What ab stuff should i do?

[kawana]

Ok well im confused by other threads ive made so im hopeing to get a good answer lol. I by no means have a 6pack lol, Ive lost alot of weight, but i still have a tiny gut on me (nothing huge) but its stuborn! wont go away. Ive been doing Vacuums and that FBSB's for bout a week or so (now im not expecting results yet of course) but ive been doing crunchies as well for quite some time. Not Koltz was saying i should stop crunchies, but i didn't understand why. Im trying to burn off the fat/get a 6 pack eventually. Aside from the fbsb's and vacuums, what else could i do?

[Starclassic]

If you want a sixpack then situps and/or crunches are almost mandatory. Just dont do them with extra weight. Weighted crunches are for building that huge sixpack that makes a bodybuilder look pregnant. Bodyweight crunches build a sixpack but they dont make it grotesquely big. As for all of the other ab excersises, you want to do some sort of static or stability holds like planks, 100's holds, or work the ab wheel for dynamic core movements.

[koltz]

mmm if you already do crunches you should focus on tight transerve abs and obliques as well as the crunch , the big deal with crunches is that too many people :
1. overdo them
2. did only them for the goal of weight loss
3. will get oversized abs nothing like bodybuilder style but still not proportionate
3.will get oversized abs that are too strong for thier lower back and obliques

I know form my own expiriance , just don't do them too much bodyweight excersises tax the core hard enough already for it to grow all over it's not like your doing isolated curls and machine work like thoose feemale gym bunnies and even they don't need to do crunches for an ovious reason...

although most former overweight males should do a lot of oblique work cause usualy ther hips are rather big and they need big obliques to have a straighter looking body unless thier bodybuilders in this case having a V taper is probably more important then performance and good looks

[fichmant]

running would be great too

[kawana]

Sorry koltz but im not sure if i understand what your saying, should i NOT do crunchies? Or just not over do it? I was thinking like vacuums & FBSB's one day and crunchies the next day? What do you think?

[amorelli]

running would be great too
I'll second that. It burns fat and strengthens your core at the same time.

[kawana]

running would be great too
I'll second that. It burns fat and strengthens your core at the same time.

well im no runner :P Would jumprope do as well? I mentioned it in a few other posts but i have a minor knee problem, stuff like running or jogging agravates my sore knee, yet jumprope doesn't bother me. I can walk at a fair pace too, but running isn't really an option till i strengthan my knees (is it possible to strengthen joints??)

[amorelli]

Well, strengthening the muscles around the joints can often have that effect. If your knees are sore while running, strengthen your quads, hamstrings, calves, and whatever muscle it is called that allows you to pull your foot up towards your shin. So basically strengthen your legs. The muscle will absorb some of the impact of the running, and the exercise should strengthen the joint itself as well.

A knee brace would also help until the joints become stronger - when I begin to run after some time off, I always have some slight pain in the knees but it disappears after the first week or so.

Also, make sure you have good shoes that aren't too old/worn. A good running shoe with sufficient padding can go a long way to improving your overall running experience.

That said, I have no idea what degree/kind of pain we're talking about, so if running seems to aggravate your knees to an undue degree and the pain remains for more than a day after running, running possibly isn't such a great idea.

[aj23]

how do we target the two pack abs right above the belly button. I have been working my core for some time now and i still dont have the last two abs in order to get a six pack.

[Moonduck]

and whatever muscle it is called that allows you to pull your foot up towards your shin.

Anterior Tibialis, I think. It can be a tough muscle to strengthen, and a weak AT is a common cause of Shin Splints.

[amorelli]

thanks - I couldn't remember what that was called.

I always recommend exercising it for just that reason - shin splints. Also, it's so easy to exercise. Any time you're sitting down, just pick the ball of your foot off the ground and put it back down. It's that simple

[Moonduck]

You can also hit it by curling and clenching your toes repeatedly. It doesn't take much to get them going.