How effective are these workouts?

Does the whole thing go out the window if I split up my hour-long workouts into little 10-minute chunks scattered throughout the day? Like... just doing a bit here and there every few hours?

Also, would I actually see better results if I spread out 180 crunches over the course of the day—maybe doing 20 now, then 30 later on—versus just knocking out 90 all at once?

And how much daily training am I looking at if I want to see some real progress by this time next month?

Just to be clear... I’m not trying to lose weight. I just want to tone up a bit, and honestly, I really hate sweating.

Thanks

So, you're afraid of breaking a sweat? Wow. 🙂

Don't listen to them. Katherine, just go for it. You go girl! 👍

It's more effective to just power through without breaks, though I'm not sure what you're actually aiming for with 180 crunches... seems like a waste of time.

Susan Jackson12 said:It’s actually more effective to just power through without stopping—I honestly don't see the point of doing 180 crunches. It feels like a total waste of time.

Well, something is always better than nothing—especially if we're talking about those standard, old-school moves that don't really do much for you anyway. At least you're moving. Besides, everyone seems so obsessed with getting those abs; if they’d just take five minutes to Google actual core training, they'd find half a dozen exercises that are infinitely better than basic crunches.

feralmaker12 said:Something is better than nothing, I guess. If they’re just doing standard crunches, there isn't much point, but at least they're moving. Everyone is so obsessed with six-packs lately... if they just did a quick Google search, they'd find five or six actual core exercises that work way better than basic crunches.

Exactly. Standard crunches are pretty much useless; you're better off spending your time on something actually effective. There's barely any difference between doing nothing and doing 180 crunches. After a few months of hitting those 180 crunches regularly, you'll probably just end up with lower back pain instead of visible abs...

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Susan Jackson12 said:I just don't see what the point is in doing 180 sit-ups; it feels like a total waste of energy.

feralmaker12 said:Everyone seems so obsessed with sit-ups lately, yet if they actually took five minutes to Google some actual fitness science, they’d find half a dozen exercises that are way more effective for core strength.

😲

Since I'm clearly out of the loop here, would anyone mind dropping a link if it's not too much trouble?
Also, does anyone have an opinion on whether those ab workouts from Insanity are actually worth the hype?

Susan Jackson12 said:I couldn't agree more; standard crunches are arguably the least effective exercise you can choose, and frankly, it’s better to invest that energy into something with actual substance. The difference between doing absolutely nothing and grinding out 180 crunches is practically negligible, and if you stick to that routine for a few months, you'll likely find yourself dealing with lower back pain rather than seeing any meaningful abdominal definition.

Forgive me, but I believe you might be missing the mark here.
The woman who started this thread specifically mentioned that her goal isn't weight loss. If someone is already lean enough around the midsection and simply wants to develop some muscle tone or visible abs, they can certainly make progress using basic abdominal exercises.

cosmicviper4 said:Sorry, but I think you're way off base here.
The woman who started this thread said she isn't looking to lose weight. If you're already lean enough around the midsection and just want some definition or abs, standard sit-ups can actually get you there.

I might be. But I haven't met a woman who "just wants to tone up" while having low enough body fat for sit-ups alone to reveal abs. Most people saying they "just want to tone up" are sitting above 20% body fat... and at that level, sit-ups won't do much...

crimsonfox26 said:Are those ab workouts from Insanity actually worth it?

Honestly, I think they’re even better than P90X. Give 'em a shot.

Susan Jackson12 said:It is entirely possible that I am correct. However, in my experience, I have yet to encounter a woman who claims she "just wants to tone up" while actually possessing a body fat percentage low enough for abdominal exercises alone to reveal definition. Typically, most individuals making that specific claim are sitting at a body fat level north of 20%, and at that stage, nothing but crunches will yield any visible results.

Of course, if one continues to perform the exact same repetitions without variation over a period of time, progress will inevitably plateau as the stimulus becomes too easy. To counter this, one ought to introduce progressive overload—perhaps by holding a weight plate against the chest while performing sit-ups to increase the resistance.
I certainly concur with the sentiment that if someone is carrying over 20% body fat, they won't see those muscle lines clearly, but that is precisely why programs like Insanity exist, alongside dedicated core work and such.🙂

cosmicviper4 said:Of course, if you just keep doing the same thing over and over without any breaks, you aren't going to see any more progress. It gets too easy... so you need to add some resistance, like holding a weight on your chest while doing sit-ups to increase the difficulty.
I mean, I get it—you won't see much change if your body fat is sitting north of 20%. But that's literally why Insanity exists... and all those core workouts... 🙂

She said she hates sweating... which means Insanity is out of the question... 😁

George Myers86 said:I find them better than P90X. Give them a shot.

Agreed. Honestly, the AB Ripper from P90X2 is even more effective. And Catha Friedrich STS ABS is solid too...

frozenotter14 said:well, she did mention she isn't particularly fond of sweating... which implies Insanity isn't really her cup of tea.😁

It seems rather unlikely that anyone looking to drop a significant percentage of body fat can achieve those results without breaking a sweat.😛
Even Chuck Norris would find that a bit of a challenge.🤣

Honestly, nothing cracks me up more than hearing someone brag about crushing 500 or 600 crunches a day, only to act genuinely shocked when they can’t get rid of that layer of belly fat. Crunches are practically useless for weight loss. People just grind away at them for no reason. Even if you have massive abs underneath, they aren't going to show if you haven't lost the weight first.
You can't just target fat loss in one specific spot. If you want to see your abs, you have to lose fat from your entire body. You really only start seeing definition once you hit somewhere under 10% body fat. That's why so few women actually have visible abs; biologically, women naturally carry a higher body fat percentage than men. You're mostly only seeing it on those girls who live at the local Equinox, hitting the gym five days a week and basically sacrificing their sanity to get there.

Regarding your question, it’s obviously more effective to do them all at once. Warm up for five minutes, then knock them out in a solid 15 to 20-minute block. I mean, if you think that Ab Ripper app is useful, go ahead and download it—do what you want.
As for this idea about not wanting to sweat? Well, if you don't want to work hard, maybe just stay on the couch. To me, there’s zero point in splitting 200 crunches into tiny sets of 25 and doing them eight times throughout the day. Just get it over with.

It definitely works if you spread those exercises out over the entire day. I used to do about four sets of 20 to 30 pushups daily, and I honestly felt more toned and better overall than when I wasn't active at all. It’s not some massive transformation, but it beats sitting on the couch or being stuck at my desk all day. Personally, I think you should push through every set until you can't anymore.
Doing 50 crunches might make me break a sweat, but doing 20 with some weight doesn't even trigger that for me—even though the toning effect feels identical (at least according to my own biology). As for how effective this "low-sweat" approach is in the long run, I couldn't tell you, but it's certainly better than just lounging around.

I only used 180 as an example, but honestly, I’ve got a whole month ahead of me... so I was thinking about just going all in.

And yeah, I’d much rather focus on whatever else actually works—mostly because I absolutely loathe ab workouts. I’m not looking to get all shredded or have a six-pack or anything crazy... my main goal is probably just cinching in my waist a bit.

It's not even about losing weight, really. My issue is that I'm starting to feel a bit soft 🙂—so I figured I should probably do something about it before gravity takes its inevitable toll. My stomach is pretty flat and I don't really have any fat, unless you count this little bit of looseness as "fat"... My midsection is the main priority, but I guess I want to work on my whole body too.

I just ran the numbers and if it's right, my body fat is at 18.2%. Look, I hate sweating... what can you do? But if it’s necessary, I guess I'll just suck it up and deal.

Any advice is welcome, especially on how to see some actual results within a month. Am I being way too ambitious here?

I'm gonna go Google the stuff you guys suggested and then I'll check back in.

Sophia Garcia81 said:I only used 180 as an example, but since I have a free month coming up, I figured I'd go all out.

Honestly, I'd prefer other exercises if they work better because I absolutely loathe ab workouts. I'm not looking to get shredded or anything extreme—my main goal is just to slim down my waistline.

It’s not about losing weight. My issue is that I’m getting soft, 🙂 so I want to do something about it before gravity takes its toll. My stomach is flat and I don't have fat, unless you count this recent looseness as fat. My midsection is the priority, but I want to focus on my whole body.

I just calculated my body fat at 18.2%, assuming the math is right. I hate sweating, but if it's necessary, I'll deal with it.

Any advice is welcome, especially regarding how to see real results within a single month. Maybe my ambitions are too high?

I'll Google the stuff you guys suggested and get back to you.

Look, with an attitude like that, even using the word "ambition" is an overstatement.
She needs to realize that getting actual results requires more than just sweat; it takes blood, sweat, and tears. 😳😁
Fix your mindset first, then we can talk about progress. 🤷

Jack Ward82 said:Look, she really needs to understand that if you want those kind of killer results, just breaking a sweat isn't enough... you gotta put some blood, sweat, and tears into it. 😳😁

Exactly! That's what I'm talking about!