Toning up the stomach...

May 7, 2009 10:35 AM

What tricks do people have to tone up the stomach area quickly?

I have a little pouch of fat but nothing too serious, no matter what I do the pouch does not go away. I have no kids so it is not related to that. If anyone has any tips that have worked would be greatly appreciated.

posted by 1Ariel1 to Health & Fitness (20 answers total)

What have you done so far, so we can rule them out?
posted by jabberjaw at 10:41 AM on May 7, 2009

Diet and exercise. You can't spot train any particular muscle group to lose fat only in that area.
posted by Grither at 10:41 AM on May 7, 2009 [4 favorites]

Spot training is a myth.
posted by zennoshinjou at 10:43 AM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

I think you'll find that there are a whole host of questions (and answers) that deal with this exact subject in the Annals of Ask. You might try here for starters:

http://ask.metafilter.com/tags/exercise+weight
posted by talkingmuffin at 10:43 AM on May 7, 2009

Some people have more fat on their stomach relative to the rest of their body than others - if you are a woman, visible abs will show up when you have a body fat percentage of 12 - 18%. Men have it much rougher in this aspect, needing to drop down to 8-10% body fat.

The only way to "tone" the stomach is to decrease your body fat percentage through exercise and a healthy, calorie-restricted diet. There is literally no other way to do this non-surgically.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 10:45 AM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

Working your core muscles is important, and that means not only the abs, but also your sides and back muscles. Push-ups, planks, and so-forth all tone these muscles. However, fat lies on top of muscle, so unless you burn it away, you won't see the muscle tone.

Grither and zennoshinjou are correct, you cannot burn away fat in a part of the body. Fortunately, a higher muscle mass leads to a higher basal metabolism, so concentrate on working your muscles, and the fat should disappear with some cardiovascular exercise thrown in there for calorie burning.
posted by explosion at 10:48 AM on May 7, 2009

no matter what I do

Have you gone on a strict diet? If you are otherwise lean and this is the last significantly faaty area then it will probably be very difficult to shift, but it can be done. As mentioned above, spot reduction is a myth - dieting is the key.
posted by fire&wings at 10:50 AM on May 7, 2009

You can't control where fat comes from when you lose weight. The only way to get your abs to show is to lose weight overall.
posted by delmoi at 11:11 AM on May 7, 2009

As stated above, spot fat burning is a myth.

If you're like me, however, and are generally slim with a low BMI and still have a bit of a pooch, I recommend pilates (particularly Denise Austin's Mat Workout based on pilates and belly dancing. Doing both regularly (5-6 times per week) gave me ridiculously defined abs for how much fun I was having and how little effort I felt I put forth. I recommend both because the belly dancing provided cardio that pilates alone won't provide, in addition to working the abs.

Again, I'm naturally slim and at the time was 5'5" and about 118 pounds. If you are battling weight gain in general, this may not work for you.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 11:13 AM on May 7, 2009 [2 favorites]

...tone up the stomach area quickly?

This is also a myth. It takes hard work, dedicated effort, and some time in order to get the results I believe you want. It also takes a well-balanced diet, with intelligent choices as far as what kinds of foods you eat.

I'd also go beyond just exercising a specific muscle group. Why not train your whole body? You'll be stronger, and it's been documented that having muscle helps burn calories more than just doing cardio. And I'm not just talking about lifting to "tone," which is yet another myth.

If you eat right, exercise, and stick with it, you'll see your little pouch go away. You won't see it happen overnight, of course, so if you're expecting to lose it in time for an event coming up this weekend, it's not going to happen.

So, to answer your question, my tricks to tone up my stomach area are as follows:

• lift heavy free weights
• eat healthy whole foods
• avoid get-fit-quick schemes or pseudo-science supplements.

On preview, belly dancing would work, too, if combined with an overall healthy and active lifestyle.
posted by CancerMan at 11:17 AM on May 7, 2009

I find that I get better ab results from doing fewer reps of harder exercises. Crunches don't do much for me at all, but crunches with a weight on my chest do (and with far fewer reps). I also find hanging knee raises work very well. If you get your whole core strengthened, as someone already mentioned, it helps your posture. When I stand up straighter and my stomach and back (and sides) feel toned, it helps to spread my poochy spot out flatter (although it is still there--its all I can see in the mirror some days). So, to sum up, do plenty of core exercises, favor the tough, low rep ones over endless crunches, and stand up nice and straight!
posted by midwestguy at 11:39 AM on May 7, 2009

This article (specifically the section called "Myth: Want a six-pack like a bodybuilder? Train your abs!") is interesting. It recommends that you not do crunches and side bends because the will give you a blockier midsection, as opposed to a narrow waist and a six-pack. He's specifically talking about the look that body builders are after, but I imagine it would work with you, too.
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 11:49 AM on May 7, 2009

Meh, I'm a 5'9" female, athletic and with a thin frame, and even when I weighed 115 lbs. I still had a bit of a pot belly. Some women are just built like that. It used to bother me but I got over it.

So my answer is that if the above suggestions on diet and exercise don't work out for you, just learn to accept that one little area of flab. Don't obsess too much or you may find yourself on the road to an eating disorder- I've seen it happen to people.
posted by emd3737 at 11:59 AM on May 7, 2009

Eat less, exercise more. Even when I'm working out a lot and am in relatively good shape, stomach definition, for me, only comes with serious attention to diet.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:12 PM on May 7, 2009

Yeah, I'll nth the spot training is a myth crowd. Excercise your whole body by doing free weights and cardio and control your diet.
posted by ob at 12:39 PM on May 7, 2009

While it's true spot training is a myth, you might have gained weight around your middle due to a stress hormone (cortisol) imbalance.

Stress May Cause Excess Abdominal Fat In Otherwise Slender Women, Study Conducted At Yale Shows

The best thing to do is get your blood levels checked, take a multivitamin/multimineral with extra B-complex, and eat less refined sugars and carbohydrates. Strength training and cardio are always good, but make sure you're not overtraining.
posted by aquafortis at 12:51 PM on May 7, 2009

Since I was just at Stumptuous anyway, heed the Mistress. You can strengthen your abs with exercise (which is good!), but if you tend to carry a little more fat around the middle, you may have to lose a lot more fat5 overall, which is difficult and which may make you look a little gaunt elsewhere.

So get active, get strong, eat right, and see where it takes you.
posted by maudlin at 12:53 PM on May 7, 2009

Having strong abs is its own reward, even if you can't see the muscle definition. When I injured my lower back a few years ago, the first thing I was told is to work on strengthening my abs, because it would reduce the workload of my back muscles. These days whenever I feel a tweak in my back, my first thought is, "Yeah, I guess I have been slacking off on the abs exercises."
posted by RobinFiveWords at 1:21 PM on May 7, 2009

Response by poster: I will look into the belly dancing I believe my gym has this class. I have been doing cardio (stairmaster and elliptical), then some weight lifting and eating a lot healthier than before. I am not big at all, 5'4, 132lbs, but that middle area even though it's not much still bothers me. I am not asking for a 6 pack, just a flatter tummy. Thanks for the tips!! :)
posted by 1Ariel1 at 5:53 PM on May 7, 2009

I have been doing crunches daily for over a year now, and though it hasn't helped with actually losing any fat in that area, it has made my belly look flatter because my posture is better. So there's that... it did take a few months before I saw any results though.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:37 AM on May 8, 2009