questions

chrriis971

I am not 100% sure but I think I am around 10-14% body fat overall I am skinny ish build and tall 6ft,11St 2. I don't have that much fat on me in other places of my body however I have a layer of fat covering my abs if I tense I can see top 4 not brilliantly but I can see them. Whether I tense or not I have a little bit of a lower belly bulge.
Questions:
1 will I be able to see ny abs at this point or should I cut even though overall I am skinny.
2 how do I get rid off the bulge at the bottom.
3 anyway to get abs through loss of fat on a bulk.
4 any good exercises for abs,how often should I be working them.
And finally what foods should I and shouldn't I be eating.

MityMax96

1) You need muscle for one....you can cut back and that might help some....but you are around 155lbs? at 6 foot?
I would say for now focus on eating right and lifting more, get a foundation to work with.

2) Getting rid of that comes with being in a calorie deficit long enough so your body can burn it off.....that area is always the last place to go.

3) You have to pick one or the other at this point mate. If you want to bulk, then bulk if you want to uncover abs then uncover them. But I will say this, with your stats, I think you are better with doing what I said in answer #1 above. You need some muscle.

4) So much focus on the abs???? What about the other bigger muscle groups on your body? Chest, back, legs, shoulders.....you can work your abs every day if you wish. But I think you would be best served if you focused on bringing up the rest of your muscle groups.

Foods:: Eat anything you like, I do.
I just make sure I hit my macro and calorie goals for what I am trying to do.

psuLemon

MityMax96 wrote: »

1) You need muscle for one....you can cut back and that might help some....but you are around 155lbs? at 6 foot?
I would say for now focus on eating right and lifting more, get a foundation to work with.

2) Getting rid of that comes with being in a calorie deficit long enough so your body can burn it off.....that area is always the last place to go.

3) You have to pick one or the other at this point mate. If you want to bulk, then bulk if you want to uncover abs then uncover them. But I will say this, with your stats, I think you are better with doing what I said in answer #1 above. You need some muscle.

4) So much focus on the abs???? What about the other bigger muscle groups on your body? Chest, back, legs, shoulders.....you can work your abs every day if you wish. But I think you would be best served if you focused on bringing up the rest of your muscle groups.

Foods:: Eat anything you like, I do.
I just make sure I hit my macro and calorie goals for what I am trying to do.

Pretty much. But its hard to make a good assessment without a photo.


OP, if you aren't lifting yet, i would recommend making that your first step. Even without cutting/bulking, you can see some improvements in body composition. Below is a good list of workout programs.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

chrriis971

MityMax96 wrote: »

1) You need muscle for one....you can cut back and that might help some....but you are around 155lbs? at 6 foot?
I would say for now focus on eating right and lifting more, get a foundation to work with.

2) Getting rid of that comes with being in a calorie deficit long enough so your body can burn it off.....that area is always the last place to go.

3) You have to pick one or the other at this point mate. If you want to bulk, then bulk if you want to uncover abs then uncover them. But I will say this, with your stats, I think you are better with doing what I said in answer #1 above. You need some muscle.

4) So much focus on the abs???? What about the other bigger muscle groups on your body? Chest, back, legs, shoulders.....you can work your abs every day if you wish. But I think you would be best served if you focused on bringing up the rest of your muscle groups.

Foods:: Eat anything you like, I do.
I just make sure I hit my macro and calorie goals for what I am trying to do.

Thank you for this very full answer. In answer 1 when you say eat right and lift more do you mean bulk or maintain in terms of calories.
Also how long would you recommend to do this approach before a cut
Thanks

MityMax96

Honestly that is up to you mate....you have to look in the mirror.

I guess you could go by poundage on the bar as a guide.
So hitting certain points of strength....
i.e.
Bench press == to 1.0 - 1.5x body weight for 3 - 5 reps.
Squats == 1.5 - 2.0x body weight for 3 - 5 reps.
Deadlift == 1.5 - 2.0x body weight for 3 - 5 reps.
OHP == 1x body weight for 3 - 5 reps.

getting to around those numbers would indicate to me a good foundation of strength.....
Understand some muscle groups you may be stronger with than others....
Like my upper body I am fairly strong.....my legs are weak as crap.
So while I can hit a bench of 255 ~5 reps at 170 lbs body weight
and pull up doing body weight + 100 lbs for 4 reps.

My squats are weak....I struggle at 205 lbs.

chrriis971

MityMax96 wrote: »

Honestly that is up to you mate....you have to look in the mirror.

I guess you could go by poundage on the bar as a guide.
So hitting certain points of strength....
i.e.
Bench press == to 1.0 - 1.5x body weight for 3 - 5 reps.
Squats == 1.5 - 2.0x body weight for 3 - 5 reps.
Deadlift == 1.5 - 2.0x body weight for 3 - 5 reps.
OHP == 1x body weight for 3 - 5 reps.

getting to around those numbers would indicate to me a good foundation of strength.....
Understand some muscle groups you may be stronger with than others....
Like my upper body I am fairly strong.....my legs are weak as crap.
So while I can hit a bench of 255 ~5 reps at 170 lbs body weight
and pull up doing body weight + 100 lbs for 4 reps.

My squats are weak....I struggle at 205 lbs.

My maxs are:
Bench press:60kg
Deadlift:100kg-110kg being a while.
Squats:120kg

MityMax96

So it would seem you have strong legs....
Start bringing up the upper body
Get your diet right as well.

I wouldn't look to add more body weight at this time.....I would look to maintain your current weight +/- about 5 - 8 lbs....
Focus on getting your strength up and muscle developed.....
Assume 6 - 12 months of consistency on both diet and workouts.

MityMax96

FYI
I am 6'1 and sit at 170 lbs right now.
Been lifting for over 21 years.

chrriis971

MityMax96 wrote: »

So it would seem you have strong legs....
Start bringing up the upper body
Get your diet right as well.

I wouldn't look to add more body weight at this time.....I would look to maintain your current weight +/- about 5 - 8 lbs....
Focus on getting your strength up and muscle developed.....
Assume 6 - 12 months of consistency on both diet and workouts.

So stay on maintains calories and gain strength and muscle by bumping up the weight .
Don't do body weight exercise? By right diet do you mean eat clean or correct cals and macros? Thanks

MityMax96

Yep, that is what I would do....work on adding weight to the bar.

You can do body weight exercises that's fine....add weight if you can, like when I do dips or pull/chin ups I use a dip belt and add weight

I don't do "clean" eating, not even sure what that is.
Eat the food that supplies you with the protein, fat and carbs you need to hit your calorie goals.

chrriis971

MityMax96 wrote: »

Yep, that is what I would do....work on adding weight to the bar.

You can do body weight exercises that's fine....add weight if you can, like when I do dips or pull/chin ups I use a dip belt and add weight

I don't do "clean" eating, not even sure what that is.
Eat the food that supplies you with the protein, fat and carbs you need to hit your calorie goals.

Okay thanks that makes sense.By clean I ment healthy options as I am a footballer and my diet needs to be in check as if not I will slow down.

MityMax96

well what ever works for you mate.....you can eat what you like and define it how you like.

Myself, I will eat ice cream, cinnamon toast crunch cereal, slim jims, etc.....
I just make sure it fits in my daily goals or if not then the next couple days I make up for it.