08/10/2026
This is one of those questions I get asked all the time.
“My arms are toning. My legs are toning. My bum is toning. Why the hell is my belly not following?”
And then comes the inevitable:
“Do I need more sit-ups?”
“Should I use a different ab machine?”
“Do I need more cardio?”
“Should I add another strength session?”
No.
You don’t have a belly problem that requires a special exercise.
You cannot choose where your body loses fat from.
You can strengthen your abdominal muscles and build muscle around your midsection, but doing more and more ab exercises won’t specifically burn the fat covering them.
And there’s another bit that often gets overlooked...
Visible abs require relatively low levels of body fat over the abdominal area.
How visible your abs become and how much fat you need to lose before you can see them varies massively between people.
Genetics play a part in where you store fat, where you lose it first and how your abdominal muscles are shaped.
S*x, age and hormones matter too.
And for women, hormonal changes as we get older can influence fat distribution, with more fat often being stored around the abdomen.
So you can be strong, fit, healthy and making fantastic progress without having visible abs.
You can also train your core consistently and have strong abdominal muscles that you can’t see.That’s completely normal.
If fat loss is your goal, your overall nutrition and energy intake matter.
Strength training matters.
Your general activity matters.
Sleep and recovery matter.
And, annoyingly, time matters.
So when your arms are changing, your legs are changing, your bum is changing and your belly is taking its sweet time...
Don’t automatically assume you need to do more.
