How To Get Abs For Girls And Still Have A Womanly And Feminine Look
Many of my articles are geared towards both men and women. In this article though, I’m going to concentrate on how to get abs for girls but not for men. If you are a woman who wants slim, somewhat toned and flat abs, this article is for you.
When you concentrate on getting abs for girls specifically, the end result is much better and appealing than following a man’s approach.
There are many different types of looking bodies and many different opinions as to what looks good. If you’re a woman who wants extreme ab definition with deep and cut lines this probably isn’t the article for you. I’m not saying that every woman should try to develop a more womanly physique, but I do feel that in general it is a better look to shoot for.
The same goes for guys who workout. Having an extreme amount of muscle just doesn’t look natural. Some guys can pull it off better than others, but for the majority, having a more natural amount of muscle that looks really defined and cut is better than being humongous … in my opinion.
How To Get Abs For Girls
When it comes to getting abs, whether for girls for for guys, many of the same rules and principles apply. The absolute most important aspect is your diet.
In fact, if you focus too much on doing as many ab exercises as you can and not as much on the diet you may end up looking worse. The overall goal for girls trying to get abs should be to get as flat of a stomach as possible.
If you do too many crunches, situps or other ab building exercises then it stands to reason that your abs are going to get bigger. Instead of bigger abs, you should want to get abs that are tight and toned.
In this article I’ll outline the key components of how to get abs for girls. The two main areas that you should be focusing on are:
- Doing only the best ab exercises for girls
- Revealing your abs through diet and other workouts
By concentrating on these two aspects in as simple of a way as possible you’ll get the best results.
If you make sure that you (1) do a few exercises to get toned abs, (2) diet to create a calorie deficit and then (3) add some fat burning workouts on top of that you will be able to get abs and then most importantly, you’ll be able to see them.
Step 1 – Best Ab Exercises For Girls
As I mentioned above, doing an endless amount of crunches and other ab building exercises is not what you should be doing to get abs. By doing this you are more likely to build the size of your stomach as well as your abs.
Instead, here are some exercises that will help you to create a flat stomach that does not bulge out.
Ab Exercise #1 – The Plank
I’ve written out a complete plank workout so I won’t re-write it, but you can do it to help you to tone and flatten your abs. Here is a video to show you just what a plank is.
There are also some really good variations of this exercise. One of those is the side plank, which is great for working your obliques. Here’s a video showing you how to do this exercise.
Ab Exercise #2 – The Vacuum
The vacuum is a fairly old-school exercise but it is great for creating a flat stomach. I try to do these randomly throughout the day. Here’s a video showing you how to do this exercise. I also like to do these on the floor while on all fours.
Step 2 – Dieting To Get Abs
The diet is really the answer to how to abs for girls. Without a proper diet it really doesn’t matter how well toned your abs are because you will never see them.
There are many different diets that you can follow but the most important thing to remember is that you have to be able to stick with it. If you go on a crash course diet and lose weight you will often regain it after you are done.
Instead of taking this approach, find a diet that works for you, allows for some lenience from time to time and then stick with it. Just remember, the number one rule to losing weight is to create a calorie deficit with your diet and then to compliment or assist that by adding exercise.
Step 3 – Workout To Burn Stubborn Fat
After you’ve created the initial calorie deficit from your diet it is now time to add in some calorie burning workouts.
If you are not doing any type of strength training then I strongly recommend that you do so. Don’t worry, you won’t get big or buff if you do it correctly and it will add great shape and tone to your entire body. Here is an article on how weight lifting for women should be done.
Another important type of exercise (even more so than the ab exercises themselves) is cardio. Since the number one factor in determining whether or not you “have abs” is if you can see them, doing cardio will help you burn off whatever stubborn fat that is left over after your dieting.
Doing cardio is a great way to burn extra calories and to reveal your hard earned abs. Here is a solid workout schedule that will help you get abs.
- Day 1 – Chest & Back followed by HIIT cardio
- Day 2 – Shoulders & Arms followed by HIIT cardio
- Day 3 – Abs
- Day 4 – Chest & Back followed by HIIT cardio
- Day 5 – Shoulders & Arms followed by HIIT cardio
- Day 6 – Abs
- Day 7 – Rest
You’ll notice that there aren’t any set “leg days” but that is because of the HIIT. Doing high intensity interval training will work your legs plenty and you should not do direct leg workouts in addition to this since this would most likely result in over reaching.
Here is a great interval workout that you can do on a treadmill that will blast fat right off of your abs. Do this right after your strength training for your HIIT cardio and you’ll get awesome results.
Putting It All Together
For girls to have visible abs it usually takes getting down to about 16% body fat. Once you do that you will have some great looking abs.
If you want to get more of a ripped look then you’re going to have to get down to 12% or so.
For most women, this is going to be extremely low and depending upon your body you might start looking less “womanly.” My guess is that the woman in this picture here is 10-12% body fat. It can be tough to put an exact number on a fat percentage since everybody shows differently.
As long as you follow these steps you will get abs.
(1) Do sufficient amounts of ab exercises and make sure that they work on producing a flat stomach.
(2) Create a calorie deficit with your diet to lose enough fat to reveal your abs.
(3) Add in some full body workouts and cardio to burn off any stubborn body fat that is covering your abs.
Tim @ Behind The Workout
November 2, 2011 @ 7:29 pm
Great post Kevin. Glad that you emphasized the importance of diet when it comes to getting abs: SPOT REDUCTION DOESN’T WORK! You gotta follow a caloric deficit diet as well as exercising to further spike your calorie expenditure.
Good exercise selection; bulky abs like those on Ms Olympias are definitely not aesthetically pleasing. I would probably throw in some side planks and hip bridges in there too to work the obliques and the lower back/glutes region.
Kevin
November 2, 2011 @ 8:28 pm
I did mention side planks (I love those) but I forgot to mention anything about working the lower back. You make a valid point for sure … it’s always a good idea to work your lower back after doing ab exercises.
Guada
October 16, 2016 @ 1:03 pm
Im 14 and i dont need to loose weight but i my stach doesnt have any lines,its okay if i just make abs? In how many time will i have a three line??
Guada
October 16, 2016 @ 1:04 pm
My stomach**
Dave - Not Your Average Fitness Tips
November 4, 2011 @ 9:07 am
Excellent plan for women to get abs. You nailed all the key points…diet + workout + ab exercises.
Kevin
May 4, 2012 @ 8:42 am
Thanks Dave … yeah, can’t expect to “get abs” if you’re fat percentage isn’t in check.
Christine
April 1, 2012 @ 8:16 pm
Im 13 and I don’t want to diet, will doing just the ab exercises work?
Kevin
May 4, 2012 @ 8:43 am
Christine,
Unfortunately, no … unless you don’t have any fat to lose. Doing ab exercises will NOT make you lose weight. In order to have abs you’ve got to be at a low enough body fat percentage.
meme
May 17, 2012 @ 3:58 am
Actually. at 13, just the ab exercises will probably be enough if you eat healthy food. At 13 your body is still growing and your metabolism is probably as fast as it will ever be. You will notice big changes by just doing exercises. The older you get, the more you have to worry about the diet. Try it and see how it works for you. Maybe try to replace as much junkfood in your diet with healthy snacks like fruits and veggies.
Asha
August 16, 2012 @ 2:15 pm
You’ll have to do the cardio. If you only do the ab strengthening exercises, you wont lose the fat that’s covering up your abs. If you do cardio, you’ll burn the fat (but slower than if you diet along with it).
Asha
January 9, 2013 @ 8:09 pm
I recently started this workout and diet plan, and I have one question… What should I do if I want my butt to get bigger? Will the HIIT make it bigger, or do I need to do some extra strength training focusing on my butt? And how hard should I work it to make it bigger (sets, reps, rest between sets, difficulty of exercises)?
Kevin
January 22, 2013 @ 7:50 am
Asha,
The HIIT will not make your butt bigger. It all depends on your routine but a good place to start is to do higher reps and shorter rest periods. Maybe start at 3 sets of 12-15 reps and 30-40 second rests between… you’re aiming to feel the pump.
Asha
January 22, 2013 @ 11:57 am
Thank you 🙂
Fefe
January 19, 2013 @ 8:50 pm
I don’t have a gym membership and I don’t have weights but I have Insanity work out videos, would that count at HIIT, Cardio and Strength training all in one?
Kevin
January 22, 2013 @ 7:45 am
Fefe,
Yep, both Insanity and P90x are full workouts in themselves. You won’t need to supplement these with anymore training.
Fefe
January 22, 2013 @ 10:28 am
Thank you
zan
March 25, 2013 @ 8:04 pm
my body fat is 33% I just start eating healthy meaning nothing processed and more steamed vegies and fish. I only do cardio not sure how to start weight?
Dhruv Bhagat
February 2, 2014 @ 10:55 pm
There are lots of girls in my gym who are regularly lifting weights. Even, some girls who are working out from last 3-4 months have achieved their bikini body. Its really nice to see such group of girls working together in an aggressive manner..
Those girls have inspired everybody in the gym. Its really nice to have such healthy and strong people in company..
There are lots of IFBB Pro fitness models who have influenced other girls to get shredded.
This is an awesome post Kevin! Keep writing 🙂
Edgara
June 16, 2014 @ 3:25 pm
That vacuum excercise really does work. I’ve been doing a very similar move for many years and it works amazing to get the waist chiseled and curved. I got it from an old workout called Bodyflex…all about breathing.
Renee
July 6, 2014 @ 5:00 pm
I heard that if you have a big belly and you only do ab work outs then the muscle your abs get will build up underneath the fat and make you look bigger than you’d hope to be… is that true?0_0
Ales
November 10, 2015 @ 4:26 pm
Well im doing cardio, some stretching, im taking easy on carbs and I dont eat fatty foods cause I usually dont crave it. He problem for me is that genetically I easily get pumped muscles… whatever I do, except if I go VERY hard on diet like, minimun amounts of fruits twice a day and 1 salad… something that, since im working out, doesnt satiate my hunger. I prefer the lean look as im very short 1.55m and im 51kg at the moment. Im doing well, but WhYyyy the Abdominal fat so hard to burn?!?! Im cycle, I walk, I run and Im healthy, but no matter what my stomach is always there….
Parmida
January 31, 2017 @ 10:06 pm
I have a quick question:
Will HIIT give me a better result than running for like an hour?? I mean would HIIT burn more fat?
Best,
Parmida