Abs workout- help please

[Black Emerald]

I would like to work on my abs. My main goal is strengthening my abs and a complete six-pack would be nice too, since I only have half of it. Can you give me any tips and advice on how to make the workout fast and effective? For example- should I do fast reps? Should I work on my abs every day? Is it necessary to use weights? How many repetitions should I do? Also maybe it’s important that I mention it- I’m a 14 year old girl. Any advice and responses are appreciated.
thanks

[Sean Dempsey]

Strengthening: do ab workouts. I'd reccomend doing more high rep stuff, more endurance type things. I assume because you're here you do a martial art, and being able to flex and strengthe your abs for endurance is more important than having really "strong" abs.

As far as the visible 6-pack, here's my professional advice: stop worrying. You're 14, you're female, and if you can see some of your ab muscles that means you have very low bodyfat to begin with. Anything else would be unhealthy for a 14 year old girl. Girls have much more bodyfat that boys on average, and if you're down to 10-12% (visible abs), then thats TOO LOW. Right now you are still growing and maturing, you aren't even halfway done developing an adult body. I'd focus on a good diet, not getting much below 15% bodyfat, and just exercising moderatly. Dieting and trying to get a "chisled" 6-pack at your age is not healthy.

[Black Emerald]

ok thanks for your responses
but would it be unhealthy if i just do situps everyday to get a visible sixpack (without lowering my body-fat anymore)?

[Sean Dempsey]

Originally posted by Black Emerald
would it be unhealthy if i just do situps everyday to get a visible sixpack (without lowering my body-fat anymore)?

no

sixpack is mostly bodyfat... even people with untrained abs, if their bodyfat is low enough you'll see the sixpack.

with you, even if your abs are huge and rock solid, you might not see the whole sixpack because of your female body makeup. You *need* bodyfat. If you get yours to low (like trying to get a complete sixpack) you'll start to mess up your menstural cycle causing all sorts of female hormonal problems and such, and also such low bodyfat could make any future pregnancy's or childbirth difficult or problematic. Women NEED bodyfat, more than men do. If you can see half a sixpack, you're already pretty low, I'd just stay around that range.

Why are you so concerned with seeing the sixpack? You sound like you're very concerned with your appearance, which worries me.

[Black Emerald]

i'm not that concerned with it. it's just that working out and staying in shape and looking good and healthy is important to me. so i started doing situps and concentrating on my abs but my goal wasn't the whole six-pack thing, i just wanted to strengthen them but after a little while I started seeing a six-pack. So I thought that if it wasn’t that difficult for me to get half of it- why not work on my abs till I have a whole six-pack? That’s all. I wasn’t on some kind of diet and I wasn’t trying to lower my body fat or my weight or anything. Now I see that in order to get a complete six-pack I would have to lower my body fat, which would be very unhealthy. Maybe someday when my body will be more mature then it won’t do any harm, but for now strengthening the muscles without lowering the body fat will just to do
so thanks for your responses