Sit ups..?!
Question:
So, we all know that doing sit ups strengthens the stomach muscles, but does not specifically target the fat on the stomach or abdomen as no excerise targets fat anywhere in specific.so my question is this: If someone was able to do a lot of sit ups everyday, thus building muscle, but did not loose any fat, wouldn't that make thier stomach look bigger, as the muscel would push out that fat?
It makes sense that this would be the case, but has not been my expirience or anyone elses I know. Perhaps it's not possible to strengthen stomach muscels without loosing a little bit of weight to balance it out? Has any one, or does anyone know of anyone who has done sit ups and made themselves look worse? (Not that we should really be concerned with that, as it's just important to strengthen muscels regardless of how we look, but I'm curious)
Answers:
One of the added benefits of doing an abdominal workout is improved posture and tone. By doing sit ups and other ab exercises you will look more trim without having to loose fat. Any exercise program will help you to burn fat, as well.
If you gain fat while working out, though, you will notice it. Check out some pictures of the heavier power-lifters when you get a chance. Their sport is all about being as strong as possible, and they eat big to get stronger, even when it means gaining wait. A lot of them have very strong abs, with very large bellies.
Other Answers:
any straineous activity will burn body fats. sit ups is a good exercise to burn and tone ur abs. i have never heard of anyone having a "fatter belly" because of it. the only side effect of doing sit ups is back and neck pains
Sit-ups alone with strenghten your abs but will not push them out enough to make you look fat. Now, if you do sit ups or ab excersises with weights then they will push your abs out. Just cruches and abs will make them tight and strong, weights will do the same but make then bigger and push themout some. If you notice most budybuilders when they have a shirt on they look fat because their abs push out. It's typically known as the ROID GUT.
I'm not sure, but when you do situps, you also sweat and you also burn fat, so you also get a slimmer tummy. But you're right though. "If someone was able to do a lot of situps.but DID NOT LOSE ANY FAT" it would definitely make their stomach bigger. lol. Btw, not losing weight does not necessarily mean that you're not becoming slimmer. It's possible to maintain your weight simply because your muscles are becoming more developed--not because you're not losing fat.
These guys know what they are talking about. You can't just do constant situps to make your abs show. You have to do crunches, leg lifts, and a whole other bunch of ab exercises to make them bigger and cut. You also have to make sure your doing hard compound exercises, that require the use of your abs to stabilize your core. Exercises like chinups and squats require more energy to do, thereby burning more fat. You also have to make sure to change your diet. Junk food is the #1 killer of nice abs. You have to do more than just ab exercises to have nice abs.
I think another reason for you to have a big belly despite having a good ab exercise programme is the way you exercise. Some people push out their ab muscles when they crunch and inhale. This will certainly strengthen your ab muscles but in the wrong direction: you will have a firm, hard but very round belly (like a pregnancy belly). So when you do your ab crunches you must make sure you pull in your ab muscles as you sit up and that you exhale pushing your muscles even further in towards your spine. Hopefully this will create a flat stomach so even if you have a bit of fat it won't show.
Answers: