So i have been doing lots of crunches every day, i'm at 100 right now but i don't know if i should keep adding reps. I was aiming to get a 6 pack by my birthday which is only 17 days away now, but all i have is this lousy 2 pack!! You can see all the definition between my obliques and the center of my abs but all those vertical lines that should be there just aren't there! Is this just genetics, or will they eventually fill in if i keep on adding more reps?
Why don't you try something other than what most trainers will tell you is one of the least effective exercises for core? A simple google search will turn up lots of different workout routines targeted for the core muscles.
You can also pick up six packs in the cooler section of your local grocery store.
Why don't you try something other than what most trainers will tell you is one of the least effective exercises for core? A simple google search will turn up lots of different workout routines targeted for the core muscles.
You can also pick up six packs in the cooler section of your local grocery store.
Beer is nasty and it gives me gurgly burps. Bourbon's my drink.
I was doing crunches because everywhere i looked said they target the abs better than situps.
Koryn Locke
Posts: 31,831
Boston, Massachusetts, US
6 pack stomachs come from shredding enough fat off the upper-body to "reveal" the definition underneath.
You have to build a diet/lifestyle that uses very lean, clean eating, plus fairly intense, regular training if you want to look that way.
Even for most people who have a cut-up stomach, it's a temporary thing they diet down to in order to look good for a special occasion, such as going on a vacation. It's VERY rare for someone to look like that all year.
Crunches don't do it. Deadlifting and heavy squats, performed with exacting form will, over time, also tone your core just as much as crunches.
Koryn Locke
Posts: 31,831
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Ben Hinman wrote:
Beer is nasty and it gives me gurgly burps. Bourbon's my drink.
I was doing crunches because everywhere i looked said they target the abs better than situps.
That is because most people aren't able to isolate and drive movements from the proper muscle groups they are seeking to target/build. There's a learning curve to being able to do that.
Most people, being completely ignorant of real target-muscle activation "sensation," will do sit-ups using the Psoas and hip flexor area. This develops the Psoas -not the abs- which can, theoretically, also cause tight hip flexors, and result in a variety of postural problems.
Rachel-Elise
Posts: 1,302
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv, Israel
Well, it's sure a closer shot than doing just crunches. I suggested dance because it both burns fat AND builds muscle, especially in the core. You can't get far in most dance classes without having a strong core.
OP, it will be in your best interest to make sure that you're burning fat, alongside building muscle. For all you know, you could have a marvelous 6-pack, but if it's underneath even a very thin layer of fat, it will be very hard to see.
Holly Summers
Posts: 90
Charlotte, North Carolina, US
Grab some fat burners like Fastin XR or Hydroxycut Hardcore and Run your ass off lol. Keep the sugar and fat intake low. Grilled Chicken and broccoli are your best friends. I do weighted ab routines every morning and a ton of cardio at least 5 days a week. Works for me..... Best of luck.
Holly
there are dozens of techniques to develop your core and get nice cut abdominals. I think your primary problem is that you started too late and without more info about accomplishing your goal. thought about a spray on 6 pack if its really that important for your BD? if you just need them for pictures, it could also be done in PS. best wishes.
I was an amateur body builder in my younger days. If you want a full six pack of abs you need to cut your carb intake for starters. Then when you do crunches, add weights. Use dumb bells to add weight to your upper body so that when you are holding yourself up the pressure is on your upper abs but the movements you do with your legs focus on your lower region of your abs. Do this by laying down, hold your upper back up with your upper abs (curl your body by arching your back and bringing your knees up to your chest), off the ground and do leg extensions. If it's too hard with weights do it without weights till you tighten up. The other way is to use a pull up bar and hang from it by hands and do leg raises with ankle weights....
Koryn Locke
Posts: 31,831
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Holly Summers wrote: Grab some fat burners like Fastin XR or Hydroxycut Hardcore and Run your ass off lol. Keep the sugar and fat intake low. Grilled Chicken and broccoli are your best friends. I do weighted ab routines every morning and a ton of cardio at least 5 days a week. Works for me..... Best of luck.
Holly
Fat burners are mostly just caffeine pills, so in addition to being spun out on caffeine all day, you're just dehydrating yourself, encouraging headaches and afternoon energy "crashes" when the pills wear off.
Holly Summers
Posts: 90
Charlotte, North Carolina, US
Koryn Locke wrote: Fat burners are mostly just caffeine pills, so in addition to being spun out on caffeine all day, you're just dehydrating yourself, encouraging headaches and afternoon energy "crashes" when the pills wear off.
Wow, spun out? lol (seems a little exaggerated) Well I guess theres different strokes for different folks but my regiment has worked wonders for me... I'm never dehydrated because I pound water all day which also cleanses the ol system nicely. If I didn't I MIGHT become dehydrated which causes bloating anyway thus defeating the whole purpose. Either way I don't get headaches and I don't crash... But hey... like i said, different strokes for different folks....
Koryn Locke
Posts: 31,831
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Holly Summers wrote: Wow, spun out? lol (seems a little exaggerated).
When I ingest too much caffeine for multiple days in a row, it makes me feel "spun out," and crappy.
You will also build up a tolerance to high amounts of caffeine, just like any other drug, meaning you will have to take more and more of it to have the same effects.
There are other ingredients in those "fat burner" pills also, some of which are not FDA approved, depending on what brands/varieties.
100 crunches everyday will get you nowhere. I did at least 500 crunches/day and still wasnt satisfied with my cuts because your muscles will eventually plateau. Expand your workout to include strength and cardio for all the muscles surrounding your core. I do crossfit every so often but mostly I do cardio one day, and strength training or yoga the next. Interval training is what has worked best for me. I do sets of exercises for a specific time frame with maybe 10-15 seconds of rest between the sets for about 30-60 mins. Be sure to rest between days so that your muscles can properly heal and rebuild those muscle fibers more strong.
To get six pack abs, you need to be doing a lot of high intensity cardio and eating well. Also, people that only do crunches and sit ups (basically the same thing if you ask me, in that they are useless and potentially harmful) have been shown to have significantly weaker cores than people who ONLY train their cores using stabilization exercises like planks and leg lifts.
Rachel-Elise wrote: Well, it's sure a closer shot than doing just crunches. I suggested dance because it both burns fat AND builds muscle, especially in the core. You can't get far in most dance classes without having a strong core.
Agreed!! I was at my smallest (32-25-34) when I was actively attending classes 3x a week for hip-hop and jazz dance. Doesn't even feel like you're working out.
Holly Summers
Posts: 90
Charlotte, North Carolina, US
Koryn Locke wrote: When I ingest too much caffeine for multiple days in a row, it makes me feel "spun out," and crappy.
You will also build up a tolerance to high amounts of caffeine, just like any other drug, meaning you will have to take more and more of it to have the same effects.
There are other ingredients in those "fat burner" pills also, some of which are not FDA approved, depending on what brands/varieties.
I'm sorry to hear about your bodys seemingly hypersensitive response to such a great way to keep trim. I suppose there are plenty of ways for a person to get their dream body. I was simply giving the op my way. I don't want this thread to become about going back and forth with you but maybe instead of shooting down what clearly works for me and plenty of extremely fit people I know... Maybe you can just offer up some more of what works for you so well... Live and let live ya know...
That is because most people aren't able to isolate and drive movements from the proper muscle groups they are seeking to target/build. There's a learning curve to being able to do that.
Most people, being completely ignorant of real target-muscle activation "sensation," will do sit-ups using the Psoas and hip flexor area. This develops the Psoas -not the abs- which can, theoretically, also cause tight hip flexors, and result in a variety of postural problems.
I know what you mean, sometimes exercises don't seem effective until i concentrate on the muscle i want to work out. I could see how easy it would be to strain your back if you didn't know what you were doing.
It is not guaranteed ever. There are also people who lack the tendon structure required to get those deeply defined cuts in the stomach muscles.
This is what i'm worried about! My abs are definitely better and more defined than the average person, but it seems as if the definition only comes in certain places. I actually looked up ab genetics and it may be that i don't even have a 6 pack under there... Some people have 4 packs, 5 packs, or even 8 packs. Its so weird.
Marin Photography wrote: I was an amateur body builder in my younger days. If you want a full six pack of abs you need to cut your carb intake for starters. Then when you do crunches, add weights. Use dumb bells to add weight to your upper body so that when you are holding yourself up the pressure is on your upper abs but the movements you do with your legs focus on your lower region of your abs. Do this by laying down, hold your upper back up with your upper abs (curl your body by arching your back and bringing your knees up to your chest), off the ground and do leg extensions. If it's too hard with weights do it without weights till you tighten up. The other way is to use a pull up bar and hang from it by hands and do leg raises with ankle weights....
Well i get that working out can only do so much and part of getting abs is about diet, but carbs are essential to building muscle. Its actually taken me MONTHS to get to the point where i'm putting on weight, so i'm not going to cut my carbs just yet. Once i reach the golden ratio that will probably be a good move so i'm only getting definition and not mass. I will probably cut down my saturated fat intake... BBQ lays, you will be missed.
If you need to lose weight eat more fruit and veggies and less other stuff. go vegan. Make sure to eat at least 1400 calories every day.
And this is how you get abs....
HARD WORK! I have abs and i do 200 crunches every day but if I wanted to be more defined I would do more.
Just do more! And are you doing any other exercise? You should be doing cardio every day or every other day such as swimming or running along with some basic strength training exercises for your arms and legs.
You can't take the easy way out, just work out! Check out Pilates if you aren't getting an intense enough work out.
Good luck.
PS if you take those fat burner pills prepare to totally fuck up the health of your heart/brain/other organs
everybody tries to make this stuff more complicated than it is. i think that's because people want "the secret to fast abs!" when such a thing doesn't exist. the actual answer is hard work and discipline.
if you want muscular definition, you need two things - muscles, and less fat in the way of seeing the muscles.
doing 100 reps of anything is not going to do anything to help you build muscle. to build muscle, you need to use heavier weight, and do sets with fewer reps. it's just like strength training for your biceps - doing 100 bicep curls with a 5lb weight isn't going to give you big biceps, you need heavier weight.
the low body fat is more important though. think about it - even people who dont ever work out can have six pack abs, if they have super low body fat. you already know how to get low body fat - restricting your calorie intake, and burning calories with cardio.
dave phoenix wrote: everybody tries to make this stuff more complicated than it is. i think that's because people want "the secret to fast abs!" when such a thing doesn't exist. the actual answer is hard work and discipline.
I disagree,.. it's actually the complete opposite.
In fact it takes almost no effort!
Work smarter not harder.
Just follow my simple process:
Step 1: Buy some expensive stuff, pay for it with credit.
Nice clothes, a new car or 2, a big TV, camera gear. whatever you want!
Be irresponsible with your money credit.
Charge up enough stuff so that your bills are equal to that of your entire monthly income.
Step 2: When all your money is going to bills, and you can't afford enough food; you've done it right! If you can't eat as much, you won't be fat.
Now that you have a flat tummy, theres only one more optional step to go for maximum definition:
Step 3: Remember all those sweet toys you purchased in step 1?
Well I hope one of them was a nice sports car! Hop in that bad boy and go pick up a pretty girl! Take her back to your house. She'll be impressed by your big TV, nice clothes and fast car. You'll be humping in no time!
The "exercise" you'll be getting and lack of calories you'll be taking in, will help you get those rock hard abs without working out!!!! and you'll own all the cool material possessions you've ever wanted.
Other guys will look at you and be jealous.
You'll have nice stuff, a 6 pack, and pretty girls.
They'll wonder how you did it, but don't tell them.
Its our secret.
Theres a lot of questions to answer, but people are asking very similar ones so i'll try to make it concise instead of bothering with individual answers.
My typical workout routine:
60 inclined pushups
150 calf raises
100 crunches
150 squats
60 tricep dips
Every day, all week. I take 1-2 days to rest per week depending on soreness.
My diet is all over the place. My BMR is like 2300 calories so its actually difficult to eat enough sometimes. I just eat a whole hell of a lot and hope it covers it.
I am not going vegan. I don't have time to calorie count. Good food is more important to me than an immaculate body. If you ask me to choose between a hamburger and my abs, i will choose the hamburger every time. When it comes to foods that are delicious and healthy, fuck yes i will eat them. I would eat sushi every day if i could afford it.
Spending all my money on a fancy car will not solve my problem. I will just spend 1$ on shitty fast food hamburger instead of delicious sushi.
Its funny, i'm referencing the models ports to see if their advice stacks up... Theres very few of you that actually have the kind of abs i'm talking about. Most are about where i'm at, some nice vertical definition but not a whole lot of horizontal definition.
Ben Hinman wrote: Theres a lot of questions to answer, but people are asking very similar ones so i'll try to make it concise instead of bothering with individual answers.
My typical workout routine:
60 inclined pushups
150 calf raises
100 crunches
150 squats
60 tricep dips
Every day, all week. I take 1-2 days to rest per week depending on soreness.
My diet is all over the place. My BMR is like 2300 calories so its actually difficult to eat enough sometimes. I just eat a whole hell of a lot and hope it covers it.
I am not going vegan. I don't have time to calorie count. Good food is more important to me than an immaculate body. If you ask me to choose between a hamburger and my abs, i will choose the hamburger every time. When it comes to foods that are delicious and healthy, fuck yes i will eat them. I would eat sushi every day if i could afford it.
Spending all my money on a fancy car will not solve my problem. I will just spend 1$ on shitty fast food hamburger instead of delicious sushi.
How long have you been working out consistently for?
Koryn Locke
Posts: 31,831
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Ben Hinman wrote: . If you ask me to choose between a hamburger and my abs, i will choose the hamburger every time. When it comes to foods that are delicious and healthy, fuck yes i will eat them.
Well, honestly, here is your answer then.
Obtaining a 6 pack generally requires treating food like a "science." Eating for FUEL ONLY, not pleasure, or flavor.
Having a regular, fit, toned body requires only being willing to eat healthily, and make produce/vegetables a significant portion of your food intake. Stripping fat down low enough (for the average person) to have visible cuts in their stomach muscles, requires HARDCORE diet motivation, and planning.
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