[FONT=Comic Sans MS]I have been excercising 4-5 days a week at the gym for almost 7 months now. I am not overweight, but average weight and want to achieve a thinner stomach. My regular day includes: walking to and from school - 40 minutes - moderate speed, doing stairs 30 minutes - high intensity, sometimes ski machines - 15 minutes, high intensity - and variation between two tae bo videos each 45 minutes long, holy ***** effort. Is that good enough to achieve a firmer stomach? Again, I only want to perfect myself. I do not have any weight to lose - tops 5 ilbs. I also do numerous weights, and stomach excercises.
Thanx for ur advice,
Jayce
I don't see much wrong with your cardio routine, though it'd probably be better to go 20 minutes at slightly lower intensity than 15.
To trim, firm, and define your stomach, you're going to need to concentrate on two things. One, diet. To define muscles, you have to drop body fat. Nothing else you can do. As for firming, you need to add some resistance training. I'd suggest leg lifts and hanging knee raises over sit ups. These workouts tend to work the lower abs and slim down the abs more.
Last edited by moderator2; 04-26-2004 at 03:22 PM.
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Due to my other hobbies, such as kickboxing, Karate and Jujitsu, I primarily lift for strength and power. Therefore, my primary workout is this, originally intended for Rugby players
I follow this schedule for 6 weeks, then I do 2 "off" weeks of light weights, bodyweight calasthenics, and cardio, as follows
Friday
2 Mile Run, 8:00 min. pace
2 sets failure reps elevated feet pushups
2 sets failure reps tricep pushups
10:00 min. heavy bag, hand/foot/knee/elbow strikes
2 sets failure reps hanging leg raises
And glad to help you out.
Last edited by moderator2; 04-26-2004 at 03:26 PM.
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i recommend pilates. i know it strengthens core stability and stamina because i use the method for my dancing. i have a video which i do 3 times a week in my lounge and i also do a small workout in the mornings. it really does work and ive had great results.
HIIT is high intensity cardio. The idea is to alternate between a moderate pace and a flat out push-to-the-limit pace. I will run on a treadmill at a 5.5 for 30 seconds and then 9.5 for 30 seconds, then back to 5.5 for 30, and so on. I also do the stairmaster with 30 seconds at level 5 and 30 at level 12, again alternating. As I progress on the workout, the slower pace becomes more like a minute, giving myself a little more recovery time before the next burst.
I've heard that you should start at doing this for like 3-4 minutes with a goal of adding an extra minute every week. There are great threads on this board about it. Lately I've heard that you shouldn't do the high intensity pace for longer than 30 seconds at a time, as it can start to burn muscle, or something like that.
I love HIIT because it is quicker and feels like you're really getting an intense cardio workout!!! Plus, keeping an eye on the time seems to make it go by lickety split
