My Secret to a Six Pack

ChitownFoodie

I just went cross-eyed reading this....Thanks for sharing. I may have to pester you after I digest what i just read.

FaithandFitness

Hoooray for the respectful post that adds to and slightly disagrees with the original poster! See, people, it can be done. Great job! Thanks Damon for sharing what works for you!

Damon. Alot of your post is good info however you don't have to eat clean to obtain a sick pack, nor do you have to eat a bunch of smaller meals. If Alan Aragon, Lyle McDonald, and Martin Berkan visited these forums they would interject this thread as well with the myths of dieting and nutrition. I'm not saying that you eating clean and a bunch of small meals every few hours doesn't work, it does...but it's unecessary.

Head over to bodybuilding.com in the Nutrition forum section and talk to alot of the regulars there. They will explain. As long as you are getting your calorie intake and hitting your protein and fat macros daily that coincide with your TDEE level and your goals, you will obtain the six pack with time.

Thank you for the info though. You seemed to have great success with your diet plan and training bud.

DianaPowerUp

@joejccva71

Yes it is possible to do it without eating clean, etc... I have tried it other ways and failed. So for my body type and metabolism, 6 clean meals works best. I have a brother in-law that only eats 1 meal a day and he's ripped. However, he works out all day long as a construction worker, so his work outs are intense to say the least. Mine are not as intense (less than an hour a day) so I don't have the time nor energy it takes to burn off additional fats and calories.

I understand the debate and I agree with both sides, but like I said, for me the spaced out meals works the best.

Edit: I agree with this statement:

"Head over to bodybuilding.com in the Nutrition forum section and talk to alot of the regulars there. They will explain. As long as you are getting your calorie intake and hitting your protein and fat macros daily that coincide with your TDEE level and your goals, you will obtain the six pack with time. "

I have to agree with Damon on this one. I too find that the cleaner I eat, the more definition I have, and the easier it shows. As soon as I add any junk to my diet, my body fat goes up, no doubt about it. I also only work out 30 min- hr/day, so I don't have the time to burn off junk or carbs. And I get hungry every few hours. And when I'm hungry, I eat. Unless I eat junk (or lots of carbs), I can't possibly consume 700 cal/meal, so I eat every few hrs instead. Everyone is different, and you have to figure out what works best for you, but all that Damon wrote works for me too.

dragonflydi

You just described me! I have been doing all of this, I use a 10 lb weight plate behind my head while doing my crunches on a stability ball and I can see my upper 4. The lower however, well, that is a long ways away. Due to the amount of weight I've lost, the lower portion of my abs is covered with 5" of sagging skin, so you cannot see the muscles, but I can flex and feel them under all that loose skin, so they are there! This was a great share!!

aj_rock

Easier said than done my friend.

Also, Damon went out of his way to state that he just happens to like the 6 meals a day, not that it was necessary or anything.

As for the weighted crunches n stuff, it's generally agreed that many compound movements like squats, OLs, and deadlifts work the core hard enough to produce the hypertrophy necessary to see a six pack at low enough bf%.

Damon, did you track your BF%? If so, when did you find that them cans o' beer started to show up on your stomach? :P

froggy15

Thanks for the info.

Acg67

I have to agree with Damon on this one. I too find that the cleaner I eat, the more definition I have, and the easier it shows. As soon as I add any junk to my diet, my body fat goes up, no doubt about it. I also only work out 30 min- hr/day, so I don't have the time to burn off junk or carbs. And I get hungry every few hours. And when I'm hungry, I eat. Unless I eat junk (or lots of carbs), I can't possibly consume 700 cal/meal, so I eat every few hrs instead. Everyone is different, and you have to figure out what works best for you, but all that Damon wrote works for me too.

are you saying you instantly put on fat if you eat "junk food, even if at a deficit? sounds like it's more some water retention from the carbs and sodium of said junk food that will subside in a day or two

it really all comes down to diet and personal preferences

FatDadSlim

Bump for a Great post OP, very informative Thanks.

ninerbuff

I would have never thought to use weights during crunches/ab routines. Great info, thanks for posting!

I'm against using weights for ab work. If the resistance is high enough, then you can add muscle to your abs and waistline. I don't think many people want to add size to their abs or waistline. I have all clients and myself stick to body weight ab work. If it's too easy, then I change the exercise. Many people can't do hanging leg raises nor vertical V ups. Just challenge the abs, not bomb them. If body fat is low enough, they will show.

ninerbuff

This is a great post. I've heard many times that abs are created in the kitchen, not in the gym. That goes along with a lot of what you said. Thanks for this!

They are. Ask any Fitness competitor or competitive body builder. It's their diet that reveals abs.

kmcrey87

Great info! My abs didn't start to really show until I started doing my ab workouts with weights.

TheBraveryLover

Yum. I just came here to stare and drool...oh and get pointers! Thanks. LOL

damonmath

@aj_rock

The bottom 2 came in around 11% body fat as measured by an expensive scale (that is most likely not very accurate). Competitive Body Builders guessed my body fat to be around 8% just looking at me, but again not very accurate, so I don't really know for sure.

@ninerbuff

I agree that you don't need weights, but those V-ups and inverted situps I bet offer as much if not more resistance than a 10 lb. plate behind the head. Whatever rips and tears the muscle will work!

I actually love inverted situps, they make me feel like Rocky, but I don't always have a gym with the equipment to do that one. Although the back of a door works great if you have a spotter.

I try to follow the 3 sets 10 reps rule for the most part. I increase weights until I hit failure on the third set between 6-10 reps. That's the goal anyways, I don't always reach failure or even complete 3 sets, but I shoot for that.

raevynn

Have you try low sodium V8? It comes in small or large cans and also in a bottle. It is what I have in the morning instead of OJ.

You could also invest in a good juicer and juice your own veggies fresh. No canned sodium, fresher food, you control the ingredients. Once you get the hang of it, it takes about twice the time as opening/emptying/recycling the container. So, instead of 2 minutes, it takes you four (for example).

swadepgh

Very motivating post. Thanks!

R4z0r4Mm0

Thanks for sharing. I'm come back to this post in a few months when I'm ready. In the meantime - I'll comment on this so it stays in my profile.

feisma

bump

electriq

Interesting and informative thread, thanks everyone

damonmath

are you saying you instantly put on fat if you eat "junk food, even if at a deficit? sounds like it's more some water retention from the carbs and sodium of said junk food that will subside in a day or two

it really all comes down to diet and personal preferences

I agree about the junk food and bloat effect. I find that when I eat something heavily rich in creams and saturated fats that I do feel bloated and gassy for a couple of days. I have seen the scale jump up 4 lbs just from water and the solid food I just ate, but then see all of it flushed away 2 days later. So I got to agree about it subsiding. However, if you aren't allowing your body time to rid that waste, and keep adding to it with more and more crap foods, then it will not be so easy to digest and subside.

I tend to steer clear in general just to keep it clean and moving in the right direction. I figure that any counterproductive foods will only add more TIME to my life... Time in the Gym that is

Abigailblue39

Great post, my experience is the same, I adhere by your recommendations, I only don't supplement, I eat all my protein. I'm a woman - almost 40 with a pack. Low body fat and proper nutrition are of utmost importance. Keep it up!