Cardio DOES make the stomach toned. Your stomach muscles are always there and relatively defined. What makes them show is burning that fat off. There's a layer of fat covering them, therefore you need to do cardio to burn off that fat. Ab exercises strengthen and define the muscles, if anything.
If you have a fracture, concentrate on some cardio that you can do that's low impact on your spine. Worry about the ab exercises when you're at a point that you can put stress on that part of the body again.
So the lesson is that crunches and ab exercises are not exclusive to "forming" those muscles, but it's cardio that will help them show and make your abs "toned." The common misconception is that working the muscles will make them "toned." It does to an extent, but the major factor is getting rid of the fat that's covering them. You gotta burn that fat.
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You should clear any workout routine with your doctor before you try ANYTHING! The only thing I would recommend would be in a pool. There are lots of water exercises that you could probably do to focus on your abs. You can tone your stomach with low-impact exercises. But you must consult your doctor first. Water exercise offers excellent resistance training while reducing pressure on limbs and joints. I don't know what kind of injury you have but anything that has to do with the spine is VERY serious. DO NOT fool around. Please clear any form of exercise a with your doctor first.
you can't tone individual body parts since spot reduction is not possible
you have a fracture so in lumbar 5,so avoid working out sinc emost of the exercises which facilitate efficient fat loss like squats and deadlifts depend hugely on core strength.
get well soon.then hit the gym and get the ideal body you want
tips to avoid pounding more weight currently: eat a clean junk free diet
Tone comes from a combination of lean muscle and lack of fat. Fat reduction is done through cardio, muscle is built through resistance training. Muscle doesn't dissipate overnight so all you have to do is find SOME form of cardio you can do to keep fat from building up while you're recovering. Perhaps swimming?
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I think you should see a sports therapist, I think that is what they are called. An exercise therapist who specializes in helping people with injuries get back in shape. It is a great idea to strengthen you abs in your situation but you need to do it the right way more so than people without a spine injury because you don't want to hurt your back more.
try yoga. it's toning yet it shouldn't hurt you because there are different levels and you can go at a pace you're comfortalbe with
so you can't do cardio?
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