How to Maintain Abs???
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I had to get serious about my goals and what I wanted.
I had to learn more about what I eat and nutrition
I had to learn more about lifting and why I need to lift in a certain way.....Keep in mind that I have been in the gym for almost 20 yrs now.
Me in 2006
Me in Aug 2013 (right) and Dec 2013 (right)
Me on 07-24-2014
This is beyond ridiculous. Listen to everything this man says.0 -
and this is me on 07-25-2014
Just ate about 2300 calories of pancakes, eggs, bacon, croissants, almond butter, syrup
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I had to get serious about my goals and what I wanted.
I had to learn more about what I eat and nutrition
I had to learn more about lifting and why I need to lift in a certain way.....Keep in mind that I have been in the gym for almost 20 yrs now.
Me in 2006
Me in Aug 2013 (right) and Dec 2013 (right)
Me on 07-24-2014
Great Work!0 -
This is beyond ridiculous. Listen to everything this man says.
Thanks sweetie0 -
I can't speak to having/maintaining abs since I'm not there yet. As for calorie goal setting, this is the most accurate calculator for me: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ Keep in mind that anything like this is really just an estimate and you have to start at a point and add/subtract from there to find what works for you specifically. I find that MFP underestimates my calorie needs but that that site is pretty dead on for me.0
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I guess we'll see. I seem to gain and lose the same 5lbs eating by the supposed right numbers the calorie calculators spit out. Lifting seems to make literally no difference at all. I feel like the people swearing they don't do cardio are lying.
What are your stats?
hieght, weight, age, days you workout?
Do you do compound lifts? (bench press, dead lifts, squats, etc...)
I do light cardio, usually twice a week....stairmaster 25 - 30 min, elliptical ~20min...
That is it, other than that it is all diet and weights.
35, 5'11", 242-245 (weight swing between this weekend and today). I do 5/3/1 of the big 4 compounds over 4 days a week. I do 3 assistance exercises that I try to compliment the main lifts (bench day assistance would be tri's and back for instance). I eat between 2200-2400 (TDEE minus approx 15-20% according to IIFYM), try to hit 200ish protein/70 fat/rest in carbs. No real cardio other than bike riding some and walking. My FitBit generally puts my calories in line with what IIFYM gave me but if I'm very active and my calories come in higher I still try not to eat above 2400.
Ok, I come up w/ TDEE of ~2900 for you.
So, I would shoot for <2400 cals a day....I think if you can do 2200, then do that.
Be on point with your diet and what you eat.
Get a food scale to measure your food, so you can log accurately.
Protein / day ~185 - 190
fat / day ~70-80 gr (min)
Carbs / day ~85
Doing that puts you at 2350
Now you can knock down protein some and carbs a bit to get to 2300
One thing that I think benefited me was going to Intermittent Fasting (LeanGains) protocol.
And doing my work outs in the fasted state.....cardio especially.0 -
Oh and focus on whole foods...as much as possible.
veggies, fruits as well.....veggies cannot be stressed enough.
plan your diet.0 -
Oh and focus on whole foods...as much as possible.
veggies, fruits as well.....veggies cannot be stressed enough.
plan your diet.
I'll keep at it. It sounds like I'm doing many of those things, though not all whole foods. I eat a protein bar for breakfast and eat cottage cheese for snacks. I'll see if I can sharpen those up in the long run.
I do a protein bar on occasion as well as whey protein powder....
But I try for the most part to stick with whole foods, and use the other things for what they are intended for...as a supplement to a good diet or in case I am having a busy day and I cant get a proper meal in....then I will turn to those substitutes.
I eat in an 8 hour window daily....from ~1pm - 8pm.....
First meal is after my workout, whatever that may be...weights or cardio.
So find an eating plan/schedule that works for you and allows you to stay in your caloric/macro goals.0 -
Gee guys, thanks for the insights!
@MityMax96: You are looking SUPER! Apparently, whatever you did, it WORKED! I see a lot of hard work and perseverance in your results!
Ok, now for some stats:
I'm 5'3.5", 105, 18 yrs old. I'm female, having trouble putting on muscle (geesh, what girl doesn't?) So this post is more relevant for the LADIES out there. What did you do to gain them abs and maintain them?
For workouts, I workout six days a week, two of which are upper body strength training (free weights, machines, bench press), the other two are leg days where I do squats, barbell lunges, goblet squats, etc. Every other day I do some sort of ab workout, either pilates, kickboxing, or ab machines. And cardio like jogging or hiit most days.
I'm calorie cycling right now as I've heard it's most effective at shredding that last layer of fat. Will I always have to eat at a calorie deficit if I want my abs to be visible?0 -
Gee guys, thanks for the insights!
@MityMax96: You are looking SUPER! Apparently, whatever you did, it WORKED! I see a lot of hard work and perseverance in your results!
Ok, now for some stats:
I'm 5'3.5", 105, 18 yrs old. I'm female, having trouble putting on muscle (geesh, what girl doesn't?) So this post is more relevant for the LADIES out there. What did you do to gain them abs and maintain them?
For workouts, I workout six days a week, two of which are upper body strength training (free weights, machines, bench press), the other two are leg days where I do squats, barbell lunges, goblet squats, etc. Every other day I do some sort of ab workout, either pilates, kickboxing, or ab machines. And cardio like jogging or hiit most days.
I'm calorie cycling right now as I've heard it's most effective at shredding that last layer of fat. Will I always have to eat at a calorie deficit if I want my abs to be visible?
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Even though I am not a lady, I will throw in my $0.02 regarding your post.
With your stats your TDEE is ~1800 - 1850 calories.
I personally think that at 105 lbs, you are on the small side, but your body, so you can be whatever weight you like.
Your workout doesn't seem too bad....
I would however emphasize that your workouts comprise the basic compound lifts.
So squats, dead lifts, bench press, dips, chin/pull ups, shoulder press.....something along the lines of Strong Lifts 5x5
Do weights 5 days, and then your cardio/ab days 2 days a week.....but again your call here.
Regarding calories and to keep abs or add muscle......sadly if you want to pack on more muscle, that requires a calories surplus and as such abs will prolly go away.
Now while you are in deficit and working out, as you lose Body Fat and develop/train your muscles, they will "pop" so you will be more defined, as well as having abs.
I would say that your calories be in the range of 1500 - 1550, a slight deficit, and stay there til you get to the point you see your body the way you want to....
Then as along as you want to "keep your abs".....you move your calories up to 1600 - 1700...still a slight deficit.
But track things and see how your body responds over the course of 2 - 4 weeks......don't make changes every week.....
So your macros would be like:
Protein == 84 gr / day (I would say go for ~100gr / day while in deficit)
Fats == 42gr / day (minimum)
Carbs == 214 gr / day (now if you bump up protein to 100 gr, then drop carbs to ~199 gr / day)
I would also say that post weight lifting workouts you do, your meal should be high protein and carbs, and low fat....for that meal.
It Will benefit your muscles the most.
So if you are doing 85gr prot/ 200 gr carbs / 42 gr fat
I would try to make the meal post workout be ~20 - 25gr protein / 50 - 70 gr carbs / <10 - 15 gr fat.....
But you can again do what you like there.....but you want your muscles to get the full benefit from carbs and protein, and fats will inhibit some of the uptake process for your muscles.
So for me on a normal meal post work out....
I will try to hit around 200 gr carbs, ~100 gr prot, and fats at 10 - 15 gr or less......0 -
Gee guys, thanks for the insights!
@MityMax96: You are looking SUPER! Apparently, whatever you did, it WORKED! I see a lot of hard work and perseverance in your results!
Ok, now for some stats:
I'm 5'3.5", 105, 18 yrs old. I'm female, having trouble putting on muscle (geesh, what girl doesn't?) So this post is more relevant for the LADIES out there. What did you do to gain them abs and maintain them?
For workouts, I workout six days a week, two of which are upper body strength training (free weights, machines, bench press), the other two are leg days where I do squats, barbell lunges, goblet squats, etc. Every other day I do some sort of ab workout, either pilates, kickboxing, or ab machines. And cardio like jogging or hiit most days.
I'm calorie cycling right now as I've heard it's most effective at shredding that last layer of fat. Will I always have to eat at a calorie deficit if I want my abs to be visible?
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Even though I am not a lady, I will throw in my $0.02 regarding your post.
With your stats your TDEE is ~1800 - 1850 calories.
I personally think that at 105 lbs, you are on the small side, but your body, so you can be whatever weight you like.
Your workout doesn't seem too bad....
I would however emphasize that your workouts comprise the basic compound lifts.
So squats, dead lifts, bench press, dips, chin/pull ups, shoulder press.....something along the lines of Strong Lifts 5x5
Do weights 5 days, and then your cardio/ab days 2 days a week.....but again your call here.
Regarding calories and to keep abs or add muscle......sadly if you want to pack on more muscle, that requires a calories surplus and as such abs will prolly go away.
Now while you are in deficit and working out, as you lose Body Fat and develop/train your muscles, they will "pop" so you will be more defined, as well as having abs.
I would say that your calories be in the range of 1500 - 1550, a slight deficit, and stay there til you get to the point you see your body the way you want to....
Then as along as you want to "keep your abs".....you move your calories up to 1600 - 1700...still a slight deficit.
But track things and see how your body responds over the course of 2 - 4 weeks......don't make changes every week.....
So your macros would be like:
Protein == 84 gr / day (I would say go for ~100gr / day while in deficit)
Fats == 42gr / day (minimum)
Carbs == 214 gr / day (now if you bump up protein to 100 gr, then drop carbs to ~199 gr / day)
I would also say that post weight lifting workouts you do, your meal should be high protein and carbs, and low fat....for that meal.
It Will benefit your muscles the most.
So if you are doing 85gr prot/ 200 gr carbs / 42 gr fat
I would try to make the meal post workout be ~20 - 25gr protein / 50 - 70 gr carbs / <10 - 15 gr fat.....
But you can again do what you like there.....but you want your muscles to get the full benefit from carbs and protein, and fats will inhibit some of the uptake process for your muscles.
So for me on a normal meal post work out....
I will try to hit around 200 gr carbs, ~100 gr prot, and fats at 10 - 15 gr or less......
Thank you for the insightful and helpful post! There's a lot of information here that I think is quite relevant, and I've heard many of your suggestions echoed on fitness websites elsewhere. I am giving StrongLifts 5x5 a try....
You mentioned strength training 5 days a week. What does a typical week of strength training look like for you? As a girl, I find I am sore after almost every strength training workout, so I try to give each muscle group a 1-2 day rest (or until the soreness has passed) before working it again. Do you emphasize training upper body on consecutive days, just targeting different muscle groups?
As for nutrition, I eat very clean. Every once in a while, I have vanilla whey protein powder (Super Body Fortress...the stuff tastes icky :noway: ) I hear all these diet fads out there raving about "low carb diets to shred fat" and what-not. Seriously, do I have to ditch fruits and carbs just to see abs? Doesn't seem healthy to me, that amount of deprivation...0 -
Low sodium diet! That water weight will cover those abs right up.0
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Thank you for the insightful and helpful post! There's a lot of information here that I think is quite relevant, and I've heard many of your suggestions echoed on fitness websites elsewhere. I am giving StrongLifts 5x5 a try....
You mentioned strength training 5 days a week. What does a typical week of strength training look like for you? As a girl, I find I am sore after almost every strength training workout, so I try to give each muscle group a 1-2 day rest (or until the soreness has passed) before working it again. Do you emphasize training upper body on consecutive days, just targeting different muscle groups?
As for nutrition, I eat very clean. Every once in a while, I have vanilla whey protein powder (Super Body Fortress...the stuff tastes icky :noway: ) I hear all these diet fads out there raving about "low carb diets to shred fat" and what-not. Seriously, do I have to ditch fruits and carbs just to see abs? Doesn't seem healthy to me, that amount of deprivation...
On my normal schedule my weight lifting days are usually Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun
I do heavy legs on Sunday usually,
Heavy Chest on Saturday
Arms/shoulders on Monday
And then Wed. is either gonna be full body or just dead lifts....if full body, then it will not be to heavy....
If you do a lot of reps, say >10 per set, then your chances of being sore the next day are gonna go up.
If you go heavy and in the 3 - 6 rep range, then soreness will not be as bad.0 -
Thank you for the insightful and helpful post! There's a lot of information here that I think is quite relevant, and I've heard many of your suggestions echoed on fitness websites elsewhere. I am giving StrongLifts 5x5 a try....
You mentioned strength training 5 days a week. What does a typical week of strength training look like for you? As a girl, I find I am sore after almost every strength training workout, so I try to give each muscle group a 1-2 day rest (or until the soreness has passed) before working it again. Do you emphasize training upper body on consecutive days, just targeting different muscle groups?
As for nutrition, I eat very clean. Every once in a while, I have vanilla whey protein powder (Super Body Fortress...the stuff tastes icky :noway: ) I hear all these diet fads out there raving about "low carb diets to shred fat" and what-not. Seriously, do I have to ditch fruits and carbs just to see abs? Doesn't seem healthy to me, that amount of deprivation...
On my normal schedule my weight lifting days are usually Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun
I do heavy legs on Sunday usually,
Heavy Chest on Saturday
Arms/shoulders on Monday
And then Wed. is either gonna be full body or just dead lifts....if full body, then it will not be to heavy....
If you do a lot of reps, say >10 per set, then your chances of being sore the next day are gonna go up.
If you go heavy and in the 3 - 6 rep range, then soreness will not be as bad.
So I incorporate more weightlifting in my workout sched? I feel like I've hit a wall and I can't push past it...I've become
much leaner, but I feel like the more I'm restricting calories, the more my body is holding onto the fat...what are your
thoughts on calorie cycling? Has it been effective for you, and if so, what calorie cycle did you put yourself on? I'm
still eating clean foods, by the way. :-)0 -
If you have been on a calorie restricted diet for more than 8 weeks.
Try taking 2 days or so, where you eat at or just above maintenance....mostly carbs, little fat. Protein levels where they normally are.
Then go back on your diet. See if that helps you.
I read this article this morning....
So definitely some food for thought.
http://rippedbody.jp/2014/07/29/everything-cardio/
I do calorie and macro cycle.
Works for me, and gets me what I want....0 -
Abs are made in the kitchen, you should be striving to always eat at maintenance, you could have the most defined abs, but a constant overeating patterns can ruin all that.
If you do indulge, make up for it... Have a day of defecit
But its always math, calories in vs calories out !!0 -
Abs are made in the kitchen, you should be striving to always eat at maintenance, you could have the most defined abs, but a constant overeating patterns can ruin all that.
If you do indulge, make up for it... Have a day of defecit
But its always math, calories in vs calories out !!
Yes, just four or five days of bad overeating can set a person way behind! Any foods I should particularly avoid? Any foods you'd recommend for their nutrient value?0
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