help with abs!

[sweethead]

ok I seem to be doing pretty well with upper body and lower but my abs and lower back are a different story. I eat clean and sometimes cheat but all the weight i have gained has gone to my middle and I cant get it to go down, What are some good ab exercises to do with weights and without maybe I need to switch them up?? Ant ideas would be great.

[Aurora]

forget it, your spinning your wheels without a clean diet. Take out your cheats and watch it melt away exercise free.

[iron Thighs]

Just hanging leg raises and crunches. No weights.

[sweethead]

why no weights?

[Titania]

Bump to Aurora :D

Here's (http://musclefemme.proboards22.com/index.cgi?board=visitors&action=display&num=1099591522) a brief post about my ab training and a pic of the results.
My favourite ab exercises are rope crunches and Hammer Strength ab machine crunches.

[MsFit]

Now dat's da bomb!!

[aspiring_dancer]

Titania: I wanted to ask you... I drink about 2 litres of water a day right now and would like to push to 3... but it's getting tough. Do you have any tricks for mass water consumption and to get over the having to "go" all day and stuff... lol

Thanks ;) A_D




Bump to Aurora :D

Here's (http://musclefemme.proboards22.com/index.cgi?board=visitors&action=display&num=1099591522) a brief post about my ab training and a pic of the results.
My favourite ab exercises are rope crunches and Hammer Strength ab machine crunches.

[Titania]

A_D,
The trick is to be constantly sipping water all day. I carry a couple of water bottles with me and just sip them regularly. Your stomach can absord a maximum of about 1 litre of water per hour and works much more efficiently with small, steady sips rather than a few glasses.
You may find initially that you go to the loo a little more often but usually only for a couple of days. Your body will utilise the extra water and you will feel more alert, your recovery will improve and your workouts will improve too.
So many people underestimate the importance of correct water consumption. It literally makes up most of our bodies and is the most important nutrient we require.


Now dat's da bomb!!
Thanks Karen ;)
When are we going to see some more pics of your awesome bod?? ;) ;)

[mussy]

Titania, Your abs are awsome! What's your ab routine look like in terms of sets/reps? How many times per week?

[Titania]

Thanks Mussy,
My abs only get one direct workout per week. I'll usually do two or three exercises and four to five sets max with the rep range usually around 8 - 14 or so.
My favourite exercises are Hammer Strength MTS ab crunch (works lower and upper all at once), rope cable crunches and lying leg raises (on a bench, with a cable machine tied to my feet).

[aspiring_dancer]

Titania,

Question about H2O... So I took your advice, and it's been a few days now of sipping 3L and I'm still having to run to the loo sooooo often! Any more suggestions??? It's becoming such a pain... and I feel SO water logged!

How do you workout while feeling water logged?

Am I doing something wrong?

Kindest Regards,

~Dancer

[Emma-Leigh]

Titania,

Question about H2O... So I took your advice, and it's been a few days now of sipping 3L and I'm still having to run to the loo sooooo often! Any more suggestions??? It's becoming such a pain... and I feel SO water logged!

How do you workout while feeling water logged?

Am I doing something wrong?

Kindest Regards,

~Dancer
LOL - You are doing nothing wrong! I drink ~5-6L a day (and a few cups of green tea as well) and so I completely understand the 'toilet run' factor! :D

Both your bladder and your body (in terms of feeling 'water logged') will adjust and you will eventually lean out as a result (your body will drop the water it is now holding).

As for working out when water-logged, just decrease your intake slightly just before your workout! :)

[aspiring_dancer]

Hey thanks Emma... man, it's a long road though... approximately how long does it take for my body and bladder to adjust to this new "routine"?

[Emma-Leigh]

Hey thanks Emma... man, it's a long road though... approximately how long does it take for my body and bladder to adjust to this new "routine"?
I would give yourself a few weeks for the water logged feeling to disappear and a few more (a month or so) for your bladder to adjust...

But remember - it is actually HEALTHY to pee regularly during the day, especially if your eating a higher protein diet. This helps keep your kidneys well 'flushed' (and working well) and will help you rid the protein metabolites (like urea, which is toxic in the body at very high levels) from your body. So if you are peeing every 2 hrs or so then that is healthy and you will probably just have to learn to live with it.... If it is every 30 minutes, then it is just annoying! :p

[aspiring_dancer]

Mostly Emma, it's been about every 30 minutes...

[Titania]

Great advice Emma, especially about kidneys and protein. I typically pee about every two to three hours.
A_D, you might want to try bringing your water consumption back to 1.5 to 2 litres per day and increasing to around 3 over a couple of weeks. Sounds like your body needs time to adjust.

[aspiring_dancer]

That is a really good tip. Can I ask one more thing? So, if I'm drinking 2 L of water... can I still drink aprox. 3 cups of green tea a day too?

Is there a difference between the bodies reaction to hot and cold water???

[Emma-Leigh]

So, if I'm drinking 2 L of water... can I still drink aprox. 3 cups of green tea a day too?
Yeah, green tea is great! I drink ~3 cups a day too...

But remember than it does have caffine in it (unless you get the decaff stuff), so it will dehydrate you like coffee and black tea (but not to the same extent). Because of that you might have to drink a little more water to make up for the loss.

Is there a difference between the bodies reaction to hot and cold water???[/QUOTE]
Not really - but cold water burns calories when you drink it. ;) This is because your body has to expend energy to heat the water to body temperature... But it is pretty insignificant in terms of calorie expenditure, so don't think that gulping down the icey water will vastly speed up any weight loss you are attempting! ;)

[aspiring_dancer]

I only drink the decaf herbal and green teas and chai. The only caffine I really ever have is hot chocolate "occasionally" ... ;)