I've often read that if you're obese, then situps don't really help tone your abs until you lose a bit of weight.

My question is this, I'm now about 20 lbs over the upper limit of my ideal weight. So, do you all think doing situps and other ab exercises will help me tone up my abs, or do I still need to lose more weight? Thanks.

sit-ups are ok, but crunches are better.

however, to answer your question: a lot of people HAVE a six-pack already, but until you lower your bodyfat % they simple won't show through. Men typically have to hit single digit bodyfat percentages before their ab muscles show.

Also, some people just don't have genetically large ab muscles, so you may never have a visble six-pack. Some also only have 4-packs, or 8-packs.

Typically the diet has to be pretty strict and training for a cutting phase to make these muscles show.

I tell ya, while losing my 20 lbs, I started doing them every day, and it doesn’t hurt!

Any ab work you do is of benefit. Keep working those core muscles. Also, don't forget to work your stabalizer muscles.

I agree with malkore on losing weight before the abs would be seriously toned down. Any abdominal exercises would eventually benefit you but a lot of factors would still be considered on when would that "benefit" would actually show - like diet, exercise repetition, lifestyle and all that.

Here's my take on sit-ups from a personal trainers perspective. One of the reasons I will not have an obese client do them is that doing a sit-up tends to "build" muscle in the abdominals.

In the early stages of someones training it can be disheartening because muscle will actually push the fat out giving the appearance of a larger waist. If you want to lose an overweight woman as a client in a heart beat then make her do situps everyday. Also for obese clients to climb up and down off the floor isn't exactly the easiest thing.

Since we can't "spot reduce" fat I usually will have my heavier clients focus on core work that is not going to "bulk" the abs. Things like planks and stability ball holds. After the client has dropped some significant body fat, specifically in the abdomen I'll then introduce sit-ups.

But aside from the aesthetics of them it's perfectly fine if your healthy and strong enough to do a sit up.

Just my .02