Six pack

[Mannie]

I'm currently trying to get my six pack (to show). I have a layer of fat covering them. I would love advice from anyone who has or ever has had a six pack. Diet/ nutrition, excercises. I do 3 miles at 4 MPH on the treadmill. (about 45 minutes) every day.

I do crunches but I'm not sure If I'm doing them right because of all the fuss about getting back problems.

For diet..I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian (I consume dairy and eggs) but I'm not sure what else I should be eating..how many calories...when should I do my workout routine?


Height: 5'9 1/2 (almost 5'10)
Weight:130-140
Age:19



one of my muscles shows "a 1 pack" at the top but the rest has some fat covering it.

I don't want muscles ( big arms and all that) just for my six pack to show and not have fat covering them. I'm really skinny...but all my fat is in my stomach area

I'm fully commited to eating healthy and doing daily excercise but some advice would help a lot!

 

[Mannie]

I do warm ups (stretches) and then do my running. Before and after running and throughout the day I do crunches. That's all I know right now. I need to know of other excercises I should be doing for my stomach. I have a treadmill at home. All i drink is water and green tea. How much water should I be drinking a day?

 

[torontoguy22]

You'll need a fairly low body fat % in order for the abs to show. I'm not sure about your stats, but what I can tell you is that you CANNOT spot-reduce (ie. cut only stomach fat). The only way to lose fat there is to lose overall body fat, and your body will decide where to cut it from. Having said that, you can target the abdominal muscle group. If you're only doing crunches you won't get very far. You have to mix it up. (Weighted) Leg Lifts are awesome for the lower abs. You can also twist your body in this position to target the obliques. Beyond that, you can vary your style of crunches. Avoid the basic one on the floor. Try instead to use the decline ab crunch bench (this adds resistance), do ab twists to target the side abs, play around with weights, etc. Just avoid the absolute basic crunch because you'll be wasting your time.

Good luck!

 

[Luka]

actually, i was reading mens health and they say not too run more that thre times a week for 45 min, and like do sprints or increase incline for best results, and they said not to do crunches cause you are bending all day like in the car and at work/school. So they say to do pushups and stuff like that... I cant really say, i have no where near a six pack, just what i read

 

[3nipples]

I do warm ups (stretches) and then do my running.

Don't confuse stretches with warm ups; they're not the same thing.

Doing stretches before running is counter-productive, which is to say worse than doing nothing. You should do limbering up exercises before running, then start running slowly for a few minutes as a warm up before you hit your normal running pace.

When you have finished running, that's when you do the stretching.

 

[AresIncarnate]

Six pack abs are dependent on a few things:
- Genetics
- Body Fat
- Abdominal Muscle Development

First off, some people pretty much cannot have six pack abs due to the way their bodies are genetically programmed to store fat.

Second, body fact is pretty much the primary determining factor. No matter how good of shape you are in, if your body fat is above 8%, you won't be able to see your abs.

Finally, you need to work your abdominal muscles to increase volume. This is by far the least important factor.

If you simply diet, you will be able to see your abs. If you work out without dieting, you'll be stronger, but you won't look any different visually.

 

[D8Na2R]

If you exercise it will help. You'll feel better as well as look better.

If you improve your diet it will help. Again, you'll feel better as well as look better.

But if the genetics aren't there...thy aren't.

I work with fitness models. These guys watch everything meticulously. They must to remain competitive in the market.

I tell you this because only a very scant few hit ALL the numbers on the mark. By this I mean...one guy will have great arms and chest and not so good calves. The next guy may have the legs of a coal heaver and a shallow chest. The next may have awesome abs and poor back development.

The best advise I can give you is this...eat a good diet, participate in a well constructed fitness program and handle stress in a safe and appropriate manner.

Good Luck

 

[LotusOnBuddha]

Having a super low body fat % is key. I keep mine around 9.5% and my abs show. During the summer i get more hardcore with what i eat and i up my reformer pilates lessons from once a week to 3 times a week. Reformer pilates really helped get my abs to pop. You'll feel like death the next day but it gets better as you do it.

 

[D8Na2R]

It really is the genetics. I know guys that look fabulous at 8 or 9 percent.

I also know guys that HAVE to be 4 or 5 percent to look the same.

 

[winterknight]

As other people have said, you can do all the crunches you want, but if your body fat is too high, they'll never show.

And sadly, I really don't think it's possible to get your BF% that low without lifting weights. Sure, cardio burns more calories, but it burns muscle as well as fat and do you need to do at least enough weightlifting to rebuild what is destroyed. If you don't want to gain, do low weight/high reps.

I do suggest you try to put on at least a little, though, simply because the more muscle you've got, the easier it is to keep the fat off. Every pound of lean muscle you gain, you burn an extra 50 calories a day doing nothing. That's a Mars bar a week, for free.

Diet-wise, you want to be eating six small meals a day. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but research has shown that people who follow this eating pattern lose fat a lot faster and more reliably. Cut the portion size of your main meals (but don't skip them - Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day) and eat a healthy snack - a handful of nuts, a piece of fruit, or a low-fat yoghurt - at 10-11am. another at 3-4pm, and a third about an hour before you go to bed. Try to get some protein into your system at each meal, and as part of your post-workout snack if you go to the gym (most sell protein smoothies, which are great). It's tough to get enough if you're veggie, so buy a tub of whey protein from a fitness store (NOT weight gainer) and use it to make a smoothie for your breakfast.

Oh, and subscribe to Men's Health. It's got a lot of great ideas and is brilliant at keeping you motivated.

 

[vulgar_newcomer]

check this website out directed towards gay guys

http://www.realjock.com/workout/573

 

[Ikaros]

I get some fair results doing crunches holding a weight behind my head for added resistance. Doing more resistance training as opposed to cardiovascular might do the trick, as Winterknight said more muscle equals higher metabolism. If you're skinny, the muscle will do good things for you. I always think a wee bit of muscle on lanky lads looks delicious.

 

[Mannie]

I've basically got my whole work out plan figured out I just need help in the food department. I'm vegetarian first of all and I don't really eat full meals ...i kind of just snack until I get full LOL! What would you recommend I eat / how much.

 

[Dash777]

Hey Mannie - i have a similar issue - Im not fat but have the fat around the mid.

Recently took the services of a personal trainer and im slowly seeing results. BTW was also a vegetarian until very recently - suggestion is too add some more protein into ur diet - it seems obvious but it does yield results

Key is to exercise in entirety - not just focus on ur abs - increase total muscle mass and reduce total body fat.

a€lso i find that varying ab workouts do help!

Keep at it - ul get there!