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Whenever I concern on my abs I feel like losing my weight and feel week. Nowadays I only work on my other body parts chest, biceps, triceps, shoulder and back.

Should I work on abs or not?

Or I need to get heavy diet to maintain my abs and my body at the same time?


Is this easy to maintain abs and other body parts at the same time. I guess I ain't able to maintain both. I can only concentrate on either abs or other body parts.
This is actually a very good question mate.
I would say yes. Keep up the abs work. I had a really REALLY good 8 pack up until i got married. Now im a fatty like omni. The good life does this. But my stomach is still strong. Just has a layer of beer around it.
I know what your saying though. To train hard on abs does make you loose weight. Prob tightening of the stomach or something but in order to maintain a good physique you really must keep the abs in line with the rest of the body.
Wait till your older and then let the gut go. Smile
Great question and look forward to reading the replies.
Thanks for the reply DAMINK. I know Abs exercise is must to get good physique but I told my problem when I work on it.
I'm 20 year old and I have fat on my side parts of stomach ( I don't know what they called).
I don't have fat on my abs part they are still well maintain as I do abs exercise once or twice in a week. Abs is almost still in control but the side part of the stomach looks chubby. I am still not able to control them they ruined my V-Shape. What should I do to control them.
Side exercises.
Like side to side with pole on your neck. Then weight when comfortable. But i found kicking to be best for "love handles"
I'm doing that since 4 months and still I have same fat on sides. If I work more on it then I'll lose my weight. And If I eat too much to get back my weight normal then I again get fat on sides. Its really confusing.
Unfortunately its one of those places that will take the weight first and loose it last.
This is why it has to be kept on top of. A really good diet is Key also. Obviously.
May i ask. What is your goal ultimately?
You want to get big or just toned? Because toned really is a tight waist.
Lol I want to get big muscles. Tongue
*This is mainly a broad guide so others might gain something from it and not just the thread opener*
[<>Long post alert<>]

First and foremost, if you have heart or lung problems or special needs and cases, please consult your doctor before you do or try any workout routine, gym, or special diet. Do not try diet pills, muscle enhancers, steroids, or special drugs without first consulting a dietary, nutritional, or medical expert as you may incidentally bust your liver, kidneys, lungs and/or heart.

This is all based on experience and from feedback from gym "rats" and some physical therapists that I know, abs are the most hardest to work on. But keep in mind, the first important step (as always) would be setting a specific tangible goal for yourself. So you have to ask yourself a couple of questions first:

1. Do I have enough time for it?
If you work 9-5 (regular daytime job), then it'll be easy to add some exercises and some gym time to your everyday routine at work or at home (if you work from home). Some workout routines can take only about an hour to two hours of gym time or shorter, if you just want to workout your abs.

If you work in shifts or work in a hospital (like I do), then it will become more difficult (but not impossible), since you constantly adjust your daytime and nighttime routines (i.e. breakfast at dusk, dinner at dawn, sleeping during the daytime or afternoon, etc.). My area only provides gyms that open at 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. so if I start working nights, I can't find an open gym at 6 a.m. (which may or may not be the case for you).

2. How long will it take?
It'll be best to ask your gym instructor or physical therapist. Some people, especially those that have belly fat/beer belly or have people that have "big guts" running in the family, slower metabolic rate, and those with medical problems have a hard time at working out and losing weight, especially losing excess fat from the midsection. So, to some degree, if you are obese or overweight, it might take longer.

To determine if you're abdominally obese, stand up straight, look down, and judge whether your stomach is sticking out farther than your chest, if your stomach IS sticking out farther, you really need to work them out, if not, you'll have an easier time working on them along with your regular routine.

But if you're dedicated, it won't be much of a problem either way. Remember, the important thing is to have a goal.

3. Do I need to diet?
This is a tricky question. Forgive me if it becomes too technical.

According to research and by many testimonies, "dieting is absolutely useless without exercise." Keep in mind that having the wrong type of diet while doing rigorous or strenuous activities (like working out in the gym or at home, bicycling, etc) may prove to be counter productive or even dangerous. Whatever you do, DO NOT GO ON A CRASH DIET! Never ever do that. Always consult a nutritionist or dietician to help you gauge your BMI (body mass index; tells if you are overweight or not), fat index (tells how much fat you have and where they are in your body), and current nutritional level (malnourished, overnourished, etc.)

According to basic nutrition requirements, the body consumes resources in this order:
(1) Glucose/sugars ===> (2) Fat ===> (3) Protein.

You want to burn the fat and build up muscle, but it's also never a good idea to loss all of your glucose and get a hypoglycemic attack while you're at the gym or working out on your own. It'll suck if you faint in the middle of a workout routine while trying to impress the ladies or gents. (For more info, google Hypoglycemia, Lactic acidosis, and Ketoacidosis)

So the best strategy would be to avoid fatty and oily foods, take in more protein and eat small portions of glucose rich foods and distribute them evenly across your daily routine (i.e. pasta, rice, bread, etc). Taking a couple candy/protein/energy bars, water, and some electrolytic drinks (Gatorade, etc.) with you to the gym or while working out is essentially beneficial and helpful.

4. Where to start?
You can start by asking your doctor (if you have health risks like heart and/or lung problems if you can work out. Next, is to do your own research and ask people who have successfully minimized the size of their abs or have developed them enough to six/eight packs. Remember, experimenting is never a good way to go if you don't know what you're doing and how to do them.

When I did my personal research, I found out that in order to reduce the size of your belly, you need only to have them constantly or consistently "at work." If you're work is a deskjob, you're an executive who's always busy at your workstation in the office, work from home, or work in front of a computer all the time, chances are, you have a belly likely sticking out farther than your chest.

So, how do you put your abs/midsection to work? Do the bicycle kick exercise for 60 reps twice a day along with your regular routine. (Don't know how? http://www.fullfitness.net/exercises/abs/bicycle-kick)

I was a bit surprised to find out that this often-overlooked exercise is effective in minimizing your gut to a degree and improve strength drawn from the midsection.

Another is to ride a bike for about 5 miles every other day or for at least 5 to 10 minutes on medium resistance for stationery bike users.

5. Will working on my abs have repercussions on my other routines?
If you just focus on your abs, you will eventually lose out on other parts of your body, like legs, back and arms. My gym instructor (who is also a licensed physical therapist) told me that the best way to balance out your routine for your whole body is to make 2 programs, 1 program for purely your abs scheduled on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 1 program for everything else (legs, back, arms, chest, etc.) scheduled on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Sunday should definitely be a rest day which I call OPTION 1.

You could also schedule it with 2 consecutive days of working out with the program for the abs on day 1 and everything else for day 2 and rest on day 3. We will call this OPTION 2 which goes something like this: The program for your abs will be done on Monday, so for your program for the other parts will be done on Tuesday, you rest on Wednesday, you work on your abs on Thursday, then on your arms, chest, legs, and back on Friday, rest on Saturday, and then back again on your abs on Sunday, etc. ad infinitum.

*I'll probably post more later if anyone is still interested and if you find the above (even remotely) helpful to you as I am at work right now. Feel free to ask me in PM or through a post here*

*DISCLAIMER: This is all based on experience and what every single gym instructor and physical therapist told me to do when I asked them, I am not a professional, just someone who wants to help out*

Good luck.
I guess I'll read it later.
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