I'm not sure what exactly is going on.

[Smitty]

Ok, I'm having a mid-section training problem, and it's baffling me.

I've been weight training for a while now, and I'm seeing the fat around my abs go down little by little. But it's also happened that while the fat has been disappearing, I've been unable to take stomach shots as well. I've been doing ab training as well. Right now, I have a hard time taking shots even when tensed. Does fat act as some sort of protection, or can someone tell me if I'm training wrong? If I am, can someone give me a solution?

Maybe I need to add weight?

[Meguro]

Not enough info to go on so here's my shotgun answer:

Maybe as your belly fat has disappeared, your straining partners have a better chance at seeing their target. Could it be that they're timing their shots just as you inhale?

Maybe you're overtraining your abs and they're sore to begin with.

Could also be that the weight loss and pain might be from something else. Time to see a Dr. perhaps?

[Red J]

My initial question is how much ab work are you doing?

It could be overtraining...Not really enough info.

[Smitty]

I'm pretty sure I'm not over training...

3 setrs of 15 slow controled crunches, hanging knee raises, paralell leg raises (I think that's what it's called... sorta like knee raises but the legs are straight) and incline crunches. 3 Days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

What other info is needed?

[Meguro]

What's the pain like? Are you getting the wind knocked out of you? Is te pain in the center of your stomach, to the side, upper or lower region of your gut? Could you have bruised the muscles betweeen your ribs? Broke your ribs? Is the pain chronic or only when someone gets a good shot in? Is it a sharp pain or dull ache?

Excluding any serious medical condition, it could just be a matter of getting used to the pain. When I first started sparring hard, the pain from the hits was stuning. After lots of matches and the conditioning that comes with it, your pain threshold rises.

Regarding your other question, yeah, a layer of fat around your middle can provide some cushioning.

[Smitty]

The wind is getting knocked out of me. It's mostly in the middle of the stomach, but it's very sharp and lasts for a few minutes, then it disappears. It's really only after a solid shot. I realize theres a separation of my abs in the center, but it never really bothered me before. I've been sparring full contact since day one.

I guess I'll just have to have people punch me in the stomache more.

[Jay]

Guess what fat is used for protection im taking alevel biology and that woz one of our ques what are the uses of fat? one of them is protection your gonna really have to build your abs up then it wont hurt as much but its really a trade of increased fitness or a lower ability to take getting hit.

[jaymac]

You should be blowing out when taking the hit. Why are you letting people hit you in the stomach anyways. One wrong punch and you could really cause serious injury to vital abdominal organs. You can bleed to death very easily by injury to spleen. Ive seen it happen quite easily in motor vehicle accidents where there was little front end damage to vehicle and not obvious injury to victim.

[hurricane]

The wind is getting knocked out of me. It's mostly in the middle of the stomach, but it's very sharp and lasts for a few minutes, then it disappears. It's really only after a solid shot. I realize theres a separation of my abs in the center, but it never really bothered me before. I've been sparring full contact since day one.

I guess I'll just have to have people punch me in the stomache more.

This, Smitty, sounds like a shot in the solar plexus to me. There is not much muscle protection in that area, so the layer of fat may have protecteed it before you started loosing it. The only real good protection for this is a good block!

[Jeet Kune Do]

I say take a rest for quite some time and block the opponent punches.