Losing a few pounds and tightening up my ABS

[DallasCowboysFan]

I do some a light workout everyday.
I do yoga daily, for about 20-30 minutes.

I also do 50 push-ups and 50 deep knee bends a few days a week.

When I do my push-ups, I do them non-stop, ( it took me about 3 months to get to that level ) but I start to get winded around #40 - #45. The last few repetitions are sloppy .

Is there any benefit to doing 50 non stop as opposed to doing two sets of 25 a few minutes apart ? Assuming that the 25 in each set are 'good ones'?

What about doing 2 sets of sit-ups with 25 in each set? Would there be any benefit to doing them over 1 set of 50?

---

I am relatively trim and fit. I will never be on the cover of Muscle and Fitness magazine, but I am healthy and feel good.

I want to lose about 6-10 pounds and tighten up my stomach. I drink a couple of diet Cokes every day, although I have been drinking more water. Nutella is a drug I find hard to shake, but I have been eating more fruit lately.

I am eating more chicken and seafood, and I have reduced the pork and red meat in my diet.

I know I need to kick the sodas and junk food out of my life, but there is much less of it now than there was a year ago.

I have heard a lot about Creatine. If I took some Creatine or some other supplement, would that help me lose a few pounds and tighten up my stomach.

Currently, I take a multivitamin / multimineral, DHEA, Omega 3, B12, CoQ10 and a 81MG aspirin daily.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[ph1l]

For abs, I use an ab wheel, but only rolling to the left and right (not straight ahead) and extending only halfway. This strengthens the abs, lower back, upper chest, and triceps. When I did ab rolls straight ahead and fully-extending, my lower back would sometimes get painful spasms.

To lose weight and keep it off, eat lots of fiber. For example, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, wheat bran, and beans (refried beans don't cause as much gas as others).

 

[HobbyTrading]

I want to lose about 6-10 pounds and tighten up my stomach.

To loose body fat you need to burn more calories than you eat and drink. You need to be in a caloric deficit. Pay close attention to all carbohydrates you consume, both from food and from drinks (yes, this includes alcohol). Reduce wherever you can. Sources of carbs include all products made from flour (bread, spaghetti, pasta, cakes, cookies, donuts, etc.) and sugar (candy, nutella, soft drinks, fruit juices, etc.).
To burn more calories you need to do more exercise.

I have heard a lot about Creatine. If I took some Creatine or some other supplement, would that help me lose a few pounds and tighten up my stomach.

No.

 

[Frederick Foresight]

I also do 50 push-ups and 50 deep knee bends a few days a week.

Most people do push ups improperly. I'm not saying you're one of them, but here is a checklist to help you ensure you're using proper form:

Here's the proper way to do bodyweight squats (knee bends), just in case:

As an aside, if you're doing a pushing exercise such as push ups, you should also be doing a pulling exercise for proper posture and shoulder health. Pulling exercises can be a pull-up-type exercise or a row (or, even better, both).

Here's a good starting point for bodyweight exercises, and note how the guy is not too concerned about the numbers. He focuses on proper form and tries to make each rep count:

I posted this video in an earlier thread:

https://www.elitetrader.com/et/thre...ght-workout-at-home-without-equipment.328433/

 

[DallasCowboysFan]

To loose body fat you need to burn more calories than you eat and drink. You need to be in a caloric deficit. Pay close attention to all carbohydrates you consume, both from food and from drinks (yes, this includes alcohol). Reduce wherever you can. Sources of carbs include all products made from flour (bread, spaghetti, pasta, cakes, cookies, donuts, etc.) and sugar (candy, nutella, soft drinks, fruit juices, etc.).
To burn more calories you need to do more exercise.

No.

I do a fair amount of exercising, but I need to reduce the intake of the bad stuff.
My meals are healthy, but I need to lose the in between meal snacks.
And the bad habits like soda and snacks.

Does Creatine have any benefit?

 

[DallasCowboysFan]

Most people do push ups improperly. I'm not saying you're one of them, but here is a checklist to help you ensure you're using proper form:


My push-ups are pretty good. I was in the Army and I still do them to the Army Standard. The 7 tips he gave were similar to how the Army does them, except we don't go to the ground like he suggested, but you have to have at least a 90 degree angle with your elbow for it to count.

Here's the proper way to do bodyweight squats (knee bends), just in case:

I do mine similar to his demonstration, except that I don't go quite as low as he does and I put my hands on my hips when I rise up and extend them out when I go down.

I'll try going lower though.

As an aside, if you're doing a pushing exercise such as push ups, you should also be doing a pulling exercise for proper posture and shoulder health. Pulling exercises can be a pull-up-type exercise or a row (or, even better, both).

Here's a good starting point for bodyweight exercises, and note how the guy is not too concerned about the numbers. He focuses on proper form and tries to make each rep count:

I posted this video in an earlier thread:

https://www.elitetrader.com/et/thre...ght-workout-at-home-without-equipment.328433/

Thanks for the last link.
It's a good idea to focus more on form than numbers.
Maybe I should do that instead.

BTW, APFT stands for Army Physical Fitness Test and the instructor is reading from the manual. They have to read the test standards word for word before every Physical Fitness Test so every one is on the same sheet of music. That way, if someone fails, there can't say they did not know the standard, even though 100 percent of the people in the group are standing around thinking......yeah, yeah, let's get going and get this over with........lol.

 

[DallasCowboysFan]

This is PLAN B......EM Sculpt.........20,000 situps in 30 minutes........
But it's 3K for 4 sessions.

I guess I'll stick to sit-ups and squats at home..

https://abc13.com/health/machine-gives-you-effect-of-20000-squats-in-30-minutes-/3471899/

 

[ph1l]

This is PLAN B......EM Sculpt.........20,000 situps in 30 minutes........
But it's 3K for 4 sessions.

I guess I'll stick to sit-ups and squats at home..

https://abc13.com/health/machine-gives-you-effect-of-20000-squats-in-30-minutes-/3471899/

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/can-emsculpt-help-you-get-the-abs-youve-always-wanted
"Can Emsculpt Help You Get the Abs You’ve Always Wanted?"
...
The treatment requires four 30-minute sessions — two a week for two weeks — to achieve maximum results. The results aren’t permanent, though, so if you stop, the toning will, too.

 

[HobbyTrading]

Does Creatine have any benefit?

Not for losing body fat. It does help in gaining strength, but it is reported that a large number of people who use it don't notice an increase in strength. I heard that about one third or one quarter of people notice no strength gain. Creatine has a side effect in that it increases water retention, which will make you look less lean. You will gain approximately 4 or 5 lbs body weight if you use it.
I have tried creatine in the past but stopped using it. I did not notice any strength gains, but noticed an increase in body weight of about 2 kg. Once I stopped using it I lost this excess weight, and my strength remained unchanged.

 

[Frederick Foresight]

I want to lose about 6-10 pounds and tighten up my stomach.

I guess I'll stick to sit-ups and squats at home..

I think sit-ups are overrated. Years ago, I used to do hundreds of them along with crunches and leg raises. Looking back, I don't think sit-ups are back-friendly. I would suggest this exercise as an alternative:

The guy doesn't do it very snappily or cleanly, but you get the idea. Do 50 of those and tell me what you think. Also, I like the bicycle when done slowly, deliberately, and fully extending the leg as low to the ground as possible:

Keep in mind that pretty much every exercise of consequence will work your abs, especially multi-joint exercises. That's not to say you ought not do a bit of ab work if you like, but if you want them to show it's all about diet. Remember what we say regularly in this forum: you can't outrun a bad diet.