Frequently Asked Questions about Ab Exercises, Stomach Fat, and the Abdominal Region

Here are some questions asked by visitors to this site. You may have the same questions, so learn from other people's curiosity.

Question/ Comment: Why do my leg muscles hurt if i do abdominal exercises? More specifically, my quads seem to pull/tighten when i should be feeling the effect of my sit-ups etc in my abs any idea why this happens?

Answer/ Response: Actually, Sit ups work your abs and your hip flexors. The hip flexors are the muscles that bend your hips, and one part of the quad (rectus femoris) bends the hips.

You should feel some work in your quads when doing sit ups. To decrease the feeling in the quads, try doing sit ups without your feet anchored. Also start by stretching the quads and hip flexors.

If you have a stiff lower back your quads will work harder to make up for the lack of motion from your lower back and abs.

You'll likely feel quad work with leg raises and also bicycle crunches. Any time you move your legs or hips during ab exercises, your hip flexors will work and you will have more tension on your lower back.

Click here to learn the correct form for sit ups or visit the Directory of Abdominal Exercises to learn all the ab exercises on this site.

Question/ Comment: In morning I look very slim (means my stomach is in shape) but at night when I go to sleep I notice that its somewhat enlarged. So please tell me the reason and cure.

Answer/ Response: In regards to your stomach changing every day, that is a normal thing. It comes from "intestinal bulk". All that means is that your intestines get full of water and food.

Most people weigh about 3-5 pounds more after dinner then they do first thing in the morning. I used to obsess about my body and measure my waist all the time. At night my waist is usually 1 inch larger than in the morning.

When you sleep, your body works to breakdown food and rebuild itself. Also, because you do not eat or drink for 8-12 hours (from dinner to breakfast) you are usually less hydrated first thing in the morning and your intestines have less food in them.

So don't worry that your stomach is a little enlarged at night, it's normal. Just keep working to stay in shape.

Question/ Comment: I have a lot of fat in the ab area and its stiff fat as well. People say its really hard to do away with stiff fat in the stomach and a six pack is a way long dream... pls help !

Answer/ Response:

I'm just guessing here about what you mean when you say you have stiff fat in your ab area.

I know a few people who have hard stomachs that poke out. Some of them think their muscles are just hard, but actually it's likely that your intestines are hard.

I know this sounds strange at first, but your intestines are 30 feet long and they make up a large part of the size of your waistline.

The colon by itself should weigh 5-8 pounds, but some people have 15-25 extra pounds of dried fecal matter in their intestines-- yuk!

This comes from fried foods, transfat, and highly processed foods. Also, if you find that you don't go to the bathroom at least once a day, it's a sign you're constipated-- some nutritionist say if you don't go 3 times a day you're constipated.

The solution is more fiber and less processed foods.

Another solution is a detox and cleansing regimen.

With a good detox you might lose 1-3 inches on your waist in as little as 2 weeks. Check out my 2 week detox program

On top of eating right and cleansing your digestive system, you must do aerobic exercise and weight training to help you lose weight and decrease your body fat also.

Your current bodyfat percentage determines how close you are to a six pack. Most people need to be less than 10% body fat in order to see their 6 pack.

But remember everyone has to start somewhere.

So just keep working at it and don't give up!

Yours in health
Charles

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