Building lean muscle and a six (or eight) pack

jimgito
jimgito Posts: 8 Member
edited November 19 in Fitness and Exercise
hey guys

So I've lost about 94 lbs in my weight loss goals and am about my ideal weight. My goal ow is to build lean muscle and get abs.

So I weigh 138.4 pounds in total with 22.7 lbs of body fat (16.4%). To get abs showing I need les than 10% so could I lose about 10% (taking me down to 6.4%) replacing it with muscle and still be lean or will I look drawn out?

Or do I need to put more muscle on for it to look right. I like being around this weight and don't want to go back to the larger clothing (but for good reasons this time I.e. Muscle). But need to lose some fat around the waist for my abs to show through and the smaller jeans to fit better.

Replies

  • jimgito
    jimgito Posts: 8 Member
    Any tips or hints?
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    Lots of threads on the topic.

    Long story short- 1. Lifting heavy things gives you the muscle 2. The kitchen is how you show them off.

    Congrats on your progress very nicely done.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    edited May 2015
    http://athleanx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Body-Fat-Infographic3.jpg
    Try a program like StrongLifts 5x5. That can help give you a nice core. I wouldn't go the route of less fat unless you want to perform in muscle competitions.
  • jimgito
    jimgito Posts: 8 Member
    Yea 8-10% looks good to me.

    I think I'm fairy ok with the cardio aspect and the calorie restriction is fine with me.

    Hard to find good weights workouts though and my broke *kitten* can't afford a personal trainer. Guess I should just properly lock down my diet eating the correct macros and carry on.

    Thanks for the help ... Any other advice from people is appreciated too.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    You do realize the guys all greased up are fitness models, right? They eat a lot and lift heavy. Maybe you should shoot for something more realistic like the fit guys in the 13-19% range. Perform basic body weight exercises for better definition if you don't want to or can't lift weights at this time.
    Push-ups, pull-ups, RKC planks, squats, lunges and bridges are some basics that can help get you there. But, to build muscle, you are going to have to eat.
  • jimgito
    jimgito Posts: 8 Member
    I am in that range lol 16%
    Most fitness guys eat and build but then have to cut later on as they also put fat on.
  • DesertGunR
    DesertGunR Posts: 187 Member
    edited May 2015
    I've been down into the low 4% body fat range when I was much, much younger. Had the eight pack, ripped all over. It is an extremely difficult lifestyle to follow. It takes more dedication than you can even begin to believe to get and stay there.Though, it was easy at the time when I had a gym 200 yards from my barracks that I went to for 2 hours each day after dinner, ran 10 miles every morning after an hour of heavy calisthenics routine before breakfast and went on weekly 20+ mile full 80lb ruck marches. That's not even including what happened during each day of training after breakfast and before dinner. I would even run the obstacle and confidence courses on my lunch breaks.

    Keep on your diet, get into a program like StrongLifts 5x5. You only need a personal trainer every now and then to check and make sure your lifting form is good, so it is not a full time expense. Eventually the six pack will start to show through if you keep your diet right. Will it look like all those fitness models on the cover of Men's Health, not a chance. They do a special cutting diet to eliminate fat and water retention before those photo shoots. Something that no one can keep up forever.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    i don't lift anything heavier than my bike... the next heaviest thing i lift is a beer. i'm a triathlete, i swim, bike, and run. i'll do some body weight conditioning and yoga on occasion as well, so i don't lift in the traditional sense, but i do some resistance training.

    that being said, my abs are starting to peak out pretty good these days...
  • EzRemake
    EzRemake Posts: 128 Member
    Sadly you have to go below 10% if you want the full 6 pack (or if you're lucky, 8). At 10% you'll have a 4 pack, but the bottom 2 abs will still be covered. This is where many people just get fed up and quit. 10% is a nice starting point for a bulk though.
  • jimgito
    jimgito Posts: 8 Member
    Yea I wanna become pretty fit and have abs. Im in my third year of dieting and starting to eat better so I think il be able to stick with it (until winter lol just kidding)
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