|
As stated earlier, doing ab exercises will not reduce the size of your stomach. In fact it will probably make you look more bloated because it'll increase the size of your abs, which are in turn covered by fat.
Sure, building muscle raises the amount of calories you burn by sitting around. But I think you're wasting your time if that is your plan. There are way better exercises to do if you want to build a bunch of muscle to help you lose the fat. For example, compond lifts like squats and deadlifts are great for building muscle.
If your main goal is to just get fit and toned then I would continue with the cardio you are doing and also add weight lifting. For the $150 you want to spend you should be able to by a few dumbbells so you can lift at home. Do cardio a few times a week and weight lifting some other days. Do big compound lifts to build the most muscle.
An ab machine will not help you one bit. If you buy some dumbbells you can simply hold a dumbbell to your chest and use that for a weighted crunch which will give you an extra burn.
Just remember that diet is like 80% of weight loss. Cut out the junk foot, and eat small meals 6 times per day to rev up your metabolism. Taper the carbs from more in the morning to less at night. And don't eat 3 hours before bed. Drink 1-2 gallons of water per day.
__________________
|