Apple shaped women tend to have large breasts, a thick middle (no waist), flat butt, leaner arms and legs. When apple shaped women lose weight they tend to lose from the top down and the bottom up meaning their face thins out, their arms and legs get tighter and firmer but that darn middle sticks around for the long haul.
There are some definite no no’s when it comes to ab training for an apple. Here are two of them:
1. Weighted ab crunches or ab machines
2. Weighted rotary twists or side bends
These will not flatten your stomach! If you are wanting thicker and denser ab muscles than by all means stick to weighted crunches. However, if you want a flat stomach and a nice hourglass shape than try any number of plank variations:
Basic Plank (The key is doing these correctly! It is not about how long you can hold the position. Abs should be drawn in and glutes contracted the entire time. When doing these with clients I start off with 1 set of 8 reps with a 3 sec. hold. These are dang hard when done correctly!)
- Draw your lower abdomen inward toward your spine.
- In optimal postural alignment tighten buttocks and lift body up onto forearms.
- While maintaining the abdominal draw-in contraction, hold optimal alignment for 15 SECONDS and repeat 10 times.
- Your spine should be in a neutral position from cervical to lumbar and your glutes should remain tight without compensatory motion.
- Keep chin tucked in.
- Reduce time if necessary. Form is more important than how long or how much!
Abs for a female apple take time and patience along with a properly designed exercise & nutrition plan. Incidentally, research shows that apple shapes have issues with carbohydrate tolerance. Apples will fair much better, on their quest to lose the belly fat, by swapping out some of those carbs for protein. As the saying goes…..”abs are made in the kitchen”.
Need help in your quest for a chiseled middle? I can help. Contact me for a complimentary consultation.
