Becoming more muscular

Chibigirl01

Hello all,

I am new to myfitnesspal and working out in general, and was
hoping to get some feedback from some folks out there who have
had success with their fitness regimen.
I am female, 5'3", 104lbs, approximately 17-18% body fat (using a hand held body fat machine).
I would like to be more muscular all over, particularly my abs/belly.
I've found a lot of success taking strength training classes to
firm up by back, arms and legs in the past 3-4 months, but not as much on my belly.
I've tried ab exercises, but I can't seem to find a routine that will
work my abs to exhaustion in as short a period of time as other muscles.
What has worked for you? I am trying to limit my gym time to 60-90 minutes a day, max 5x week.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much!

TrailNurse

Are you logging your food? Abs are not made in the gym....they are made in the kitchen. If you have a diary, open it up and let us see what you are eating to support those abs.

navyrigger46

Front squats, deadlifts, and pull ups are my favorite ab exercises, Pushups are good too, but mainly work your hip flexors.

Rigger

Chibigirl01

Hi trail nurse, I tried to add food for today to my diary.
The items I listed are pretty consistent with what I eat throughout the week.
I eat a lot of asian food that isn't listed and may be hard to exactly calorie count,
But often it consists of kimchee, tofu, and other seasoned veggies.
I also eat ice cream and dark chocolate occasionally.
If I were to guess, my caloric intake would be about 1500-2000 calories a day.
Thank you!

Chibigirl01

Hi Navyrigger, thanks for your response! I've been doing squats, dead lifts and lunges in
the strength training classes I'm taking. I feel it mostly in my legs and back, but only a little on my abs.
Do you use a lot of weights? The max I've used in class is about 18lbs, and on the weight lifting machines, I'm at about
50lbs.
I will try to incorporate more pull-ups and push-ups. Thanks again!

rick_po

Losing belly fat is all about a calorie deficit. Work on your diet and be patient.

Your core muscles, like your abs, are funny muscles. You can exercise them dynamically, with sit-ups, leg-raises, hyperextensions, and the like, but one of their biggest roles is in stabilizing the body. To work on stabilizing, do planks, heavy squats, and deadlifts.

An 18-pound deadlift is almost a waste of time. It's so light that I doubt you're getting any strength improvement at all. You're probably already strong enough to lift closer to 100 pounds (but don't start that heavy - it takes a few weeks to learn how to do a heavy deadlift safely).

Do a real beginner strength program, like

Starting Strength
Stronglifts 5x5
Strong Curves
all-pro beginner
New Rules of Lifting

When the weights get heavy, your core will get hammered.

A lot of people think light dumbbells added to a cardio routine make a strength routine. It doesn't. There is a tiny strength improvement, but mostly dumbbells just add a little intensity to the cardio. A good strength program is all about progression. The programs I mentioned all have good progression plans.

Chibigirl01

Losing belly fat is all about a calorie deficit. Work on your diet and be patient.

Your core muscles, like your abs, are funny muscles. You can exercise them dynamically, with sit-ups, leg-raises, hyperextensions, and the like, but one of their biggest roles is in stabilizing the body. To work on stabilizing, do planks, heavy squats, and deadlifts.

An 18-pound deadlift is almost a waste of time. It's so light that I doubt you're getting any strength improvement at all. You're probably already strong enough to lift closer to 100 pounds (but don't start that heavy - it takes a few weeks to learn how to do a heavy deadlift safely).

Do a real beginner strength program, like

Starting Strength
Stronglifts 5x5
Strong Curves
all-pro beginner
New Rules of Lifting

When the weights get heavy, your core will get hammered.

A lot of people think light dumbbells added to a cardio routine make a strength routine. It doesn't. There is a tiny strength improvement, but mostly dumbbells just add a little intensity to the cardio. A good strength program is all about progression. The programs I mentioned all have good progression plans.

Thanks rick_po! I've read a lot about Strong Lifts for beginners and is mostly why I started weight lifting in the first place.
When you say it takes a few weeks to get to the weight I can probably lift, are you saying I should start from where I am now
at 50lbs and work my way up to 100 within the next few weeks? I hope that's not a silly question.

Chibigirl01

Bump

Walter__

I saw an ab routine a while ago. It consisted of a few basic ab exercises that are done with heavy weights.

Here's the routine (keep in mind these are the weights the OP could handle - for yourself, use weights that you can handle):


Ab Crunch Machine: Slow controlled reps, focus on negative
95 x 10 warm-up
135 x 10
145 x 10
155 x 10
160 x 10

Roman Chair Leg Lifts: Don't use weight until comfortable weightless, also try to keep your back OFF the support! This is much harder but it works.
15lbs x 10
15lbs x 10
17.5lbs x 10
17.5lbs x 10

Decline Sit-Ups: Weighted
45lb plate x 15 reps x 4 sets


It was pulled from this thread here, where tere's a lot of discussion about it: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=123616661

But everyone who tried it had very good results.

It made more sense to me than those stupid hippie routines that have you doing hundreds of crunches and leg raises. You train every other muscle with heavy weights, so why would your abs be different?

TrailNurse

Hi trail nurse, I tried to add food for today to my diary.
The items I listed are pretty consistent with what I eat throughout the week.
I eat a lot of asian food that isn't listed and may be hard to exactly calorie count,
But often it consists of kimchee, tofu, and other seasoned veggies.
I also eat ice cream and dark chocolate occasionally.
If I were to guess, my caloric intake would be about 1500-2000 calories a day.
Thank you!

You really need to log as close as you can even if you have to create your own recipes and meals. Scan the bar codes on the foods that you eat. You could be underestimating and don't even know it. No excuses!

If you are not eating enough you won't be able to build muscles including abs. With 3-5 hours a week of moderate exercise.....your TDEE is 1990. To build muscle you must eat 20% above this. 2388 is what you need to consume consistently to gain muscle.

I see only one entry in your diary and if that's all the protein you are eating, you need more than that.

At your weight....I wouldn't be doing an cardio either. Sixty minutes weight training is all you should be doing. It's going to take time if you are a hard gainer.

shor0814

An 18-pound deadlift is almost a waste of time. It's so light that I doubt you're getting any strength improvement at all. You're probably already strong enough to lift closer to 100 pounds (but don't start that heavy - it takes a few weeks to learn how to do a heavy deadlift safely).

Thanks rick_po! I've read a lot about Strong Lifts for beginners and is mostly why I started weight lifting in the first place.
When you say it takes a few weeks to get to the weight I can probably lift, are you saying I should start from where I am now
at 50lbs and work my way up to 100 within the next few weeks? I hope that's not a silly question.

What I believe he means is that you should learn good deadlift form with lighter weights and work up to your 100 lbs at 5-15 lb increments. Bad form on a deadlift will hurt you when the weight gets heavy.

Graelwyn75

What has worked for me is a combination of weights, circuits and boxing, coupled with some cycling and running.

rick_po

Thanks rick_po! I've read a lot about Strong Lifts for beginners and is mostly why I started weight lifting in the first place.
When you say it takes a few weeks to get to the weight I can probably lift, are you saying I should start from where I am now
at 50lbs and work my way up to 100 within the next few weeks? I hope that's not a silly question.

What I believe he means is that you should learn good deadlift form with lighter weights and work up to your 100 lbs at 5-15 lb increments. Bad form on a deadlift will hurt you when the weight gets heavy.

Exactly. Most beginner strength programs that train deadlifts will start around 45 pounds (an empty bar). You'll often train deadlifts once every 4 days, and add 5-15 pounds every time you do deadlifts.

The details are different in each program, but that's typical. Pick a good program and follow the instructions they give, and you should have a lot of success.

jrodri0105

With your current stats, its most likely due to having no muscles. Build some muscles by increasing your calorie intake to 2300.. Try to aim for 1 b per week. Stop till you feel you have build enough muscle. & then work on fat loss again while maintaining the muscle.

Chibigirl01

I saw an ab routine a while ago. It consisted of a few basic ab exercises that are done with heavy weights.

Here's the routine (keep in mind these are the weights the OP could handle - for yourself, use weights that you can handle):


Ab Crunch Machine: Slow controlled reps, focus on negative
95 x 10 warm-up
135 x 10
145 x 10
155 x 10
160 x 10

Roman Chair Leg Lifts: Don't use weight until comfortable weightless, also try to keep your back OFF the support! This is much harder but it works.
15lbs x 10
15lbs x 10
17.5lbs x 10
17.5lbs x 10

Decline Sit-Ups: Weighted
45lb plate x 15 reps x 4 sets


It was pulled from this thread here, where tere's a lot of discussion about it: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=123616661

But everyone who tried it had very good results.

It made more sense to me than those stupid hippie routines that have you doing hundreds of crunches and leg raises. You train every other muscle with heavy weights, so why would your abs be different?

Thanks walterc7! I will probably try these without weights and gradually add weights on.

Chibigirl01

Hi trail nurse, I tried to add food for today to my diary.
The items I listed are pretty consistent with what I eat throughout the week.
I eat a lot of asian food that isn't listed and may be hard to exactly calorie count,
But often it consists of kimchee, tofu, and other seasoned veggies.
I also eat ice cream and dark chocolate occasionally.
If I were to guess, my caloric intake would be about 1500-2000 calories a day.
Thank you!

You really need to log as close as you can even if you have to create your own recipes and meals. Scan the bar codes on the foods that you eat. You could be underestimating and don't even know it. No excuses!

If you are not eating enough you won't be able to build muscles including abs. With 3-5 hours a week of moderate exercise.....your TDEE is 1990. To build muscle you must eat 20% above this. 2388 is what you need to consume consistently to gain muscle.

I see only one entry in your diary and if that's all the protein you are eating, you need more than that.

At your weight....I wouldn't be doing an cardio either. Sixty minutes weight training is all you should be doing. It's going to take time if you are a hard gainer.

Yes mam! I've been adding to my food diary for a
Couple days now and I see that I eat more junk food than
I previously thought, but also am under eating my caloric goal of
1980 calories. Will work on upping to 2300.

Chibigirl01

Thanks for the clarification shor0814 and rick_po!

brower47

I didn't see it specifically as I skimmed (forgive me if it's already been mentioned) but also make sure you're getting plenty of protein in addition to eating at a surplus. You aren't going to gain muscle without it. .8 - 1g per lb of lean body mass is generally recommended.

No_Finish_Line

I've tried ab exercises, but I can't seem to find a routine that will
work my abs to exhaustion in as short a period of time as other muscles.
What has worked for you? I am trying to limit my gym time to 60-90 minutes a day, max 5x week.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

this is exactly what you are asking for. super burn, always done in under 10 min. progressive

MrTolerable

at that body fat percentage for being a lady you are very close to abs, the main girl i'm dating now has 14% body fat and she has amazing abs.

I recommend doing weighted abs in various positions and weighted obliques... your too skinny to look fat from weighted abs and if you flex the six pack will become visible.

just my $.02

w734q672

one armed pullups!

Anniebotnen

Front squats, deadlifts, and pull ups are my favorite ab exercises, Pushups are good too, but mainly work your hip flexors.

Rigger

If you're working your hip flexors when you do push-ups, something is not right...

AllOutof_Bubblegum

If I were to guess, my caloric intake would be about 1500-2000 calories a day.

Stop guessing. You need to know for sure, because you'd be absolutely floored to learn how quickly those few extra unlogged calories add up to several hundred by the end of the day. Weigh everything. Log everything. It's the only way to know for SURE you are eating at a deficit.

Showcase_Brodown

Your abs will be achieved mainly by lowering body fat % and focusing on compound lifts. You can isolate if you get bored and are doing the first two.

Leadfoot_Lewis

If I were to guess, my caloric intake would be about 1500-2000 calories a day.

Stop guessing. You need to know for sure, because you'd be absolutely floored to learn how quickly those few extra unlogged calories add up to several hundred by the end of the day. Weigh everything. Log everything. It's the only way to know for SURE you are eating at a deficit.

^I agree with this. If you really want to get serious about this you really need to know with as much certainty as you can how many calories you're taking in.

July 8, 2014 2:42 PM

Your abs will be achieved mainly by lowering body fat % and focusing on compound lifts.

I put an emphasis on the "and" because good abs (especially on a female who has enough trouble gaining muscle) are not "just made in the kitchen". While that's very important so is strength training, not only from compound lifts, but also heavy isolated ab work.

kdiamond

Get on a good "tried and true" program and eat 200-300 calories above maintenance. You'll need to gain some weight which will be a mixture of both fat and muscle. It will probably take a good amount of time, say 6-12 months.

MrTolerable

If I were to guess, my caloric intake would be about 1500-2000 calories a day.

Stop guessing. You need to know for sure, because you'd be absolutely floored to learn how quickly those few extra unlogged calories add up to several hundred by the end of the day. Weigh everything. Log everything. It's the only way to know for SURE you are eating at a deficit.

^I agree with this. If you really want to get serious about this you really need to know with as much certainty as you can how many calories you're taking in.

July 8, 2014 2:42 PM

Your abs will be achieved mainly by lowering body fat % and focusing on compound lifts.

I put an emphasis on the "and" because good abs (especially on a female who has enough trouble gaining muscle) are not "just made in the kitchen". While that's very important so is strength training, not only from compound lifts, but also heavy isolated ab work.

^solid advice

Chibigirl01

Thanks everyone for your tips and advice! I've been trying to eat about 1800 calories a day and drinking protein shakes to meet my protein requirements. It might sound silly to folks who have been working out for a while, but I've learned that the main reason I have trouble gaining muscle is because of a lack of protein intake. For now, I've been focusing on primarily lifting and HIIT with very minimal steady state cardio.

yoovie

the big compound lifts have worked my midsection more than anything ive done that was isolated work.

evilokc

Been said a lot here and i dont wanna feel left out so i will say again. Treat your abs like every other muscle. Weight makes muscles bigger. Im working on this myself right now. I got leaner and leaner and as i did i noticed my abs were not the big bricks of muscle i wanted. A flat stomach is nice but i want 3d abs. So im doing weighted rope crunches as my main focus.