I find going down the weights work better. I only do this exercise twice a week as it is very intense. I start with a 12 kg dumbell in each hand and do 12 reps, then a 10 second break and 12 reps of 10
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I repeat this with an 8kg, 6kg and 4kg dumbbell and honestly the 4kg is so difficult to lift by the end of it.

Yeah, that's kind of like what pyramid sets are. Well, except that you normally start low and then work your way up. They say to only do them once every while, and you say that you do, so that's good. I was doing them for awhile but I kind of stopped. I'm looking into doing 5X5, but it sounds pretty intense.

That does sound pretty intense! May have to try that out next time! :D

I've been eating lots of Steak and King Arthur Supreme pizzas from Roundtable. I occassionally down a six pack of beer and get a few twelve ounce curls in. After this i like to sit back on the couch and relax for the week. Occassionally on weekends i'll surf/snowboard or hit the desert for dirtbiking and shooting guns which tends to burn a few calories in between more beer drinking.

I've got a question for you fitness gurus out there. Currently I'm working out and eating better, and I'm seeing great results. 20 lbs down...ALOT more to go. But anyway, that's not the point.

Yes, the results are obvious. However, I still have all this pudge around the middle that is really bothering me. My question is, what is a good way to minimize or get rid of the flab around my midsection without doing a bazillion crunches every night? Honestly, I don't mind doing crunches, but it just gets old and monotonous.

My work out currently consists of zumba 3 days a week, resistance training and cardio at the gym at least 2 times a week, and occasionally a pilates video at home. And of course, the crunches at night.

DO CRUNCHES!

no but really that's all you can do unless you go under the knife.

Also, there are certain foods you can eat that targets belly fat.

nonsubmissivewife, crunches wont help you lose that weight, you jut gotta keep eating well and do a lot of cardio. just keep at it, it's all about the cardio.

my workout routine has been basically to run a quarter mile, then stop and do planks. then lay on my back with my feet 6 inches in the air and my head and shoulders off the ground and twist back and forth 50 times. Then run another quarter mile and do it all over again. Til I've ran like 2 miles all together. And also eating under my maintenance calories every day.

I've already lost like 15 pounds these past couple months, I'm probably gonna make a thread or most likely a blog and update with pictures and stuff every few weeks throughout the summer and show everyone how I am gonna transform my body

which foods, and are they different for men and women?

I think DJ is pretty much wrong on everything he said... Like I said, focus most on cardio. The crunches are good too but they won't target the area you are trying to get rid of. A million crunches are just gonna give you a layer of muscle way below your fat. So it won't even really be noticable until you lose the weight first.. Best way is simply just going hard on the running. I like to do sprints, makes it go quicker in my head. Sprint a bit, walk a little while, sprint, walk, sprint, walk. Mix in some ab workouts and pushups along the way.

As for those foods, I think it's basically just what you'd consider eating healthy.. AKA eating vegetables and fruits, not eating snack junk food and drinking soda. There's no magical foods that are really gonna make you lose the weiight in that lower stomach area. Just keep up the cardio and watching what you eat, nonsubmissivewife. don't get frustrated, it wasn't easy putting the weight on so it wont be easy shedding it either.

Thanks for the input guys!

Dirty, I'm not worried about losing the weight. That part is going fine. What my concern is, is being flabby despite my working out and losing weight. I eat lots of whole foods, a well rounded, healthy diet, and I do tons of cardio. I just started the resistance training. So really what I wanted to know was how to tone that area while I'm losing weight.

From what both you and dj said, I gather cardio + crunches + eating well is the trick...which is what I'd figured already. I wanted to know what else I can do besides crunches to gain muscle and toning.