Gain weight and have abs!?

amyrose3907

Hey everybody, I am currently trying to gain a little weight in order to thicken my body. However ideally I would love to keep a slim waist and maybe even have abs! Is this possible!? Or can I not control where I gain the weight...

malibu927

You can't control where the weight goes, and it's going to be a mixture of both muscle and fat (provided you're working through a good lifting program). Having abs comes down to having enough muscle and low body fat.

quiksylver296

You cannot control where you gain the weight, assuming the weight gain is fat. If you gain muscle, which is really hard for women, it could work. Very slight calorie surplus and a proven progressive weight lifting program (not something you make up on your own).

cwolfman13

quiksylver296 wrote: »

You cannot control where you gain the weight, assuming the weight gain is fat. If you gain muscle, which is really hard for women, it could work. Very slight calorie surplus and a proven progressive weight lifting program (not something you make up on your own).

And to add to this, visible abs on women are a pretty tough road to ho and a lot will come down to genetics. I know a lot of really fit and lean women and most of them, while having flat mid sections do not have visible striations.

I know a couple of physique competitors and they have visible abs when they're stage ready, but they don't walk around like that all of the time due to the fact that when they're stage ready, they're at a pretty much unsustainable BF%.

stanmann571

All of the above

If you want to get strong(er) focus on that. Once you're as strong as desired, figure out if it's even possible to get those visible striations if that's still your goal.

Many people discover that they enjoy being strong as much or more than they enjoy looking strong.

sardelsa

Unfortunately as mentioned, you cannot control where fat gain goes. You can keep fat gains minimal by keeping the surplus smaller.

My greatest advice to you.. tackle one thing at a time. So if you are gaining weight, rather than think " I want to gain weight.. but I also want abs right now" think.. "I want to build my abs up while I gain so they will be more visible down the road after I cut".. and keep in mind this isn't a one time process.... building your physique can take many many years.. so hold on and enjoy the ride.

mom23mangos

stanmann571 wrote: »

All of the above

If you want to get strong(er) focus on that. Once you're as strong as desired, figure out if it's even possible to get those visible striations if that's still your goal.

Many people discover that they enjoy being strong as much or more than they enjoy looking strong.

So true.

Wheelhouse15

stanmann571 wrote: »

All of the above

If you want to get strong(er) focus on that. Once you're as strong as desired, figure out if it's even possible to get those visible striations if that's still your goal.

Many people discover that they enjoy being strong as much or more than they enjoy looking strong.

Once they discover the difference between the two I think most people would take being strong over looking strong, but I'm biased I guess. A lot of people aren't even aware that those two qualities are actually separate.

amyrose3907

Thank you everyone that was really helpful! I just feel like it’s impossible to get the results I was and don’t know where to start

steveko89

amyrose3907 wrote: »

Thank you everyone that was really helpful! I just feel like it’s impossible to get the results I was and don’t know where to start

Like @Sardelsa said, focus on one thing at a time. Trying to build muscle and get lean enough for ab definition simultaneously are two opposing goals. I was overweight as an adolescent and initially struggled to get any results when I first started lifting because I too was concerned about adding too much fat and subsequently kept my calories too low for significant physique improvements. My advice would be to start lifting (if you aren't already) and pick a direction, bulk or cut, do that for a while and then do the opposite, working towards you ultimate goal.

Chieflrg

amyrose3907 wrote: »

Hey everybody, I am currently trying to gain a little weight in order to thicken my body. However ideally I would love to keep a slim waist and maybe even have abs! Is this possible!? Or can I not control where I gain the weight...

Ideal yes, but it's just wishful thinking.

The most efficient way to control where weight is gained at least in some compacity is with a bulk/cut cycle with adequate muscle stimulas.

There is also recomp, but in reality it's really a much smaller version of a bulk/cut cycle simpled up and results are considered much slower.

Depending on your programming and adherence to the cycle you can thicken some areas and then cut weight to lose fat to adhance those areas.

Bulk/cut cycle is much more efficient in whole when one starts with a lower body fat range of something like under 20% for females.