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I want six pack abs - are they worth the effort?
ReusableGore
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm in decent shape, I work out for at least an hour a day six days a week (rest on Sunday). I use free weights (and various other exercises, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc.) and run 10-15 miles a week depending on how I am feeling.
I have maintained this level of exercise for several years, but I have never been able to get lean enough to see more than the top two of my stomach abs. I have been told that it is due to genetics, some people just have to work insanely hard to lose the fat that covers the stomach, some don't. Others have told me getting six pack abs takes an extreme amount of dedication to eat right, which I'm not good at.
I have accepted that reasoning for years, but am now kinda frustrated. I'm feeling better this winter season than I have in a long time. Harder workouts, faster and longer runs. But no visible change other than a slight increase in muscle size.
Is what I have been told correct? Are six pack abs only for those with the right genes or professional athletes?
If its an unreasonable goal, I don't mind giving up on it. But I would like to know for sure before I quit without even trying.
I have maintained this level of exercise for several years, but I have never been able to get lean enough to see more than the top two of my stomach abs. I have been told that it is due to genetics, some people just have to work insanely hard to lose the fat that covers the stomach, some don't. Others have told me getting six pack abs takes an extreme amount of dedication to eat right, which I'm not good at.
I have accepted that reasoning for years, but am now kinda frustrated. I'm feeling better this winter season than I have in a long time. Harder workouts, faster and longer runs. But no visible change other than a slight increase in muscle size.
Is what I have been told correct? Are six pack abs only for those with the right genes or professional athletes?
If its an unreasonable goal, I don't mind giving up on it. But I would like to know for sure before I quit without even trying.
ReusableGore on
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A) big ab muscles
A is easier, and is done much like how you'd build up any other muscle, that is with lowish reps at high weight.
B is fucking hard and will take many months to develop the discipline required in your diet
You mentioned you aren't good at eating right, I'll take that a step further and say lots of people who exercise almost use it as an excuse to eat awful (and by lots of people I mean ME!). On top of that, if you're lifting weights and trying to gain muscle, I would assume you make it a point to consume a lot of calories, right? Those things combined will make it very hard to lose fat. Professional bodybuilders will practically starve themselves while still working out shortly before a competition to get more definition. You shouldn't do that but you might want to throttle back the diet for a few months and see if that helps.
Cereal or microwave breakfast sandwich in the morning, fast-food for lunch (Burger King is the only thing in easy walking distance from work), frozen pizza or something similar in the evening.
This routine is pretty consistent, I don't like to take more than ten minutes to eat a meal. I try to only eat enough to get to the next meal, I don't like feeling full.
I'm 26.
Is it worth it? I talked to this guy who was shredded and apparently picked up his girlfriend right off the street because he was walking around shirtless. So, if that's the kind of attention you want then sure it's worth it.
But it's all diet. By all diet, I mean it's 110% diet. It's a 24/7 job to get six pack abs.
Yeah. Look, I don't think anyone is going to say "you cannot do this so give up." It'll certainly be easier to do this now than it will a year from now, so if you're going to start, well, there's no time like the present. However, six pack abs aren't even a necessity for most professional athletes. Mohammed Ali made his living as a professional fighter, he dedicated his life to being faster and hitting harder than anyone in his weight class that would stand in a ring with him, and, yeah, he had a taught stomach with some definition, but he hardly had a six-pack.
It's not a negative reflection on your core strength if you don't have them, either.
If you exercise that much, odds are you probably already have (or are close to having) the kind of ab muscles you need for that.
Based on what you've said so far, it's actually pretty obvious what is holding you back.
Your diet is horrendous.
For the love of god man, fix that shit! Fast food? Frozen pizza? You're actually probably predisposed towards six pack abs, but your diet is pushing you into merely good territory.
Also, lift some heavier weights, then actually increase your food intake but make it much, much cleaner. Abs will take like 3 months from that point.
the only time i had a sixpack was when i was hitting the ravescene p. hard, living on virtually no food, no sleep and lots of coke and ecstasy (while still working out).
when i stopped doing all but the working out my sixpack was gone in 4 months.
You want to cut back basically all carbs, no sugar, beer, pasta, bread, rice, cereals etc. You need a diet high in protein, lots of eggs, lean meats, nuts etc.
You're also going to want to start having around 6 smaller meals a day, rather than the 3 standards that western society seems to love.
I could go into a lot more detail but deciding to change basically everything you eat is a huge decision and a difficult thing to stick to, there are plenty of websites around that can help you tailor a good diet but the most important thing here is willpower.
Why do you work out 6 days a week only to put the worst kind of shit possible into your body? No wonder you haven't seen any progress.
It occurred to me that I didn't balance my "it's okay to accept the way you look" bit with advice about the diet. If you generally don't like taking a lot of time to eat a meal, you should perhaps consider learning to cook in bulk and package leftovers that will keep you for a few days. Nothing exemplifies the notion of "economy of scale" like comparing the time it takes to cook one chicken breast against the amount of time it takes to cook five: it's really not that much more time or effort until you start physically exceeding the amount of surface space you have to cook on.
Try filleting each chicken breast into thinner sections or flattening them out some with a meat mallet. Whisk the juice of a couple limes with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Coat chicken fillets with oil/juice and then season with a very little sea salt, cracked back pepper, and a little chili powder. Arrange in the bottom of a casserole dish coated with more juice/oil and bake at 375 for probably about eight minutes. With a large enough casserole dish you can easily make enough chicken for six or more servings in as little as half an hour.
This is a good habit to get into if for no other reason but that packing a lunch for work is cheaper and healthier than eating at burger king every day. Find a park or somewhere nice to sit outside and eat so you don't feel trapped in the office all day.
5 Egg whites
1/2cup old fashion oats (measured dry)
MEAL 2
½ cup Non fat plain greek yogurt
10 Raw almonds
MEAL 3
5oz lean white meat (chicken breast, turkey breast, 99% fat free ground turkey, white fish)
4oz. Yam (without skin)
1 cup green veggies (broccoli, spinach, asparagus, green beans)
MEAL 4
30g micellar-based protein (some folks like muscle milk, I personally do not)
10 Raw almonds
MEAL 5
5oz. White fish (tilapia, albacore, orange roughy, cod)
1 cup green veggies
1 med salad
1Tbs. Fat free Italian dressing
(before bed)
MEAL 6
30g micellar-based protein
I'm that guy you would probably hate; the dude who gets abs just by waking up in the morning cause of my ungodly low body fat percentage (5%? 7%)
Sure it's nice to see that, but it also makes strength training an absolute nightmare. I have to fight for every ounce of strength I can get, and i'm betting you could lift more than me on a bad day than I could an entire year from now with a diligent training regiment and a diet of 4000 calories to bulk up.
Don't get bummed out if you don't have those washboard abs yet, cause most of the time it just comes down to genetics, and there's always a flip side to counter that benefit.
That sounds depressingly familiar. But it could be worse!
(NSFW)
If its an absolute goal to get washboard abs for beach bod 2011 try going to a gym too and getting a personal trainer. They'll also create a workout that's suited for your workout goal.
jesus f. christ man
what?
Also, re-upping the diet concern here
cut the shit intake and you'll see results pretty fast
Like people are saying, it's next to impossible for most people to maintain a defined six pack. Even if you look at people who are paid richly to stay in shape (not only athletes, but models, actors, etc.), very few of them pull it off.
The thread has mostly answered the question of "how do I get six pack abs," so I will just answer the one that's actually in the OP: are six pack abs worth it? I tried to develop a develop a defined six pack for two years; didn't hire a trainer, but I watched what I ate and worked my abs and upper body hard and regularly. In the end I think my body just won't do it; I'm a little bit stocky and I just couldn't get there. I did wind up with a flat stomach, and I realized most of the benefits I wanted from having a six pack: self esteem, general fitness, attention from the ladies, etc. But a flat stomach turned out to be a lot easier to maintain than continuing to try for a six pack was, so that's basically what I'm doing now (although I have let myself go a little bit of late
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Your diet is pretty poor. Really work on dropping the carb intake and upping the protein and fiber.
Are you doing any interval work for your cardio? Try adding in a couple of days of high intensity interval training and adding some weight training so you don't lose too much strength as you drop the weight.
Like Godfather said, it's a nice bonus but god damn does it make it hard to actually gain weight and build strength
Lifespan -23 years right thar.
Look at this majestic figure of masculinity, he's got a body that would probably get rated 9/10 to 10/10 by most people, and yet his abdominals aren't exactly washboard defined.
But it's pretty much impossible to get that unless you have your own cook, dietitian, and trainer. AKA be rich and have tons of free time.
i'll put it this way, and i wasn't the OP:
When I was young and foolish, I was young and foolish.
(And MDMA/Ecstasy is one helluva diet drug. its what it was designed for.)
Joe's Stream.
i am literally posting from beyond the grave.