This may sound like a dumb question but I've heard that if you have extra fat on your stomach that doing crunches will build up the muscles but not get rid of the fat therefore making your stomach look bigger. Is this true? Should I not doing ab exercises until I'm closer to my goal weight?

I think its true that until you've burnt off all the excess fat you won't see the results of the crunches, but I don't think doing crunches will make your stomach look bigger. I think its recommended to do cardio to burn off the fat and at at the same time do the crunches so that when the fat is gone your stomach is toned. Running is meant to be one of the best ways to get rid of excess fat!
Hope that helps!

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You don't build muscle unless you are in a caloric surplus. In other words:

Strength training alone does not = muscle gain

Strength training + adequate nutrition = muscle gain

That said, there is no reason to do a bunch of abdominal exerices. They can be structured into a routine. But the primary emphasis should be placed on heavy, compound exercises.

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