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Want to tone my belly

Over the course of 6 months (with a pretty good amount of cheat days..taking it slow lol) I’ve went from 150 to 133. I’m 24 (f) at 5’4 ft tall. I was never overweight but noticed I started putting on more weight than I was comfortable with. I’ve achieved this weight loss from intermittent fasting. & like I said it doesn’t seem like much but I mostly do it only during the week & splurge here & there but I’m happy with my progress. My bloating & belly fat definitely went down extensively & I feel better in general. I do 16:8. Sometimes 14:10. My question is I work 9-5 & had to cancel my gym membership because I just couldn’t afford it (economy sucks rn in US) my tummy is flatter & healthier noticeably but I definitely want to get some tone/muscle action going on. Does anyone have any suggestions/YouTube at home videos for tummy workouts or workouts in general that’s worked for them when coincided with IF? Thanks y’all!

Answer

Abs are just like any other muscle, you can’t spot burn fat. And 30 minute ab blasting workouts arnt the most effective way to get there (the only reason the are sometimes effective is it burns more calories than doing nothing, and stimulates muscles to some degree, but does neither as effectively as focuses cardio and focus abdominal strength training)

If you want abs or a toned stomach the only thing you can do is lose fat overall, and build muscle. When building ab muscle it’s just like building biceps or your booty. Resistance training, particularly progressive overload is the best way to make it happen.

Also time your cardio during a fasted state, and try and do the strength training right before or after eating to break your fast. And eat plenty of protein so your body can recover and build those muscles

Answer

Ab exercises will help develop the muscles but won’t do anything to help you see them. Visible abs are a matter of body fat percentage. Btw, the body fat percentage required for “visible” abs is really at or near the healthy minimum.

As for ab exercises, sit-ups and crunches can cause back issues for some people. Planks are healthier and also help develop your back muscles. Otherwise, just keep doing what you’re doing.

Answer

Check out AthleanX on youtube. Jeff Cavalier is pretty good, especially for avoiding injury. Do a search on his channel for abs and you’ll see a treasure trove of tutorials for movements that work. This will make your core strong all through upper and lower abs but visibility as others have stated is done through diet. Jeff Nippard is also very good, very polished content delivery and well researched.