What do I have to do to get a six pack?
Options
Replies
-
You are seriously going to tell someone who has lived on workout videos to do a bulk? You all are insane. That will last maybe 2 weeks before she jumps on the scale, freaks out and runs back to J.M. for some cardio repentance.
At most do a body recomp to get your feet wet. Also, I seriously doubt you are at that bf% for a female and don't have a better stomach than you are claiming unless you have the worlds worst ab genetics, been extremely overweight when you were younger or had kiddos (or at enough oats to make you want to puke when you got tested).
I would tell anyone who is underweight to do a bulk. It'll do them good.0 -
You are seriously going to tell someone who has lived on workout videos to do a bulk? You all are insane. That will last maybe 2 weeks before she jumps on the scale, freaks out and runs back to J.M. for some cardio repentance.
At most do a body recomp to get your feet wet. Also, I seriously doubt you are at that bf% for a female and don't have a better stomach than you are claiming unless you have the worlds worst ab genetics, been extremely overweight when you were younger or had kiddos (or at enough oats to make you want to puke when you got tested).
what is a body recomp?0 -
You are seriously going to tell someone who has lived on workout videos to do a bulk? You all are insane. That will last maybe 2 weeks before she jumps on the scale, freaks out and runs back to J.M. for some cardio repentance.
At most do a body recomp to get your feet wet. Also, I seriously doubt you are at that bf% for a female and don't have a better stomach than you are claiming unless you have the worlds worst ab genetics, been extremely overweight when you were younger or had kiddos (or at enough oats to make you want to puke when you got tested).
what is a body recomp?
Body Recomposition, which is commonly confused with "lean bulking" (and depending on the context they CAN be one and the same but not necessarily) is the act of losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. It happens easily when you are first starting out but becomes difficult, and can seem next to impossible, as you progress. It takes a _lot_ longer to see results doing it this way than the bulk & cut route. For somebody who is medically considered underweight, though, I think that starting out with a basic bulk is the best way to go.0 -
It's really personal preference, but there are many women on here who have done the conventional bulk and haven't gain lots of love handles. But leangains is a viable option as well.I locked your other thread since this posted.
The problem that you face, is at 5'8 and 123lbs, you are under weight. Cutting more weight will not provide you results because you do not have enough mass to give you abs. In fact, i have yet to see an under weight person with a good set of abs and this is a very common issue I see on this board. With that said, you probably need to add 10 or so lbs of mass. This means, you will need to do several bulk and cut phases, so you can get back to a normal weight. That means, you will need a good weight training program (you can start with 3 to 4 days of full body routines) and eat above your maintenance calories so you can gain weight. After 8-12 weeks, you can follow it with a cut realizing that about 50% of your weight gain will be new fat. You can not avoid it. You have to accept it and do cycles. You may have to repeat this 1-4 types depending how aggressive you go and how you like your results.
I would suggest spending some time researching the gaining weight section.
Well I wish you wouldn't present bulking and cutting cycles as the only way. It's not.
Bulking and cutting is very efficient in terms of time to reach your goal, but IMO quality of life suffers on the way.
An approach like leangains allows one to put on the mass gradually, while staying much leaner.
I agree in normal cases but in the case of someone who is already underweight, if not bordering on it, such as in the case of the OP, starting things out with a good bulk cycle is a better route.
I agree, assuming the subject is a machine.
But human beings are highly emotional. Some more than others (like me!). I just can't stand the love handles and man boobs when I bulk. I know I'm growing slower than I could be, but that is ok with me. The trade off is feeling good all the time.
I just wanted to make sure it was offered up as an alternative
It's definitely a viable one, but I think that because the OP is underweight they should probably focus on a bulk initially because they need to get weight up fairly quickly, not only for six pack but for medical reasons. Your experience with both traditional bulking and leangains definitely makes your input weigh heavily here. However, remember, you did not come from the perspective of someone who is legitimately underweight. That, I feel, changes things.
I took that into account, believe me. I was dangerously underweight as a teen so I do know something about this.
Although on the one hand, getting up to a healthy weight is the most medically important goal, it's ok to compromise a little on that to make gaining weight as rewarding as possible, which reinforces the concept that gaining is good.0 -
You are seriously going to tell someone who has lived on workout videos to do a bulk? You all are insane. That will last maybe 2 weeks before she jumps on the scale, freaks out and runs back to J.M. for some cardio repentance.
At most do a body recomp to get your feet wet. Also, I seriously doubt you are at that bf% for a female and don't have a better stomach than you are claiming unless you have the worlds worst ab genetics, been extremely overweight when you were younger or had kiddos (or at enough oats to make you want to puke when you got tested).
what is a body recomp?
Body Recomposition, which is commonly confused with "lean bulking" (and depending on the context they CAN be one and the same but not necessarily) is the act of losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. It happens easily when you are first starting out but becomes difficult, and can seem next to impossible, as you progress. It takes a _lot_ longer to see results doing it this way than the bulk & cut route. For somebody who is medically considered underweight, though, I think that starting out with a basic bulk is the best way to go.
I can add that I worked with a friend on here who did recomp.. going from 26% body fat to 18%... it took over a year to do so. The winter is here, so bulk for a few months and cut in time for summer. Recomp, in my opinion, takes too much time.0 -
Without proper dieting your P ratio will most likely suck and you'll never achieve a 6 pack. you gotta maintain your lean mass while losing fat... if you dont have the dedication to eat properly you'll never get there. As if that didn't suck enough, many dieting suggestions are blatantly wrong. Achieving low BF % and maintaining lean mass is not simple. It goes against your bodies will. You need to either have good genetics or strong determination or you never get there. If you have the will you'll find the way.
For starters, don't take advice about achieving low BF% from anyone who isn't "cut up" themselves. Sorry overweight people, its a whole different ball game going to "shredded" than it is to drop into a healthy weight range. The same tactics don't apply.
Nuff said. If you want it bad enough youll get it.
What are you talking about? The exact same tactics apply. You are just eating at a deficit.
the body's REACTION may be different- and it's certainly a hell of a lot more difficult and 'aggressive' but the mechanics are still the exact same.
I would recommend forgetting 6 pack for now- do strength training- eat- build muscle- THEN Go in for the cut.
there is no reason to try to cut any more- clearly you don't have the muscle mass as is- eat- lift- sleep- lather rinse repeat.0 -
You are seriously going to tell someone who has lived on workout videos to do a bulk? You all are insane. That will last maybe 2 weeks before she jumps on the scale, freaks out and runs back to J.M. for some cardio repentance.
At most do a body recomp to get your feet wet. Also, I seriously doubt you are at that bf% for a female and don't have a better stomach than you are claiming unless you have the worlds worst ab genetics, been extremely overweight when you were younger or had kiddos (or at enough oats to make you want to puke when you got tested).
what is a body recomp?
Body Recomposition, which is commonly confused with "lean bulking" (and depending on the context they CAN be one and the same but not necessarily) is the act of losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. It happens easily when you are first starting out but becomes difficult, and can seem next to impossible, as you progress. It takes a _lot_ longer to see results doing it this way than the bulk & cut route. For somebody who is medically considered underweight, though, I think that starting out with a basic bulk is the best way to go.
I can add that I worked with a friend on here who did recomp.. going from 26% body fat to 18%... it took over a year to do so. The winter is here, so bulk for a few months and cut in time for summer. Recomp, in my opinion, takes too much time.
let's not confuse leangains with recomp though (not that you did but we are close)
leangains can be applied to gaining, losing, or recomp. You may not be running a daily surplus when trying to gain weight on leangains, but your weekly energy balance will still be in the black.
obviously, if someone is underweight, a recomp by definition can not fix the problem. One can not gain mass without, well, gaining mass. what I'm saying is that a "typical" (subjective I know) bulk, where one runs deficits every day, can be very hard on the ole psyche, especially the first time around.
let's make this work for people!
as for pace of progress on leangains, it's only slow if you compare it to an IDEALLY executed cut/bulk cycle. When compared to how things go in real life, it's pretty much equivalent. I am very satisfied with my progress one year into it. Do my pics look like I''m wasting time?0 -
Two ways
1. Starve like k-pop stars and lose muscle and fat.
Not reccomended*
2. Workout and eat clean(low carb)
- doing crunches won't help, doing hours upon hours of cardio won't help, you have to start lifting weights and movements that engage the core such as squats, planks, lunge and twist etc anything that requires core stabilization.
Do I have a six pack ? no
Do I care about having a six pack? no
For my body type even if I do manage to get my bf low enough to show, the diet and maintenance aspect of it is unsustainable with a lifestyle that makes me happy.
I would be happy with just looking fit.
Rub my bellyyyyyyyyy0 -
Two ways
1. Starve like k-pop stars and lose muscle and fat.
Not reccomended*
2. Workout and eat clean(low carb)
- doing crunches won't help, doing hours upon hours of cardio won't help, you have to start lifting weights and movements that engage the core such as squats, planks, lunge and twist etc anything that requires core stabilization.
Do I have a six pack ? no
Do I care about having a six pack? no
For my body type even if I do manage to get my bf low enough to show, the diet and maintenance aspect of it is unsustainable with a lifestyle that makes me happy.
I would be happy with just looking fit.
Rub my bellyyyyyyyyy
agree with work out..disagree with eat clean …clean eating has nothing to do with six pack…IMO0 -
I locked your other thread since this posted.
The problem that you face, is at 5'8 and 123lbs, you are under weight. Cutting more weight will not provide you results because you do not have enough mass to give you abs. In fact, i have yet to see an under weight person with a good set of abs and this is a very common issue I see on this board. With that said, you probably need to add 10 or so lbs of mass. This means, you will need to do several bulk and cut phases, so you can get back to a normal weight. That means, you will need a good weight training program (you can start with 3 to 4 days of full body routines) and eat above your maintenance calories so you can gain weight. After 8-12 weeks, you can follow it with a cut realizing that about 50% of your weight gain will be new fat. You can not avoid it. You have to accept it and do cycles. You may have to repeat this 1-4 types depending how aggressive you go and how you like your results.
I would suggest spending some time researching the gaining weight section.
Yup. This. First gain muscle. Then lose fat while retaining muscle to reveal abs. This requires lifting heavy weights and lots of dedication.0 -
There is a poster here called BarbellGirl. She is currently doing a lean gain, where she lifts heavy and has a modest calorie surplus. She is gaining about 0.5 lb of muscle a week and her body fat has remained low (~17%). She has a thread on here, but I can't seem to find it...
Ah, here it is.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1088730-female-bulking-advice-needed
To balance out the example:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/user/sarauk2sf/status
She has done/does bulks and cuts. She has blogged about them so if interested you could PM her and ask for the links. I'll put up if I can find them...I have a lot of bookmarks to go through
0 -
*like*There is a poster here called BarbellGirl. She is currently doing a lean gain, where she lifts heavy and has a modest calorie surplus. She is gaining about 0.5 lb of muscle a week and her body fat has remained low (~17%). She has a thread on here, but I can't seem to find it...
Ah, here it is.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1088730-female-bulking-advice-needed
To balance out the example:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/user/sarauk2sf/status
She has done/does bulks and cuts. She has blogged about them so if interested you could PM her and ask for the links. I'll put up if I can find them...I have a lot of bookmarks to go through0 -
OH, and any way we can see pics?0
-
Two observations:
1) All those women you see with perfect six pack abs in magazines and in competitions have (a) trained for multiple hours a day to get there, usually lifting heavy weights, (b) are photoshopped to within an inch of their lives and probably don't look like that in real life, (c) may or may not be on a steroid cocktail to get that kind of pump, and (d) generally deliberately will dehydrate themselves for days before a show. I have an acquaintance who used to bodybuild and show in competitions. She struggled for years with anorexia induced by the requirements of having and maintaining "that body" and recently has overcome a steroid addiction, again directly attributable to the pressures of showing in training competitions. She is retraining to show "naturally" and struggling to overcome an eating disorder. She is not an exception, but she had the courage to speak about her experience openly.
2) In order to get man-style washboard abs, women generally need to get below 15% body fat. Want to have kids? Probably not a good idea to do this, as getting below the 15% (sometimes 12% in naturally slender women) mark will do things like cause your period to stop altogether. In the long run, this is going to do more damage to your body and your reproductive system than it is worth. Estrogen that is too low due to amenorreah can also cause thyroid dysfunction, hair loss and hirsuitism (excessive body hair, especially around the face), all very common side effects of PCOS, a disorder that causes periods to stop in most women and creates imbalances between testosterone and estrogen.
Given that at 5'8" and 123 lbs, you are probably already substantially underweight, and at 19%, you are already dusting the low end of the Athletic scale, I just wanted to point these things out. As many here have said, in order to get the look you want, you need to add bulk (muscle). This means you need to eat more, and probably do workouts that will cause you to gain weight, at least initially. This is going to be psychologically difficult for you. Check out the threads on Eat Less to Weigh More for more information on one of many possible approaches to this. You will also have to change some of the cardio to weight bearing exercises. Start with bodyweight workouts like the ones found on NerdFitness and work out from there.
I wish you all the best on your journey to health and happiness.
=Betty=0 -
Two observations:
1) All those women you see with perfect six pack abs in magazines and in competitions have (a) trained for multiple hours a day to get there, usually lifting heavy weights, (b) are photoshopped to within an inch of their lives and probably don't look like that in real life, (c) may or may not be on a steroid cocktail to get that kind of pump, and (d) generally deliberately will dehydrate themselves for days before a show. I have an acquaintance who used to bodybuild and show in competitions. She struggled for years with anorexia induced by the requirements of having and maintaining "that body" and recently has overcome a steroid addiction, again directly attributable to the pressures of showing in training competitions. She is retraining to show "naturally" and struggling to overcome an eating disorder. She is not an exception, but she had the courage to speak about her experience openly.
2) In order to get man-style washboard abs, women generally need to get below 15% body fat. Want to have kids? Probably not a good idea to do this, as getting below the 15% (sometimes 12% in naturally slender women) mark will do things like cause your period to stop altogether. In the long run, this is going to do more damage to your body and your reproductive system than it is worth. Estrogen that is too low due to amenorreah can also cause thyroid dysfunction, hair loss and hirsuitism (excessive body hair, especially around the face), all very common side effects of PCOS, a disorder that causes periods to stop in most women and creates imbalances between testosterone and estrogen.
Given that at 5'8" and 123 lbs, you are probably already substantially underweight, and at 19%, you are already dusting the low end of the Athletic scale, I just wanted to point these things out. As many here have said, in order to get the look you want, you need to add bulk (muscle). This means you need to eat more, and probably do workouts that will cause you to gain weight, at least initially. This is going to be psychologically difficult for you. Check out the threads on Eat Less to Weigh More for more information on one of many possible approaches to this. You will also have to change some of the cardio to weight bearing exercises. Start with bodyweight workouts like the ones found on NerdFitness and work out from there.
I wish you all the best on your journey to health and happiness.
=Betty=
Your last point is spot on, but the first two just aren't completely true and have some somewhat judgmental overtones of women with visible abs ("man-style"). You can see plenty of women on here who have visible abs through working hard and putting in the time. Obviously it's not something that comes quickly, but nobody needs to do roids to do get them. Also, there's no set body fat percentage for visible abs. It has to do with genetics, how much musculature is underneath, etc.0 -
Betty: that's a big ole bag of worst case extreme scenerio nope...with almost a butthurt undertone if I'm not mistaken.
Misterderping: I can't help but crack up everytime I see that profile pic0 -
Betty: that's a big ole bag of worst case extreme scenerio nope...with almost a butthurt undertone if I'm not mistaken.
Misterderping: I can't help but crack up everytime I see that profile pic
Funny how?
http://youtu.be/IWINtUCshxY 0 -
I locked your other thread since this posted.
The problem that you face, is at 5'8 and 123lbs, you are under weight. Cutting more weight will not provide you results because you do not have enough mass to give you abs. In fact, i have yet to see an under weight person with a good set of abs and this is a very common issue I see on this board. With that said, you probably need to add 10 or so lbs of mass. This means, you will need to do several bulk and cut phases, so you can get back to a normal weight. That means, you will need a good weight training program (you can start with 3 to 4 days of full body routines) and eat above your maintenance calories so you can gain weight. After 8-12 weeks, you can follow it with a cut realizing that about 50% of your weight gain will be new fat. You can not avoid it. You have to accept it and do cycles. You may have to repeat this 1-4 types depending how aggressive you go and how you like your results.
I would suggest spending some time researching the gaining weight section.
^^ This is excellent advice. Absolutely girl - you need to start eating more, putting on weight, and start lifting! 0 -
Two ways
1. Starve like k-pop stars and lose muscle and fat.
Not reccomended*
2. Workout and eat clean(low carb)
- doing crunches won't help, doing hours upon hours of cardio won't help, you have to start lifting weights and movements that engage the core such as squats, planks, lunge and twist etc anything that requires core stabilization.
Do I have a six pack ? no
Do I care about having a six pack? no
For my body type even if I do manage to get my bf low enough to show, the diet and maintenance aspect of it is unsustainable with a lifestyle that makes me happy.
I would be happy with just looking fit.
Rub my bellyyyyyyyyy
agree with work out..disagree with eat clean …clean eating has nothing to do with six pack…IMO
And neither does low carb, lol.0 -
You have to cut down on body fat %. Basically lose more weight or replace weight from body fat with muscle.
So I do more strength training to replace the fat with muscle? I don't think it would be healthy for me to lose anymore weight.
If you "replace" fat with muscle, you're likely to gain weight on the scales. A cup full of muscle weighs more than a cup full of fat, so you could essentially loose inches but gain weight on the scales. This has happened to me :-)
If you don't have much muscle on your belly then there's not much chance at being able to get a 6 pack from cardio. You need to do weight training and eat protein etc. People will all have their opinions but this has worked for me.
Good luck!0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 393 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 934 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions