Any ways to get the desired six pack abs

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Achieving six-pack abs requires a combination of fat loss and muscle development. Key strategies include maintaining a healthy diet, engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise, and incorporating strength training, particularly for the core. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is recommended for effective fat burning, while traditional exercises like crunches and sit-ups can help build abdominal muscle but may not be sufficient on their own. It's emphasized that visible abs are primarily a result of low body fat rather than just muscle size, as many individuals may have the muscle but not the definition due to fat covering it. Consistency in diet and exercise is crucial for success, and individuals should focus on overall fitness rather than solely on aesthetics to avoid frustration. Genetics also play a role in how easily one can achieve a defined six-pack, as not everyone has the same potential for muscle visibility.
rylan
Any ways to get the desired six pack abs!

Hello everybody, I have been watching guys on TV and some my friend have it too…know what…the six pack abs! It feels awesome to bear that look and it really gives me the chills to be like them. But, I am not sure whether I can make them or no. I have not consulted my friends about this (cause they always pride themselves about this...and I’m shy to ask). I do have a little weight on but I can manage to cut that down. So, do you people have any options that I can try to make things happen?

Any help will be highly appreciated!
 
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LOL i don't know if this is good advice, i have 4 pack abs because i can't be bothered to work on them anymore. Just don't eat. I lost close to 6 kgs just because i didn't eat much. And i didn't really feel hungry because i was busy doing something!
After i got my flat stomach i just started doing benches and sit ups and they came naturally. I didn't even do them regularly and my 4 packs are quite chiseled.

But other people around here probably have better advice.
 


Take a bunch of http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7535770.stm" .

Or exercise and eat less. Sit ups, crunches, weights, etc.
 
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I remember my drummer was not so much exercising (only drumming) than he was dry. Not fat at all. One could see his abs so well, he was so thin.
 


The secret behind this is not weight loss (weight includes muscle mass) but just fat loss. Try HIIT sprints and eat right. Crunches won't do much for now. Depending on body structure, you might want to try weight training.

EDIT:
HIIT sprints are hard. But they are the best! Don't use the fitness pill nonsense.
 


George Jones said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7518888.stm

Interesting. When you stop to think about it, it does make sense. I mean, just consider waving your arms in the air for 90 min and you start to get some sense of it.

I especially like the suggestion of drumming being an alternative approach to exercise/fitness for kids who aren't into sports.
 


Washboard abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. We all have those nice abs, they are just covered in a layer of fat. Take out the fat, you'll see some nice abs.

Crunches/situps don't do much.
 
  • #10


WarPhalange said:
We all have those nice abs, they are just covered in a layer of fat.

Wrong, just like any other muscle group, they can atrophy, and require development. Many people who lead very sedentary lives simply do not have the muscle development to have 6 pack abs. While some people have nice abs covered in a layer of fat, it's not `all' by any stretch. Just like any other muscle group, if you work it out properly, it will get larger, and guess what, the larger it is, the more fat it takes to cover it.

You must have sufficient muscle, as well as low enough fat in order to get nice abs. One or the other won't do it.
 
  • #11


WarPhalange said:
Crunches/situps don't do much.

This much is true however, in order to get any muscle growth, weight must be added. Do weighted crunches/situps as soon as you can do more than 10-20 regular ones (and yes, I do know people who can't even do that many). Use enough weight that you could only complete about 20 reps total, and do sets of 10. This should give good muscle growth, without any risk of strain/tearing.
 
  • #12


NeoDevin said:
Wrong, just like any other muscle group, they can atrophy, and require development. Many people who lead very sedentary lives simply do not have the muscle development to have 6 pack abs. While some people have nice abs covered in a layer of fat, it's not `all' by any stretch. Just like any other muscle group, if you work it out properly, it will get larger, and guess what, the larger it is, the more fat it takes to cover it.

That's cute that you know about hypertrophy, but when's the last time you saw someone with giant abs? Your abs, similar to forearms and calves, just don't put on mass that easily.

You must have sufficient muscle, as well as low enough fat in order to get nice abs. One or the other won't do it.

If you didn't have sufficient muscle you wouldn't be able to stand up straight or get out of bed. Abs are your core, you use them whether you want to or not.

You state the general rule of looking "toned", muscle divided by fat, but in this case most everybody has the muscle for it.
 
  • #13


NeoDevin said:
This much is true however, in order to get any muscle growth, weight must be added. Do weighted crunches/situps as soon as you can do more than 10-20 regular ones (and yes, I do know people who can't even do that many). Use enough weight that you could only complete about 20 reps total, and do sets of 10. This should give good muscle growth, without any risk of strain/tearing.

Muscle growth of abs? :rolleyes:

Just how big do you want them?
 
  • #14


Training for overall physical fitness is a better goal.
 
  • #15


I have dated men with washboard abs (and married one) and the amount of time they spent in the gym and gazing at themselves in the mirror flexing their muscles was a huge turn off, but I guess there must be some women out there that like watching it.

I'll take a guy with a bit of a pooch belly anytime. :smile:
 
  • #16


I never understood the "gazing at themselves" part. I'll flex... I used to flex every now and then if I happened to be in front of a mirror, like in the bathroom or something (back when I lifted), but I guess I just don't have it in me to be turned on by myself.
 
  • #17


I've found that instead of crunches if I lay on my bed with my feet and legs over the edge and then lift them together at the same time, gives a much better workout, and it only takes like 20 reps before you are wiped out, works really well though.
 
  • #18


Be careful not to harm your back. Find some documentation about this, there are positions that are quite dangerous for you back, and you only have one.
 
  • #19


Yeah, I'm careful with it, you have to balance such that your back is fully on the bed, the only axis of movement is the hips. It's hard to describe properly
 
  • #20


I would recommend cooking all food. Running 10 km at the very least 3 times a week and having a very physically tough job, like construction or something.
 
  • #21


Genetic engineering? I know its a flippant answer, but if your body type supports having good looking abs then you can do it fairly easily with diet and exercise. If your body type does not support having good looking abs then you have a lot of exercise in store for you and a lot of dieting and even then will probably not get what you want! Sorry, noy what anyone wants to hear. You can't eat your way to tall, or diet your way to short either.
 
  • #22


WarPhalange said:
That's cute that you know about hypertrophy, but when's the last time you saw someone with giant abs? Your abs, similar to forearms and calves, just don't put on mass that easily.

...but in this case most everybody has the muscle for it.

I have seen people with giant abs, and I personally think it looks terrible. However, I have also seen guys with a 27" waist, with no abs to be seen. Not everybody has the muscle for it, perhaps most, but even that I'm not sure of. There are people who simply don't have much muscle mass around their midsection, such people will need to work them out before they will ever get a 6 pack. It would be fair to say that many people will be able to get a 6 pack simply by losing fat, but certainly not everybody, and if you're going to claim that most people can, could you support it?

PS. Forearms and calves can put on lots of mass as easily as any other muscle group (proportional to size, of course) if you work them out properly. Just because not many people do, or even want to, doesn't mean it can't be done, or even that it's difficult.
 
  • #23


Abs aren't a muscle group one can workout to 'get ripped'. The only way one can get abs is to make the layer of body fat around the abs smaller, this makes the abdominal muscle group more defined. Since spot training doesn't work, this means you have to lower your overall body fat percent down to roughly 9%. If you want to lose fat as quickly as possible, do 30-60 minutes of cardio after you wake up but *before* you eat anything. This forces your body to burn its fat for energy, and can't rely on the contents of your stomach to provide it with energy. Do as many sit ups as you can (no machines, squeeze hard every sit up). Eat after this. Stop the junk food, eat 6 times daily (your total calorie intake for one day should be 14x your lean body mass, which you can measure with a skin fold calliper). Drink lots of water. Follow those tips and I guarantee you'll get your six pack. Also, you will lose a bit of muscle mass while losing fat, that's just life. The reason you eat six times daily and 14x your lean body mass is to minimize the muscle loss. It's the closest you'll get to having your cake and eating it too (metaphorically, don't actually eat cake).

You do NOT need to add weight to your sit ups, stimulating your abs the old fashioned way and losing body fat will be more than enough to get a ripped six pack.

Oh, and remember, BE CONSISTENT. If you aren't consistent, it won't work. And that can be said about anything in life. Good luck.
 
  • #24
If the main motivation for training is to change one's physical appearance, it is easy to get frustrated because the changes aren't coming fast enough. One should try to make the training into a life style without immediate concern for being "good looking". If you succeed making the training into a life style, then the physical appearance will start changing eventually.
 
  • #25


jostpuur: Of course people work out to be good looking. Otherwise it would be a total waste of time. And for the results, it depends on your motivation for seeing it through even if you get crazy on the diet or training. It's only a matter of motivation and dedication.

The funny thing about being more good looking and really into shape is that people are more nice towards you, even guys. That is a bit fubar.
 
  • #26
Fearless said:
jostpuur: Of course people work out to be good looking. Otherwise it would be a total waste of time.

To be good looking can be the reason for some, but it's not the only possible reason.

I go jogging regularly mainly because I feel it is a useful skill to able to run (you never know when you need the skill. It's like self defense skills: You are unlikely going to need them, but you never know if the need suddenly comes at you), and in a hope that I'm going to live a little bit longer with a strong heart than with a weak one.

Sometimes people can also be interested in numbers like how many push ups or pull ups one can do, or how much one can bench and so on. In sports spirit. It's not awfully different from being interested in school grades. That's about basic interest in one's own abilities.
 
  • #27
rylan, if you are hanging from a bar with you hands, can you touch the bar with your toes? That's a nice move, at least from the skill point of view. I'm not sure if is the most efficient for the six-pack dreams, though... the move is quite heavy for the arms too.
 
  • #28


Change your name to John Basedow. Poof problem solved.
 
  • #29


joostpuur: Of course you get other skills that are quite useful, I know that with the stamina I possesses now I am able to successfully apply myself to my current vacation job. Without the stamina, it would have been an utter disaster. So of course you are correct.

There are other qualities besides being good looking. Like I won't have a number of diseases which are rather unnecessary and depends on living without the exercise the human body needs. I am probably able to outrun most thugs, depending on the level of adrenaline I receive in the heat of the moment. Besides, exercise takes a load of things, destresses you if you will.
 
  • #30


I have a great workout for developing the obliques, but not much for the rectus abdominis (that's the "6-pack" muscle). My work out...lean over sheep sideways to get blood sample, continue 8 reps over 2-3 minutes, rest 9-10 min, repeat for 4 to 8 hours. :biggrin: If you alternate the sides of the sheep you take blood from, you get a nice balanced workout of the obliques. By the way, developing the obliques does help define the 6-pack a bit (I still only have a 2-pack though)...I have a very clearly defined linea seminlunaris.

As for the rectus abdominis, what really defines the 6-pack are the tendinous intersections between muscle segments there. They are not that prominent in a lot of people, so you could work out and maintain low body fat and do everything possible, and still never have a defined 6-pack.
 
  • #31


I traded my six pack for a case ages ago. It works ok for me.
 
  • #32


Evo said:
I have dated men with washboard abs (and married one) and the amount of time they spent in the gym and gazing at themselves in the mirror flexing their muscles was a huge turn off, but I guess there must be some women out there that like watching it.

I'll take a guy with a bit of a pooch belly anytime. :smile:

Many of the guys looking at themselves in the mirror are looking for a sign of improvement. It isn't all about ego, but rather a measure of success.

i.e. "I've been doing low rep, high intensity lifts for the past 3 weeks. Is there any change? Maybe I should do my cardio at the end of my workout rather than the beginning."



etc.
 
  • #33


Good point, I never thought about it that way.
 
  • #34


seycyrus said:
Many of the guys looking at themselves in the mirror are looking for a sign of improvement. It isn't all about ego, but rather a measure of success.
My ex was admiring himself. He'd even walk into a room I was sitting in and do those dumb flexes, like it was a turn on for me and I would burst out laughing. :redface: I didn't mean to laugh, it just looked so funny, especially when you're not expecting it.
 
  • #35


How did he react when you laughed? Did he get pissed or did he want to make you laugh?
 
  • #36


WarPhalange said:
How did he react when you laughed? Did he get pissed or did he want to make you laugh?
He always got upset.

This is him, not the best picture, you can't see his abs very well.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/2360/19616061hw0.jpg
 
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  • #37


He looks well proportioned. looks like he devoted time to his legword as well. Maybe could do some more work on his shoulders.

Another thing to mention about the "mirror" thing.

The whole workout-bodybuild thing can snowball for some guys. They focus on their flaws not their achievements. Body-image problems are fairly common.
 
  • #38


seycyrus said:
He looks well proportioned. looks like he devoted time to his legword as well. Maybe could do some more work on his shoulders.

Another thing to mention about the "mirror" thing.

The whole workout-bodybuild thing can snowball for some guys. They focus on their flaws not their achievements. Body-image problems are fairly common.
That was before he started working out again at a gym. He ran a lot.
 
  • #39


Evo said:
That was before he started working out again at a gym. He ran a lot.

Yes it's obvious that he runs alot.

And I was not drawing any connection between him and the mirror and body image thing.

Should have used two different posts, my bad.
 
  • #40


this is the inversion of a problem other boards have. usually people ask science questions on casual boards and get sent here. hence I'm sending you to www.exrx.net[/url] for very good, researched sports medicine advice and [url]www.t-nation.com[/URL] for more aesthetic concerns.
 
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  • #41


ice109 said:
this is the inversion of a problem other boards have. usually people ask science questions on casual boards and get sent here. hence I'm sending you to www.exrx.net[/url] for very good, researched sports medicine advice and [url]www.t-nation.com[/URL] for more aesthetic concerns.[/QUOTE]

How do you know they're offering good, researched advice? I don't see them offering any citations for the information provided. Just curious about that.

By the way, the summer class I just finished teaching was partly exercise physiology students...wow! They are ALL amazingly fit! :-p I handled the anatomy lab, and the other instructor handled the lectures that addressed the kinesiology aspects of the muscle functions. Seriously, there is a lot of individual variation in the tendinous intersections along the rectus abdominis muscle. In many, they could not even be distinctly identified in the upper quadrant of the abdomen. Without those, you're not going to have a defined 6-pack. You can still get a nicely toned abdomen, and can have a lean, reasonably flat stomach, but it's not going to have that 6-pack appearance.
 
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  • #42


Exercise at least every other day. Leg lifts, sit ups, stomach crunches, and getting down to a proper weight. Some people have the perfect genetics to have the ad perfect abs. Others in will have a toned figure. However at the ad agency photo shop does amazing things before one runs an ad past a client. Same goes for those perfect females in the pictures. Add 10% to the neck, lengthen the legs 7%, then ...

Most of what we see in ads and print has a bit of photo shop. In the days before photo shop I was told they used airbrushes and other manual techniques. My life was ruined when I met my first creative. I found out about Santa, the easterbunny and most of what models looked like in real life.
 
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