Abs--tell me this is possible

[Moxie]

Ok, I've had 5 kids and I'm pretty close to 40. But, I can still gets abs like Michelle Rodriguez, right?!? It isn't a total lost cause?!?

 

[momacacia]

I'm believing with you. ðŸ‘

[Soror]

Serious?

 

Too many variables.

 

Where do you carry your fat? How low are you willing to go on BF? And how much time on working on the abs? What does your skin look like?

 

 

Mine are decent looking although I'm not quite that lean but I carry my weight in my hips and butt(which is lucky I guess). I also do a good chunk of ab work for exercise. However, my skin will never be that pretty and smooth again because I'm not willing to do plastic surgery, so there is that.

 

Doesn't hurt to work towards it though, wherever you end up will be at a better place than you are, right?

[Soror]

My yoga and Silks teacher both are 40+ with 6 pack abs- each have only had 2 children are are crazy lean they work out a ton. From what I've seen pregnancy was kinder to their tummies than to mine. Personally I couldn't get that lean without eating way too little or working way too much but I'm happy with my slow and steady gains in strength and definition.

[gardenmom5]

provided there is no actual muscle damage - you can build up your core. (and you have to work on each layer of muscle.)  but the skin will still be stretched.

and I've a friend who has seven kids - and is still this teeny tiny thing with a body that looks like it belongs on someone in high school.  (she did gain 16lbs - which her gymnast dd put her through a workout to lose.)

[Carrie12345]

5 kids and turning 39 over here.

I am confident (haha) that I could attain near-"perfect" abs with perfect nutrition and intense exercise.  I just don't want them that badly.

 

To those who can get there more easily, rock on!

[need2read]

Sure you can. Whether or not they will be visible completely depends on your body type and body fat percentage. I have some pretty good abs but I store fat in my abdomen. If I wanted visible abs I would have to get down to around 5% body fat and that wouldn't be healthy. Plus I'm too lazy and like pizza and beer too much.

 

 

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[SemiSweet]

Sure you can. Whether or not they will be visible completely depends on your body type and body fat percentage. I have some pretty good abs but I store fat in my abdomen. If I wanted visible abs I would have to get down to around 5% body fat and that wouldn't be healthy. Plus I'm too lazy and like pizza and beer too much.

 

Yes to all of of this. Even being very thin and very fit doesn't give me very visible abs because I'm sort of square shaped and carry fat in my belly. Unfortunately, pregnancy wasn't very kind to my skin, so even if the definition was visible it wouldn't look smooth.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I read this article which convinced me I didn't care that much.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=want_the_body_of_a_fitness_model_find_out_what_it_really_takes

 

 

We've got ab muscles, they hold us up after all. It's getting body at low enough to see them.

[Luckymama]

I read this article which convinced me I didn't care that much.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=want_the_body_of_a_fitness_model_find_out_what_it_really_takes

 

 

We've got ab muscles, they hold us up after all. It's getting body at low enough to see them.

Whoa, that's crazy!

 

I'll stick with working on my arms and shoulders, tyvm. No chicken wings here!

[LucyStoner]

Michelle Rodriguez's abs? Probably not.

 

Future Moxie's awesome abs? Probably.

 

Unless blessed by the wowza genetics fairy you will probably have some loose skin and/or some remnants of stretch marks over a stronger core but you will look great.

Edited February 25, 2016 by LucyStoner

[need2read]

Yes to all of of this. Even being very thin and very fit doesn't give me very visible abs because I'm sort of square shaped and carry fat in my belly. Unfortunately, pregnancy wasn't very kind to my skin, so even if the definition was visible it wouldn't look smooth.

"Square shaped"...we must have the same build because that's exactly how I describe myself! These days I'm not so thin but when I was thin I was still a square with extra weight on my abdomen. It used to bother me but now I realize that there is no diet or exercise regime that will change my body's natural shape!

 

 

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[Soror]

I read this article which convinced me I didn't care that much.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=want_the_body_of_a_fitness_model_find_out_what_it_really_takes

 

 

We've got ab muscles, they hold us up after all. It's getting body at low enough to see them.

I think the girl Moxie posted is not near as lean as this one. Rodriguez looks somewhat attainable for mortals(with sufficiently lucky genetics and work) the look of a fitness model is not an aspiration to me and frankly I don't think healthy even for the short term, I wish such things would be dropped.

[shawthorne44]

I read this article which convinced me I didn't care that much.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=want_the_body_of_a_fitness_model_find_out_what_it_really_takes

 

 

We've got ab muscles, they hold us up after all. It's getting body at low enough to see them.

 

In this article is an older lady in the competition photo.  So, I guess that answers the question.  Who knows how many or if kids she gave birth to.  

 

Several years ago my best friend became an exercise junkie.   Her periods stopped and the doctor said that her body fat percentage was too low.   Her body decided that she didn't have enough fat to successfully have a child, so it decided to not go through the motions.  For her, she couldn't go below 18% body fat.  I've always been fat, or thought I was fat, so I have no idea what the ideal would be but 18% seemed high to me.  Even though she didn't want a child, she figured that meant too low was unhealthy, and that makes sense to me.   

 

I recently read a book in which they'd analyzed the raw data from ton of studies on weight and health problems.  There was a U-curve of health problems.   The bottom of the U started at the ideal weight and ended where morbidly obese started.  So, it is just as unhealthy to be underweight as morbidly obese.  

[kroe1]

Combination of working out, getting thin, and plastics.

[Mom-ninja.]

What I want is to be able to fight like that! 

 

As for abs....a lot depends on your genes. Everybody's body is different. Someone with a long torso will have an easier time getting a flat belly than someone with a short torso for example. Plus the stretched skin may never go away completely. 

 

If you want motivation go to fitnessblender.com and look at some before and after photos. Those people who posted their pics did amazing jobs. 

Edited February 25, 2016 by Mom-ninja.

[Soror]

What I want is to be able to fight like that! 

 

As for abs....a lot depends on your genes. Everybody's body is different. Someone with a long torso will have an easier time getting a flat belly than someone with a short torso for example. Plus the stretched skin may never go away completely. 

 

If you want motivation go to fitnessblender.com and look at some before and after photos. Those people who posted their pics did amazing jobs. 

I have a pretty short waist, which is why pregnancy wrecked my stomach. My stomach doubled- I was 4 ft around- there are some things you can't recover from!

 

Loved the pics/videos, I'm a sucker for before/after pics no matter the method.

 

I think the fighting looks cool but not my cup of tea, I could totally get how people would be into it though- 

[Mom-ninja.]

I have a pretty short waist, which is why pregnancy wrecked my stomach. My stomach doubled- I was 4 ft around- there are some things you can't recover from!

 

Loved the pics/videos, I'm a sucker for before/after pics no matter the method.

 

I think the fighting looks cool but not my cup of tea, I could totally get how people would be into it though- 

 

I was raised to be a quiet, good little girl who is only does ladylike things. I was not allowed to play sports, play ball in the yard with my brother and his friends, and so forth. I was told that "ladies don't do strenuous things and should never do anything to sweat" because it is not attractive. A lady doesn't exercise unless it's just light stretching or walking. A lady doesn't shout and chase a ball. A lady doesn't race. Blah, blah, blah. So I do believe that my fierce streak that loves to kick box, do HIIT, sprint, and dreams of fighting is perhaps due to rebellion to all the "lady" nonsense I had to obey as a child.

 

If my mom could have gotten me out of PE at school she would have. I had a love/hate relationship with PE. I was very bad at sports (because I was never allowed to play except at PE) and was teased, but I loved all the fun exercise.

 

To this day my mom tells me I shouldn't work out as much or as hard as I do lest my dh start to think I am unattractive. Just makes me do my kick boxing DVD twice in one day instead of only once. The benefit to this mother/daughter friction is that I do happen to have a toned/muscular body. And for the record dh has not complained a bit. ;)

[Soror]

I was raised to be a quiet, good little girl who is only does ladylike things. I was not allowed to play sports, play ball in the yard with my brother and his friends, and so forth. I was told that "ladies don't do strenuous things and should never do anything to sweat" because it is not attractive. A lady doesn't exercise unless it's just light stretching or walking. A lady doesn't shout and chase a ball. A lady doesn't race. Blah, blah, blah. So I do believe that my fierce streak that loves to kick box, do HIIT, sprint, and dreams of fighting is perhaps due to rebellion to all the "lady" nonsense I had to obey as a child.

 

If my mom could have gotten me out of PE at school she would have. I had a love/hate relationship with PE. I was very bad at sports (because I was never allowed to play except at PE) and was teased, but I loved all the fun exercise.

 

To this day my mom tells me I shouldn't work out as much or as hard as I do lest my dh start to think I am unattractive. Just makes me do my kick boxing DVD twice in one day instead of only once. The benefit to this mother/daughter friction is that I do happen to have a toned/muscular body. And for the record dh has not complained a bit.

Wow, that is such a different world than what I grew up in. My mom was of the type that a women could do about anything that a man could do, we were always outside doing crazy rough stuff and I remember all of us joining the gym in high school and lifting weights and such- it was a regular man's gym- no frilly girly stuff. But I didn't like the sports that were offered in my small school- sports with balls aren't my forte. I can totally relate however to wanting to rebel a bit. Doing circus stuff has a certain fun factor due to the weirdness and I'd try out pole dancing if it was in my area- My dh has never complained regardless of my fitness level or size. He is all with me in my excitement towards aspiring towards being an advanced aerialist and he has seen the shoulders, back and arms of those ladies- he's not spoken with anything but admiration about how buff they are.