From: kapitan@cs.uwp.edu (Andrea Kapitan)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Re: Abdominal Workouts
Date: 14 Apr 92 20:51:37 GMT
Article-I.D.: uwm.1992Apr14.205137.21255
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Parkside

In article <MARKF.92Apr14113217@montreux.ai.mit.edu> markf@zurich.ai.mit.edu writes:
>** >A friend lent me a booklet called "Legendary Abs"
>** >...
>** >Would I get results faster if I increase it to every day?  I can
>** >see why working out other day is preferred if you want to increase
>** >muscle mass, but these exercises are to tone rather than build.
>** 
>  Here I go up on my soapbox again.
>
>leads them to everyday workouts and/or spot reduction attempts.
>
>  What people don't seem to realize is that this combination of
>bodyfat reduction and muscle growth is pretty much exactly what
>bodybuilders aim for and they have developed some fairly effective
>basic guidelines for achieving them. Two of them which seem to be
>consistantly violated by the "toners" are to give bodyparts at least
>two days of rest (i.e. don't work them every day) between workouts and
>to do multiple sets of roughly 6 - 15 repetitions per set.
>
>-Mark
Dear Mark (or Mr. Soapbox): Here is my story, any comments or suggestions
are welcome.

The only reason I ever started working out and rather inconsistantly is my
abdominals. I am one of those women who do NOT have fat inner and outer
thighs or an extremely big butt and wide hips. All that has always looked
good, I was always relatively thin. I seem to carry all the fat in my abdominalsand my waist and back. Try finding tight jeans that don't look funny. Most
people when they see me tell me how tiny I am, I guess I was the only one
who saw the small inner tube but I was determined to get rid of it. My doctor
said to do sit-ups (didn't matter what kind) every day. I didn't have the
motivation for that so I went to a few ywca classes where we spent a lot of
time on inner and outer, thighs, and running around the gym. I also went to
a more advanced class, more of the same plus weights. A year ago I started
seriously working out at home. (My waist had gained 2 inches after having 2 
kids). I decided I would do a stomach tape at least 5 times a week and I
did. Sometimes even six or seven, this balanced out the days where something
came up and I couldn't work out. If you have 2 days of rest and then something
comes up with the kids or whatever and a week goes by, you lose a lot of
progress. I didn't really change my eating habits ( a lot of butter) but
noticed a change. I started alternating with other exercise shows and eating
better and started looking better. In order to lose weight though I have to
eat a very small amount. Now between all the shows, (1 hour a day), the
stomach videos and the bench stepping I've lost weight and am in great shape.
I was never afraid to work out with weights; I just don't bulk up on 3 lbs.,
but I feel stronger, and push ups also make you stronger but i'm not gaining
any muscles. I feel better but my stomach is still not completely flat. I
wish I could get it to look like a bodybuilders (the lower abs) even if it
meant making a few muscles else where. My upper abs do have a slight
definition. I can't eat alot of good for me foods or do alot of aerobics
because I get migranes, and I'm on inderal which slows the heart. Oranges,
eggs, give me headaches. Too many days of aerobics and I end up sleeping
during the day. I'm afraid that if I stop doing 5 days of abs that I will
get fat again. I have 3 ab days, and on the alternate days I still end up
doing 10 minutes of abs. Maybe there is a woman bodybuilder with kids out
there who had the same problem and can tell me what worked for her.

thanks,
-andrea

>--
>
>Mark Friedman
>MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab
>545 Technology Sq.
>Cambridge, Ma. 02139
>
>markf@zurich.ai.mit.edu


-- 
kapitan@cs.uwp.edu