ab work while overweight- do it or skip it?

A

amynicole

Cathlete
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-26-02 AT 11:12AM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Cathe!

I just had my baby 3 weeks ago and my abs are pretty much jello under all the fat on my belly. I have about 75 lbs total to lose (30 left from this pregancy and I was 45 lbs overweight when I got pregnant. I have heard conflicting things about ab work while overweight. I've heard it is good to do them to strenthen your back and as the fat comes off, your stomach will start to get flat. BUT I've also heard that if you do ab work while overweight, the muscle will build under the fat and make you look even fatter and make your waist bigger rather than smaller.

So the big question is do I throw in ab work 3-4 times a week once I hit my 6 weeks postpartum or do I just concentrate on cardio, cardio, cardio to burn the fat and wait until I am closer at goal weight to do abs. I ordered your new DVD, I just love the classic cardio DVD workouts. Also, the ab DVD will come in handy when I am ready for it. Great timing on the release for me :)

Same question for upper body- do I start on it now while overweight or will it make my upper body look larger as the muscle builds under the fat so should I wait until I am closer to goal weight.

I do all my workouts at home. I have your entire collection plus a gym quality treadmill and gym quality recumbent bike so I have all the equipment I need to get back into shape. Plus of course weights and a barbell plus step.
Even though I am overweight, I am very fit cardio wise so I am looking forward to getting back into step and using my treadmill. I am itching to workout but am being good and listening to my Dr. and just walking now.

Thanks in advance for you advice!!

Hope Kyle is doing great and Eric is adjusting well. My 3 and 5 year old kids just love having their new baby brother Michael. I am learning to live on 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Hope you are getting more sleep than me.
 
Bumping this for Cathe's response and to add a related question ...

I have had five abdominal surgeries, and a friend who is a physical therapist said I'd had so many cuts into my abdominal wall that I'd have a hard time firming anything up. I have a noticeable "C-section pooch" as it's called. I am very close to goal weight (about 10 lbs. to go) so I'm not sure if I should lose then tone, or if I even stand a chance given my surgical history.

Thanks!

Rose
 
Hi! I'm no expert, but I am overweight. I do abdominal work 4 times a week for functional fitness. I feel it's important to work on core strength and functional back and ab strength even though I am overweight, because it will make everything else I do easier. I wouldn't worry too much about your middle getting bigger- it probably will, but I don't think that will last very long. I also do upper body three times a week and lower body once a week to build muscle, because muscle burns a lot more calories than fat! Again, building muscle makes it easier to do every day things like carrying kids, cleaning under heavy furniture, or even changing a flat tire. I did have to skip ab work for several months after I had my baby, though, because I had that split in my stomach (diastasis recti? I think that's close to what it's called.)
 
Jenne,
How do you tell if you split your abs? I am wondering if that happened to me. I've heard it is more common the more kids you have and on July 3rd I had my 3rd baby.
 
Charlene Prickett's tape Return to Slender gives some good guidance on working the abs after pregnancy, even if they're split. The whole tape contains tons of useful information post-partum.

I think you should work your abs even if it doesn't show in the beginning. Your abs are stretched out after having your beautiful baby and they won't contract and get strong again unless you work them occasionally. Strong abs help you avoid back troubles as well. It's pretty easy to tack on five minutes of abs after a cardio workout.
 
For me, I started doing ab work along with everything else 70+ lbs ago. And now I have a 6 pack. Still a little layer to go on my 'lower' abs, but still workin' at that. I did 5 - 10 min of ab work each workout (for me 6 x a wk) and they are under there. I can't believe how cut they are and muscular. I used the Firm 5 day abs, unless the Cathe tape had ab work in it.
Faythe
 
I was told that you could tell if you had a split by lying down on your back and feeling your stomach muscles. If there's a gap down the middle, that's your split. It's hard to describe. Mine went away after about a year, but I started doing Firm abs at about six months (I got tired of waiting.) That Charlene Prickett tape mentioned below sounds great. I used to work out to her TV show.
 
That is so encouraging! I have about 65 pounds to lose and I do abs three times a week. I can't wait to see mine!
 
RE: Ab work while "overweight"- go for it!

I'm obviously not Cathe, and I've never been pregnant, but I thought I'd toss my $.02 in . . .

I agree with the posters who advocate abdominal strengthening regardless of whether you perceive yourself to be "overweight". Over time as you continue your cardio and strengthening work everything will lean itself out, and you very much need the core strengthening that abdominal work provides for proper posture.

Also, I'd like to REALLY encourage you to keep core stabilization (plank variations and erector spinae work like the face-down "Superman" arm/leg raises) as a consistent part of your routine; planks especially recruit the transverse abdominus and strengthen it so that it can perform its main functions - compressing the internal viscera and assisting with exhalation - in a way that supine crunch work cannot.

Go for it! And congratulations on your new little one!

Annette
 
RE: Ab work while "overweight"- go for it!

I agree with Annette about the cardio/core work. I think all around exercise and core conditioning helps you with overall weight loss. I should have said it's a combo of that and ab work that worked for me. (not to mention clean eating).
Faythe
 
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