Road to Six Pack ABs - Get Ripped!
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former fat boy here and I definitely agree with lolbroscience.
I always say that "I am my own harshest critic" and I think this is the same with most people. They are in a healthy weight/BF range but very easy to pick on minor flaws especially if you are used to being leaner.
FWIW, since losing lots of fat, I don't think I've been above around 13% at all. This "may" have slightly limited my gains but I don't think it would have a material affect on things.
And if it means that I am happier about my body for the majority of the year then I am ok with that
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Jumping in to the on track conversation- I can tell you it isn't just "former fat boy" syndrome- as I have NEVER been fat.
I've been - ahem- well muscle-fluffed- but I've always been in reasonable shape- I've always lifted and been active. so Even at 170-175- I never went over a size 12- and I never really looked fat.
And when I started bulking up from that high 158-160 range- and tipped 180- I was struggling some days with "fat" days- and my lack of definition. Still had solid muscle mass- but man it was hard some days not being able to squeeze into any jeans- I didn't wear structured jeans or pants for almost a year b/c it was just to uncomfortable.
I was considering another bulk this year- but I'm not ready mentally for that- and secondly I would like to be lower in weight before I go up again- bouncing between 160-180 just isn't that fun. As someone pointed out- going from good- to decent is much easier mentally than going from decent to fluffy.0 -
Jumping in to the on track conversation- I can tell you it isn't just "former fat boy" syndrome- as I have NEVER been fat.
I've been - ahem- well muscle-fluffed- but I've always been in reasonable shape- I've always lifted and been active. so Even at 170-175- I never went over a size 12- and I never really looked fat.
And when I started bulking up from that high 158-160 range- and tipped 180- I was struggling some days with "fat" days- and my lack of definition. Still had solid muscle mass- but man it was hard some days not being able to squeeze into any jeans- I didn't wear structured jeans or pants for almost a year b/c it was just to uncomfortable.
I was considering another bulk this year- but I'm not ready mentally for that- and secondly I would like to be lower in weight before I go up again- bouncing between 160-180 just isn't that fun. As someone pointed out- going from good- to decent is much easier mentally than going from decent to fluffy.
Took me three pairs of pants this morning before I found some that fit. The struggle is real.0 -
I just give up on real pants and move into stretchy pants and dresses.
Last winter the office people couldn't figure out why I was STILL wearing jersey knit dresses in the middle of February. LMAO
I actually rocked a pair of size 6's (I think) that I feel in love with last winter/spring- and I could *just*barely* squeeze myself in- like it was practically a panic inducing moment in the changing room at Kohls- but FINALLY got to wear them for real this year... seriously. the struggle.is.real.
I kind of feel bad for the guys- no stretchy pants or easy skirts for work!!! Just two separate sets of bulk/cut clothes!!!0 -
I just give up on real pants and move into stretchy pants and dresses.
Last winter the office people couldn't figure out why I was STILL wearing jersey knit dresses in the middle of February. LMAO
I actually rocked a pair of size 6's (I think) that I feel in love with last winter/spring- and I could *just*barely* squeeze myself in- like it was practically a panic inducing moment in the changing room at Kohls- but FINALLY got to wear them for real this year... seriously. the struggle.is.real.
I kind of feel bad for the guys- no stretchy pants or easy skirts for work!!! Just two separate sets of bulk/cut clothes!!!
Ugh, I'm like a guy. I've got size 0s (which I'm gonna be donating soon as I never got back into/have no interest in getting back into), size 2s, and size 4s. I think I either have to get something stretchier or get some 6s, because I'm 10-15 lbs off my end game for this bulk and already moving up to the 4s.0 -
I know there are days when I would be so crazy at work that I would come home at 8pm and have 2 meals still with me that I didn't have the time to eat. I would have never thought I would catch myself saying "Damn I have to eat how many calories for dessert?" "2 pop tart ice cream sandwiches?". First world problems.ForecasterJason wrote: »
Well, maybe you are right then.@ForecasterJason
The reason it seems ridiculous to you about the concept of how hard it is to do what you are talking about is because reading it and doing it are completely different. When you try it a few times, you outlook changes.
Personally, I am not that far right now from the starting stats I mentioned in that example. For all intents and purposes, I would be considered a complete beginner in consistent weight training. For my entire life I have always been very lean. At this point, I am trying to do a slow bulk. I don't expect to be putting on 20 pounds in the next year at the pace I'm going. But because of my age, muscle/fat ratio, and perhaps other factors, I have been blessed with a lightning fast metabolism right now. I know it will slow down as I get older, and for that reason I am hesitant to slow it down by gaining unnecessary body fat right now. This is why I do believe (for me, at least) gaining muscle on a slow bulk is hard, and why I am setting my expectations low.
But clearly, I seem to be an outlier in this thinking.
If your metabolism is fast like you state then it's not not hard to bulk, you just have to ear more and train properly.
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And that is the fun part
. Not as easy as it sounds
Speak for yourself!
I'm a bottomless pit. Even when I'm stuffed I can keep eating. Granted, I filled my protein and my micros then ate whatever fit my macros (cheesecake, pizza, ice cream, pop tarts, cookies, etc.).
I get to the point at night I am sitting on my couch stuffed.....it sucks.ForecasterJason wrote: »
Based on what I've been eating, I think around 2100-2200. MFP suggests about 1950, but I think that's a little too low.LolBroScience wrote: »ForecasterJason wrote: »
Well, maybe you are right then.@ForecasterJason
The reason it seems ridiculous to you about the concept of how hard it is to do what you are talking about is because reading it and doing it are completely different. When you try it a few times, you outlook changes.
Personally, I am not that far right now from the starting stats I mentioned in that example. For all intents and purposes, I would be considered a complete beginner in consistent weight training. For my entire life I have always been very lean. At this point, I am trying to do a slow bulk. I don't expect to be putting on 20 pounds in the next year at the pace I'm going. But because of my age, muscle/fat ratio, and perhaps other factors, I have been blessed with a lightning fast metabolism right now. I know it will slow down as I get older, and for that reason I am hesitant to slow it down by gaining unnecessary body fat right now. This is why I do believe (for me, at least) gaining muscle on a slow bulk is hard, and why I am setting my expectations low.
But clearly, I seem to be an outlier in this thinking.
What are your maintenance calories at out of curiosity.?
Holy *kitten*! What are your stats? I maintain at 2600. I'm a 29 year old, female, 5'9",190 pounds and 23% body fat. MFP has me around 2200.
You're friggin amazing. Can I be you when I grow up? (Even though I'm 3 years older than you LOL)
I just like lifting 
And eating.
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Usmcmp- hi I'm female,5ft 9,135 pounds, 20% bf and calories 1825. Just new to lifting, would love to lose 2% bf and gain 5pound of muscle and have abs like your pic.is that a reality possibility and how long do you think it would take time frame? I work out with a trainer 2-3 times a week and on my own cardio 4 days running plus occasional swim and excercise yoga(not the spiritual kind)
- My abs are too squishy for my liking0 -
19rosehill wrote: »Usmcmp- hi I'm female,5ft 9,135 pounds, 20% bf and calories 1825. Just new to lifting, would love to lose 2% bf and gain 5pound of muscle and have abs like your pic.is that a reality possibility and how long do you think it would take time frame? I work out with a trainer 2-3 times a week and on my own cardio 4 days running plus occasional swim and excercise yoga(not the spiritual kind)
- My abs are too squishy for my liking
That's something you should really be talking about with your trainer. If they see you 2-3 days a week they should be talking to you about your intake and activity level. The trainer's job is to have you set goals and then to write your programming to help you achieve those goals. They aren't just there to teach you to workout.
My opinion is that you should drop the cardio except once or twice a week to focus on more lifting outside of the sessions with your trainer (a good trainer will be willing to set your lifting schedule up to let you know what to do when you are lifting on your own). You have really low lean mass for your height (I'm the same height as you, but my lean mass is more than you weigh by 10 pounds). I would give it a solid year of hard effort in the gym while eating at about your maintenance number (probably slightly more). Even then I'm not sure that a year will get you to where you actually want to be. I don't think 5 pounds of lean mass is going to be enough for what you are looking for.0 -
Thanks heaps uc0
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You should probably at most gain 1 lb a week to limit fat gain. Good luck though.0
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JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »Post his actual stats if you want to use 40lbs as an example of his bodyfat amount. If he's carrying 40lbs of body fat @ 20%, what weight does that make him? And how much would he have to lose to get down to a 10%?
No... in relation to your comment about bodybuilders bulking in the 14-20% range as opposed to the 10-14% range. I'm not talking about the OP, or anyone else in this thread. I was saying, as a bodybuilder it is a waste of time being in a deficit for long of a period.
I was talking about a guy that wants to bulk but it waiting to go from the 14% range down to a sub 10% range before bulking. IMHO, it's a waste of time to lose muscle on purpose then have to spend time trying to gain it back again. Especially when it's obvious that he wants more bulk than he currently has at 14%
You would think I'm losing muscle by getting down to sub 10% but no I'm actually losing fat and gaining a bit of muscle. I noticed new veins and definition in my body along with improvements in my traps they suddenly got bigger, triceps, quads and calves. Heck, I'm even increasing the weights in most of my lifts. I'm a beginner by the way. By the way all this happened when I started eating clean and tracking here on MFP.
It takes a lot of time to bulk up and add LBM not just 10-20 lbs in a few months like the OP's saying unless one is on steroids. So cutting just 14 pounds of fat first before bulking is actually a good idea. I don't wanna bulk now and end up with 20% bodyfat I have to remove before starting another bulk. No thanks, this just doesn't make sense.
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Whatever works for you. But definition is being lean. And you are noticing your traps is mostly likely being lean. But maybe you got some newbie gains. Work it for all it's worth. Good luck0
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If its newbie gains then I'm doing it right by getting lean and gaining muscle then.JeffseekingV wrote: »Whatever works for you. But definition is being lean. And you are noticing your traps is mostly likely being lean. But maybe you got some newbie gains. Work it for all it's worth. Good luck
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Alright--I'm about 4 weeks into (at least semi consistent) training. I have been tracking my weight almost daily (so I can cancel out any fluctuations due to water weight from any given day) for 2 weeks. (I am also taking a weekly average). I expected to be gaining 0.1-0.2 pounds a week based on a minor surplus of 50-100 calories. I'm pretty sure I have indeed been eating slightly more than I was before, but I literally haven't even gained 0.1. For at least the past 10 days I've been getting in around 2250 calories a day. I find it amazing how at my size with a general sedentary lifestyle it seems like that might not even be enough to gain weight (most days I get less than 4,000 steps). I guess that's my fast metabolism at work!0
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What I mean is, there have been a couple days in which I've weighed myself under (what I believe to be) about the same conditions, and yet I'm one pound heavier. The next day, however, I'm back at around what has become my average. If I only weighed once a week and it happened to have been on one of those "higher weight" days, I would have been led to believe I was gaining weight at a much faster rate.
You're not canceling out any water fluctuations. Raise calories and monitor another 2 weeks.ForecasterJason wrote: »Alright--I'm about 4 weeks into (at least semi consistent) training. I have been tracking my weight almost daily (so I can cancel out any fluctuations due to water weight from any given day) for 2 weeks. (I am also taking a weekly average). I expected to be gaining 0.1-0.2 pounds a week based on a minor surplus of 50-100 calories. I'm pretty sure I have indeed been eating slightly more than I was before, but I literally haven't even gained 0.1. For at least the past 10 days I've been getting in around 2250 calories a day. I find it amazing how at my size with a general sedentary lifestyle it seems like that might not even be enough to gain weight (most days I get less than 4,000 steps). I guess that's my fast metabolism at work!
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I'm just here because I want a "six pack showing like WoW"0
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What % do you lady's cut to before bulking? Also how long is recommended for a cut before refeeding?0
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What % do you lady's cut to before bulking? Also how long is recommended for a cut before refeeding?
I cut to below 18% before bulking and stop bulking around 23%. I cut for several months before a refeed, those usually come once I plateau or my performance in the gym starts to suffer.0 -
Hi there! Keeping your six pack will not happen after gaining 20 lbs. I bulked for 2 years gained 21.3 lbs to be exact. Was at 10.something percent body fat at the end. My eight pack was gone!! Sucked. Only had two abs left. Good luck though0
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Interesting. I've heard of transformations in which lean guys have still been able to keep a six pack even after gaining about 20 pounds. I think this is where individual body differences in hormones and nutrient partitioning become apparent. Some people may be at an advantage and have an easier time than others.devenfuentes wrote: »Hi there! Keeping your six pack will not happen after gaining 20 lbs. I bulked for 2 years gained 21.3 lbs to be exact. Was at 10.something percent body fat at the end. My eight pack was gone!! Sucked. Only had two abs left. Good luck though
Did you gain most of that weight in a shorter time period or was it evenly spread out over the 2 years?
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[/quote]Interesting. I've heard of transformations in which lean guys have still been able to keep a six pack even after gaining about 20 pounds. I think this is where individual body differences in hormones and nutrient partitioning become apparent. Some people may be at an advantage and have an easier time than others.
Did you gain most of that weight in a shorter time period or was it evenly spread out over the 2 years?
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A pound at a time to minimize fat gain but I think you might be on to something with the individual body differences. I'm a naturally skinny guy so my abs were somewhat always there (4 of the 8) not very developed. Had to train a ton to get the eight but I probably didn't have them thick enough. Also all my fat gains go to my lower stomach hahaha. And idk about the guys who able to keep they're abs. I compete in physique bodybuilding competitions and every one ( that is natural) always somewhat lost their abs on a bulk0 -
In a thread on that forum, this guy says he went from 155 to 180 and had an eight pack before and after. http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/flashstinson0/ForecasterJason wrote: »
Interesting. I've heard of transformations in which lean guys have still been able to keep a six pack even after gaining about 20 pounds. I think this is where individual body differences in hormones and nutrient partitioning become apparent. Some people may be at an advantage and have an easier time than others.devenfuentes wrote: »Hi there! Keeping your six pack will not happen after gaining 20 lbs. I bulked for 2 years gained 21.3 lbs to be exact. Was at 10.something percent body fat at the end. My eight pack was gone!! Sucked. Only had two abs left. Good luck though
Did you gain most of that weight in a shorter time period or was it evenly spread out over the 2 years?
Do you have any links to these transformations?
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Not sure why you're saying that's not a good example, but here is another one. http://www.strengthandfitnesstips.com/about/ForecasterJason wrote: »
In a thread on that forum, this guy says he went from 155 to 180 and had an eight pack before and after. http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/flashstinson0/ForecasterJason wrote: »
Interesting. I've heard of transformations in which lean guys have still been able to keep a six pack even after gaining about 20 pounds. I think this is where individual body differences in hormones and nutrient partitioning become apparent. Some people may be at an advantage and have an easier time than others.devenfuentes wrote: »Hi there! Keeping your six pack will not happen after gaining 20 lbs. I bulked for 2 years gained 21.3 lbs to be exact. Was at 10.something percent body fat at the end. My eight pack was gone!! Sucked. Only had two abs left. Good luck though
Did you gain most of that weight in a shorter time period or was it evenly spread out over the 2 years?
Do you have any links to these transformations?
Not a good example there.
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