack in my life (couldn't get to six), you could see my ribs. I have a very thin torso and arms, and a little pot belly, like all the women in my family. |
swim |
Me 3. Apple shape. To get to a flat stomach I had to go down to 103 pounds for 5”5. Needless to say, the rest of my body got too thin. I gave up on chasing the 6 pack and keep a reasonably chubby belly at a low 110 pounds |
If you subsit only on love, you'll be quite thin. |
Same here! Eating this way is how I maintain a flat tummy. |
| Crunches. But it only works when I’ve reduced weight all the way down to my ideal weight. But one big pasta lunch or similar and boom! big belly for 2 hours. |
| Definitely no rice. I cut that out several years ago and the bloating stopped. Never figured out why people like rice, anyway. Empty calories that cause bloat. |