Being physically fit has been the goal of many. It takes a lot of courage and motivation to start something, especially when it requires strength and self-discipline. The same concept applies to getting abs from weightlifting.
Whenever you see people who work out, one thing that is evident in them is their toned muscles and abs. Nonetheless, it took them a lot of effort and consistency to achieve such a body. If you want to have your abs visible, you should start knowing your body more. See what workout routine is best for you!
One common workout routine for starters is weightlifting. But can you get abs from weightlifting?
Can You Get Abs From Weightlifting?
According to an article from Coachmag, we all have a six-pack – all we need to do is develop it and make it show. How? Through strength-training routines, a healthy diet, and some healthy cardio.
A strength-training routine or commonly known as weightlifting exercise involves moving body parts against some resistance. Resistance includes weights, resistance bands, weight machines, or even your body weight. Weightlifting enables your muscles to be activated and become stronger.
Weightlifting training cannot be done whenever and however you like. So, it would be best if you studied more about your body and muscles. Doing it without proper knowledge about the right techniques to use may be dangerous. It would put you at risk of sprains, strains, fractures, or other painful injuries.
For starters, it is crucial to start with a lighter weight to surprise your body. It will enable you to work on your technique, body form, and as well as for safety reasons. After getting used to the basic moves, you can gradually increase the weight. This is called progressive overload.
There are basic weightlifting exercises you can do as a beginner. These will help you a lot in building your routine, as long as you do them regularly. Listed below are some of the basic resistance training techniques you can do.
- Pushups
- Curl ups
- Squats
- Crunches
- Lunges
- Pelvic tilts
If you’re not confident enough to do it yourself, you can go to a gym to get a proper instructor.
Although weightlifting is very important, it is only contributory. You must also maintain and look out for the right food to eat.
If you desire to have a healthy and long-term effect, you must have enough patience and perseverance. Developing your abs may take a lot of time and effort.
How Long Does It Take To Get Abs?
Lowering your body fat requires self-discipline. If you focus on your goal and discipline yourself, reducing body fat can be easier. Proper diet and exercise are the keys to an effective and safe fat reduction.
Developing abs may differ according to age, body type, diet, genetics, or gender. It also depends on the percentage of body fat you have. Experts say that women tend to have more body fat than men. This is because of women’s hormone estrogen, according to Science.
According to experts, a 1% body fat loss per month is both safe and attainable. From that data, achieving the appropriate fat loss for women who have average body fat could take about 20 to 26 months.
Unveiling Your Abs
For women to burn substantial fat, knowing the beginning body fat percentage can be helpful. It will help to estimate and plan routines earlier.
30% or More Body Fat
People with 30% or more body fat are already considered obese. This would make reducing body fat a lot harder. More so, for women, it would most likely take 1 to 2 years or even more.
20% Body Fat
Depending on their workout routine and diet, losing fat could take about 1 to 3 months. With self-discipline, it would surely be easier!
15% Body Fat
Finally! For women, the abs may be visible or are starting to be visible. 15% body fat for women is already fine. But, some factors may affect the results, such as their body type.
10% Body Fat
For women, a 10% beginning body fat percentage is already the essential range. This means that those desired abs must already be visible.
Spot-reducing Fat
A lot of people tend to have this misconception of reducing fats in specific parts of the body. Unfortunately, you can’t spot-reduce fat. But, you can burn extra fat to highlight your abs!
So why is spot-reducing fat impossible?
According to experts, there is not enough evidence of the effectiveness of spot-reduction. When the body burns fat stores, it does not use the stores closest to the muscles being flexed. Instead, all of the body’s fat is burned.
How to Effectively Lose Belly Fat
Health, fitness, and lifestyle are crucial to achieving your desired body. A healthy lifestyle does promote not only physical health but also mental health. A person who takes their lifestyle seriously tends to be more carefree and healthy.
One of the things women desire is losing belly fat. This is, unfortunately, easier said than done. But with patience and perseverance, nothing is impossible. Losing belly fat effectively requires regular exercise, a proper diet, and a healthy lifestyle.
Exercises that Promote Fat Loss
Regular and right exercise routines are very helpful in reducing fat. It makes your body sweat a lot, helping in burning calories. The list below is some exercises that could help in fat loss or belly fat loss in women.
- Cardiovascular exercise
- Jumping Jacks
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Basic plank
- Standing Belly Press
- Strength Trai
Best Food to Eat and Avoid to Lose Belly Fat
Food is the biggest contributor to gaining or losing fat. Knowing what and not to eat is essential in trying to lose belly fat, especially for women. You should take note of your calorie intake to make losing belly fat easier for you.
The foods to eat to lose belly fat are:
- Protein foods – According to health experts, protein helps to lessen cravings and boost metabolism. Proteins particularly help in your abdominal fat. Some high protein foods are whole eggs, meat, nuts, legumes, and dairy products.
- Fiber-Rich foods – It has always been known how helpful fiber is in weight loss. Some fiber-rich foods are apples, pears, avocado, almonds, chia seeds, and more.
Foods to avoid to lose belly fat easily are:
- Sugar and sugar-sweetened food and drinks- include sodas with high sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, pastries, cookies, cakes, chocolates, and candies. You must minimize your sugar intake as much as possible or even eliminate it in your diet.
- Junk foods – Junk foods include fries, pizza, burgers, chips, and more. These foods are high in calories and are very much unhealthy for the body.
- Some alcoholic drinks – Alcohol, especially beers, are said to provide more carbs to the body.
Lifestyle Changes that Can Help Significantly
A healthy lifestyle can help significantly to reduce belly fat. If you’re used to doing things that you think are not helping you lose weight, you must change them.
Here are things you must do for a healthy lifestyle:
- Adequate sleep
- Tracking food intake
- Take a rest
- Intermittent Fasting
- Do cardio exercise
Best Exercises To Get Abs
There are many ways to get started with core training that will help build and maintain healthy and strong muscles. If getting abs is your ultimate goal, then weightlifting or resistance training is the way to go.
Weightlifting exercises are the best exercises for your abs to develop. They may be tough at first, but they will surely be easier in the long run with consistency.
A few weightlifting exercises are listed below. These exercises are done with the use of some workout equipment. Additionally, these are very different from the basic ab workouts. These will surely help tone not just your abs but your whole body too.
- Low to High Woodchop
- Standing Weighted Twist
- Plank and Rotate
- Seated Russian Twist
- Dumbbell Crossover Punch
- Overhead Reach With Leg Lower
- Coordination Fly
- V-Sit With Single-Arm Chest Fly
- Standing Side Bend
- Lying Overhead Reach
Other than weightlifting exercises, there are cardio exercises that are of great help. These cardio exercises can also be done at home. Like weightlifting, cardio exercises also have levels of expertise. If you are yet a beginner, it is best to do the basic ones. Listed below are the cardio workouts you can add to your routine.
- Inchworm
- Power skip
- Uppercut
- Mountain climber twist
- High knees
- Punch
- Plank jack
- Butt kick
- Fast feet shuffle
- Plank-to-knee tap
Note that these cardio exercises are just for beginners. It is important to start from the very first level to avoid getting overwhelmed. If you want a more extensive routine, you can do some of these exercises instead.
- Long jump with jog back
- Tuck jump
- Corkscrew
- Diver’s push up
- Wide mountain climbers
You can also do other routines that you think are best for you. It is always up to how persistent and disciplined you are to achieve those goals of yours.
Conclusion
With motivation, you can start anything you set your mind to. Physically fit body? Abs? No problem! You can get abs from weightlifting! Just gear it up with a healthy lifestyle and proper diet. Just remember that you have to be consistent and patient. As they said, nothing worth having comes easy.
Really good article. Thanks for sharing!