You decided that your FUPA has met its end. You definitely wouldn’t think about surgery, but that this exercise thing could have some benefits outside of the flattening of your lower belly. With motivation in place, you are ready to tackle this thing.
FUPA, or “fat upper pubic area,” is a ring of fat over the pubic hair line. This pouch is characteristic of many people with extra bodyweight, but can even occur in women after childbirth, or in folks with just a “little extra” but the bad fortune of having a genetic disposition to store fat “down there.”
Perhaps you’re one of the lucky few who can hide FUPA inside your pants, but many of us aren’t so lucky. And even if you’ve learned to hide it, you don’t want to take off our pants in front of someone just to have your lower belly sag over those cute new panties, rendering them totally invisible behind an apron of “gross.” You are ready for a change, and you know exercise has something to do with it.
Everyone has different “problem” areas, and if you have had a baby or are genetical built this way, you are stuck with your pubic area being one of those “problems.” Genetic predispositions to store fat in the pelvic area remain the main reason people develop FUPA.
Magic exercises for the magic fix
Between all the magic fixes you read about, you may not find the spell you thought you wanted. You would like to find the perfect exercises that target that very spot, and burn the fat right off. Scorch it. Flatten it. Bulldoze and build over with sexy, lower-abdominal muscle tones. Unfortunately, it’s not up to you where your body targets fat. Your body burns fat from where it wants in the order it wants—the only thing you can control is what you eat, and how much of it.
Even if your body starts to melt down fat around your face before your arms, and your arms and legs before finally gnawing away FUPA, overall weight loss is what you need. Go into an exercise routine with realistic expectations, and understand that FUPA might be the very last thing to go. You can target lower-abdominal muscles to build strength, but until your body burns the fat off, those hard-earned muscles won’t even show.
Here are the best lower abdominal exercises to set yourself up for a sexy tummy (as soon as additional fat is lost)!
• Planks
Planks are one of the best and most versatile strength exercises. This classic move involves starting on your hands and knees, then straightening out your legs to rest your weight on your toes as you support your upper bodyweight on the palms of your hands. Your hands are shoulder-width apart, and your butt is ever-so-slightly elevated—but otherwise, you form a perfectly straight line.
You will feel the burn through your entire core, and also in your shoulders, glutes and arms. Hold this for several reps of multiple seconds, depending on when it starts to hurt so much that you lose form.
• Mountain climbers
Mountain climbers start in plank position, and one after the other you press your knees diagonally up to the center of your belly. These suckers hurt, but you feel like a rock star after! Alternate legs while supporting your weight through the palms of your hands, all the while maintaining good form.
• Hanging leg lifts
These are kind of fun, and can call to mind yesteryear when you went swinging along the monkey bars at school. From a bar tall enough that you can hang without your feet touching the ground, get a good grip with your hands roughly shoulder-width apart. Starting with your legs both perfectly straight, bring your knees slowly up to your chest. Hold them there a second, and then bring them slowly down. This will work your grip as well as your lower abs, so be sure not to fall once you’re spent.
• Lots of crunches!
There are so many crunches to be done! But not all crunches are created equal if we’re talking about targeting the lower abdomen. Heel reaches (where your feet hover in the air while, laying on your back, you reach up to touch your heels) are a particular favorite, but take the time to find the variations that work for you.
Even though these exercises will build the muscles, you won’t see until you melt that FUPA with diet. The million-dollar payoff is that you will feel a lot better in the meantime. Just knowing that you’re on your way—plus waking up to that satisfying lower-ab soreness after killing it on the mat the day before—will be empowering. In a matter of time, that work will pay off. As soon as you shed the pouch, those tight, sexy abs will be waiting for you, ready to gobble up any fat your body tries to store there.
