I really want to tone up my stomach, i know the obvious is to do sit ups but as much as i would love to do them, i cant, it puts a strain on my back and i have to be careful as ive hurt my back a couple of times already (and im only 22! ).

is there any other exercise i can do that will help tone up my tummy.

thanks for your help people.

ARX

Special is right.

Ab Ripper X. Your back hurts because it isn't strong enough to take the stress of situps, etc yet. You really should do ab ripper x along with your normal P90X plan.

My lower back hurt the same way when i started P90X. I wasn't able to keep up with the ARX DVD, but over time it got a lot better.

Start slow, say 10 reps per exercise (there is 11 of them.) Finish the workout! It's only 16 minutes long. Try to add reps whenever you feel comfortable. Push yourself every time you do it.

After a few weeks of that your back pain should decrease considerably.

First of all, 1,000 situps a day will NOT tone up your tummy. All you will do is manage to increase the size of your abdominal muscles, thus making your tummy larger. I'm a woman, I know.
ARX WILL give you results, you just have to be consistent, stick with it, and don't get discouraged. Your abs are going to be incredibly sore after the workout, but don't let that stop you.
Another note worth adding, if you want to lose fat around your tummy, you have to do cardio. You cannot spot reduce any part of your body, contrary to popular belief. A flat tummy is the result of diet and exercise, that exercise being a combination of cardio, strength training and ab work. That is why P90x works so well. Do the whole package and I promise you WILL see results.

QUOTE:
i know the obvious is to do sit ups

yes, that is the obvious, but it is also WRONG.

i agree 100% with what runningjunkie said. you need to diet AND exercise, and do cardio. i know a guy at the gym, he said he's never done a sit up in his life, and has a ripped 6-pack. why? cuz he worksout and eats right. this is the reason all those gimmicky ab contraptions you see on tv dont work. yes, it MAY give you a 6-pack, but it'll be hidden under a layer of fat/skin.

oh, and 2 moves to help your back (and i'm assuming lower back here since you mention it in terms of sit ups).

1- Plank. basically the top of a push up, but on your elbows. do like, 30 second holds, if you can. and increase it till you're holding for 2 min. (or more if you're a beast...haha) plank is actually really good for everything, inlcuding your abs too.

2- bridge. its on the yoga video.

The other moderators said it best. You are going to have to get rid of that layer of fat the lies over your abs. Cardio, Cardio, Cardio!!!

I have not tried it yet but I'm hearing from people who have that the new DVD RevAbs is great. Might be worth a try, I'll probably try it soon.

I love AbRipper X. I have done many abdominal exercises, but this is more core. It targets all the main core muscles. With the 11 exercises, you not only work upper and lower, but you work your back, (in a good way)by keeping your posture in good form as you do the exercises.

You can do some variations with the exercies, because Tony gives you 3 different ways to do them.

Let's climb our legs! Hard, easier, easiest... They're doing what works for them, you do what works for you! ... Sad that I know these quotes... LOL

LOL.. I quote Tony without meaning to sometimes!

Austin wrote:

QUOTE:
Let's climb our legs! Hard, easier, easiest... They're doing what works for them, you do what works for you! ... Sad that I know these quotes... LOL

Thank God leg climb is right before mason twists. Leg climb I think is the easiest one, right before the hardest one.

szgorzelski wrote:

QUOTE:
Austin wrote:

QUOTE:
Let's climb our legs! Hard, easier, easiest... They're doing what works for them, you do what works for you! ... Sad that I know these quotes... LOL

Thank God leg climb is right before mason twists. Leg climb I think is the easiest one, right before the hardest one.

REally? i find mason twists to be the easiest and leg climbs 2nd easiest

The reason I find it hte hardest is because it's last lol! I did arx this morning instead of after my evening workout for a change. It was too easy. I don't recommend anyone do ARX first because I don't feel that I got a very good workout. Mason twists were downright easy this morning.

I did ARX last night after doing Legs and Back in the morning. It was only the second time I did it separate from the workout and I agree that it felt way easier.

szgorzelski wrote:

QUOTE:
Austin wrote:

QUOTE:
Let's climb our legs! Hard, easier, easiest... They're doing what works for them, you do what works for you! ... Sad that I know these quotes... LOL

Thank God leg climb is right before mason twists. Leg climb I think is the easiest one, right before the hardest one.

You're not 1 grabbing then! the 1 grab is incredibly hard to do! I personally do a 2 grab, but my first grab is usually my shin. try to do a little sit up before you grab your leg & you will feel it more!

1 grab is how I almost always do it. I think the way Adam on the DVD does it is the hardest way, at least for me. While Audra keeps her arms in the air using them to produce momentum, Adam places his arms flat on the ground and then sits up and no-grabs his toes using no momentum generated by his arms.

90% of the tim I do it the way Audra does it. I do feel that the way you make it harder is how you go back down. You need to roll back, feeling each vertebrae as you settled back on the ground. This way you can't help but contract your stomach muscles..

Try these two exercises to get rid of ab flab:

Oblique crunches: Turn on your side and do side crunches. 50 reps on each side.

Leg lifts: Lying flat on your back, with your hands under your tail bone, slowly lift and lower your legs off the floor. You can keep them slightly bent, but don't let them touch the floor. Try 50 reps to begin with and gradually increase the number of repetitions.

I am not 100 % sure if these will get rid of the flab completely but they will tone and tighten your abs and the abs will appear less flabby.

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These sound like great exercises!