Body fat - FreeTrainers.com Forums

Group: General Fitness & Exercise

General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 382, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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Body fat

eyec1 Posts: 18 Joined: 2003/01/10	2003/02/04, 10:03 AM Hi... My body fat is about 15% (95 pounds, 5'2", female)but I still have this layer of fat on my belly (prob because of having 2 kids). Why do I still have this layer of fat when my body fat % is so low? I have been doing cardio and abs workout 6 days a week (for the past 2 months)...will that help..I am not seeing any results? Thanks for all your help!!

sandysford Posts: 1,139 Joined: 2002/11/18	2003/02/04, 02:38 PM Sounds like to me you are working your abs too hard, not giving the ab muscles time to recover, try cutting the ab exercises down to twice aweek for recovery and keep up the cardio. I see women at the gym work thier abs with every workout and no results. Muscle recovery is the key to great abs or any body part. -------------- I will lift my own weight someday!!!!!
sandysford Posts: 1,139 Joined: 2002/11/18	2003/02/04, 02:57 PM I was overworking my abs when I first started then I cut them back to twice a week and now I have abs. On a leaning diet right now cause I have a little layer of fat covering them. (going to compete in May) I still say, because I did learn the hard way, Muscles no matter what muscle it, if you tear it down you have to let it recover. -------------- I will lift my own weight someday!!!!!
eyec1 Posts: 18 Joined: 2003/01/10	2003/02/04, 04:21 PM How about working on my abs every other day. I do watch my diet and do not consume that much fat or calories...Maybe, I just need a little patience and not rush to get results...or should I increase my cardio from 30 to 45 minutes? Any advice?
mackfactor Posts: 766 Joined: 2002/10/17	2003/02/04, 04:52 PM Body fat measurement is an inexact science. wahwahjimi, you can't make that comparison, because women carry a good deal more body fat than men. In fact, 18% in women is roughly equivalent to 9% in men. eyec1, your measurement may be inaccurate or it might be a result of your genetics. Chances are you're not at 15%, though, because that is exceptional and your abs would almost certainly be clearly visible. -------------- "Don't follow leaders and watch your parking meters!" -- Bob Dylan
JessicaR Posts: 467 Joined: 2002/08/12	2003/02/05, 08:31 AM Eyec, I'm about your height, actually about an inch or two shorter. Because of the weight you've given, I'm guessing if you worked on building some muscle all over instead of just the cardio and abs routines you might be able to fill in some of the loose areas. As far as having two kids - I've had two myself, my abs are visible but that loose skin on my lower abs I'm afraid is here to stay. That could be part of what you're seeing and all the cardio in the world won't shrink it an inch - but building the muscles underneath might fill it out and give it a smoother appearance. Cardio is great, I love it, but I've been doing mostly cardio myself for about two months and I can contest, I've definitely lost muscle mass during that time.
eyec1 Posts: 18 Joined: 2003/01/10	2003/02/05, 11:49 AM Jessica..thanks for your advice. There is quite a bit of loose skin on my lower abs. It's not that I have a thick layer of fat on my lower abs but it's not as flat as I want them to be. I am pretty tight on my upper abs and I could even see the definition on the side of my stomach..just that I have a little "hump" on my lower abs( many think I am crazy to be fussing over it).....and it's so frustrating. Just that I am so small and I feel that the little "hump" on my lower abs is sticking out.. I guess that comes with the territory of being a mom....