I am a 41-year-old mother of three (youngest will be 3 in May) and have been working out between pregnancies and young babies since 1987 (mostly doing Firm tapes before I discovered you 1 1/2 years ago). Since then, I've been alternating your strength (2-3x/wk, mostly MIS and now ME and PUB/PLB) and cardio videos (2-3x/wk, including the "Imaxes" 1x/wk) plus a 60 min. power yoga tape 1x/wk. I consider myself an advanced exerciser. For the past 4 weeks, I have been thoroughly enjoying your advanced overall bodyblast rotation with the Intensities. My problem is that I'm already quite thin (5'9", 125 lbs) and even though I eat quite a bit (ask my DH!), I'm getting thinner (but a bit more muscular - a good thing). On the other hand, my abs are still flabby and not very strong. If I hold them in (something I'm a pro at!), they look defined; if not, flab city! I've had to modify ab exercises all of my exercising life because they're so weak. (Pushups are another story - *sigh*) I would love to strengthen my abs and lose more fat there but NO PLACE ELSE! I know there's no such thing as spot-reducing, but since I'm already too thin every place else, how might I go about achieving this goal? Thanks in advance for any advice! You have brought me to a whole new level of fitness!
Skinny as a Rail but Flabby Abs
- Thread starter Soosan
- Start date
susanz
Cathlete
I am not Cathe but the thing that has really helped me firm up my midsection is PLANKS. I not only practice them with Cathe's vids(CMax,PUB,ME etc..) but I do them on my own everyday. I stretch every evening for about 30 mn and during this time I practice holding my planks longer. I have been really happy with how tight my mid section has finally gotten! Hope this helps-Susan
PennyLaney
Cathlete
Similar problem
Hi,
I have a similar problem. I am almost 5'10", and average 130 pounds. I'm considered "skinny as a rail", too, but my midsection is flabby. I do planks, Pilates, etc., and have started doing the PUB pikes on the ball with some success. When doing crunches, I don't curve in; I curve OUT. WHen doing planks, my abs muscles hang down, no matter how hard I try to hold them in. I think my abs muscles have gotten stronger, but I still have flab rolls from under my bra to my hipbones. If I diet and get skinnier in the arms and legs, I'll look like a freak! I lift as heavy as possible, too, with not a lot of muscle development..... I hope Cathe has some answers for this bodytype!
By the way, I'm over 40 too!
PennyLaney
Hi,
I have a similar problem. I am almost 5'10", and average 130 pounds. I'm considered "skinny as a rail", too, but my midsection is flabby. I do planks, Pilates, etc., and have started doing the PUB pikes on the ball with some success. When doing crunches, I don't curve in; I curve OUT. WHen doing planks, my abs muscles hang down, no matter how hard I try to hold them in. I think my abs muscles have gotten stronger, but I still have flab rolls from under my bra to my hipbones. If I diet and get skinnier in the arms and legs, I'll look like a freak! I lift as heavy as possible, too, with not a lot of muscle development..... I hope Cathe has some answers for this bodytype!
By the way, I'm over 40 too!
PennyLaney
Thank you for your responses. I've also wondered if it was fat or excess skin. If it were fat, would my abs still look flat and relatively defined when I hold them in? (Like I said, I'm a pro at holding them in, but I'd love to, even if only for a short time, not have to hold them in!) The flabbiness, in my case, is not due to having given birth three times. It was there beforehand and I've always been considered thin. Susanz - three questions: How long have you been doing planks (e.g., how long since doing them has it taken you to see results?) How many minutes a day do you do them? About how long do you hold each plank? Thanks again for everyone's responses!