*This is mainly a broad guide so others might gain something from it and not just the thread opener*
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First and foremost, if you have heart or lung problems or special needs and cases, please consult your doctor before you do or try any workout routine, gym, or special diet. Do not try diet pills, muscle enhancers, steroids, or special drugs without first consulting a dietary, nutritional, or medical expert as you may incidentally bust your liver, kidneys, lungs and/or heart.
This is all based on experience and from feedback from gym "rats" and some physical therapists that I know, abs are the most hardest to work on. But keep in mind, the first important step (as always) would be setting a specific tangible goal for yourself. So you have to ask yourself a couple of questions first:
1. Do I have enough time for it?
If you work 9-5 (regular daytime job), then it'll be easy to add some exercises and some gym time to your everyday routine at work or at home (if you work from home). Some workout routines can take only about an hour to two hours of gym time or shorter, if you just want to workout your abs.
If you work in shifts or work in a hospital (like I do), then it will become more difficult (but not impossible), since you constantly adjust your daytime and nighttime routines (i.e. breakfast at dusk, dinner at dawn, sleeping during the daytime or afternoon, etc.). My area only provides gyms that open at 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. so if I start working nights, I can't find an open gym at 6 a.m. (which may or may not be the case for you).
2. How long will it take?
It'll be best to ask your gym instructor or physical therapist. Some people, especially those that have belly fat/beer belly or have people that have "big guts" running in the family, slower metabolic rate, and those with medical problems have a hard time at working out and losing weight, especially losing excess fat from the midsection. So, to some degree, if you are obese or overweight, it might take longer.
To determine if you're abdominally obese, stand up straight, look down, and judge whether your stomach is sticking out farther than your chest, if your stomach IS sticking out farther, you really need to work them out, if not, you'll have an easier time working on them along with your regular routine.
But if you're dedicated, it won't be much of a problem either way. Remember, the important thing is to have a goal.
3. Do I need to diet?
This is a tricky question. Forgive me if it becomes too technical.
According to research and by many testimonies, "dieting is absolutely useless without exercise." Keep in mind that having the wrong type of diet while doing rigorous or strenuous activities (like working out in the gym or at home, bicycling, etc) may prove to be counter productive or even dangerous. Whatever you do, DO NOT GO ON A CRASH DIET! Never ever do that. Always consult a nutritionist or dietician to help you gauge your BMI (body mass index; tells if you are overweight or not), fat index (tells how much fat you have and where they are in your body), and current nutritional level (malnourished, overnourished, etc.)
According to basic nutrition requirements, the body consumes resources in this order:
(1) Glucose/sugars ===> (2) Fat ===> (3) Protein.
You want to burn the fat and build up muscle, but it's also never a good idea to loss all of your glucose and get a hypoglycemic attack while you're at the gym or working out on your own. It'll suck if you faint in the middle of a workout routine while trying to impress the ladies or gents. (For more info, google Hypoglycemia, Lactic acidosis, and Ketoacidosis)
So the best strategy would be to avoid fatty and oily foods, take in more protein and eat small portions of glucose rich foods and distribute them evenly across your daily routine (i.e. pasta, rice, bread, etc). Taking a couple candy/protein/energy bars, water, and some electrolytic drinks (Gatorade, etc.) with you to the gym or while working out is essentially beneficial and helpful.
4. Where to start?
You can start by asking your doctor (if you have health risks like heart and/or lung problems if you can work out. Next, is to do your own research and ask people who have successfully minimized the size of their abs or have developed them enough to six/eight packs. Remember, experimenting is never a good way to go if you don't know what you're doing and how to do them.
When I did my personal research, I found out that in order to reduce the size of your belly, you need only to have them constantly or consistently "at work." If you're work is a deskjob, you're an executive who's always busy at your workstation in the office, work from home, or work in front of a computer all the time, chances are, you have a belly likely sticking out farther than your chest.
So, how do you put your abs/midsection to work? Do the bicycle kick exercise for 60 reps twice a day along with your regular routine. (Don't know how?
http://www.fullfitness.net/exercises/abs/bicycle-kick)
I was a bit surprised to find out that this often-overlooked exercise is effective in minimizing your gut to a degree and improve strength drawn from the midsection.
Another is to ride a bike for about 5 miles every other day or for at least 5 to 10 minutes on medium resistance for stationery bike users.
5. Will working on my abs have repercussions on my other routines?
If you just focus on your abs, you will eventually lose out on other parts of your body, like legs, back and arms. My gym instructor (who is also a licensed physical therapist) told me that the best way to balance out your routine for your whole body is to make 2 programs, 1 program for purely your abs scheduled on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 1 program for everything else (legs, back, arms, chest, etc.) scheduled on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Sunday should definitely be a rest day which I call OPTION 1.
You could also schedule it with 2 consecutive days of working out with the program for the abs on day 1 and everything else for day 2 and rest on day 3. We will call this OPTION 2 which goes something like this: The program for your abs will be done on Monday, so for your program for the other parts will be done on Tuesday, you rest on Wednesday, you work on your abs on Thursday, then on your arms, chest, legs, and back on Friday, rest on Saturday, and then back again on your abs on Sunday, etc. ad infinitum.
*I'll probably post more later if anyone is still interested and if you find the above (even remotely) helpful to you as I am at work right now. Feel free to ask me in PM or through a post here*
*DISCLAIMER: This is all based on experience and what every single gym instructor and physical therapist told me to do when I asked them, I am not a professional, just someone who wants to help out*
Good luck.
