Getting a nice set of Abs

000WhiteRose000
000WhiteRose000 Posts: 266 Member
edited November 12 in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, so I'm down to 19% fat and quite happy with my body, but one part I really want to improve is my abs. I know you can't target zone your abs, and I know I'll have to lose more fat to show more abs (which is annoying as I've seen plenty of people with 19% fat or more that have defined abs).

So I have 2 questions:
1. What do you recommend I do to get rock hard abs?
2. How long (on average) does it take to develop defined abs from scratch?

Here's a quick pic of me to show you where I'm at ( the latest one on the right was taken 3 weeks ago, so I have slightly more muscle now)

BAweek8small.png

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your advice :-)
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Replies

  • Keenasgettingfitnhealthy
    Keenasgettingfitnhealthy Posts: 169
    I may be wrong and I have no idea what turbo fire is, but maybe you need to up your strength training and build more muscle? Again *I am not 100%*

    Good luck =D You look great =D
  • darcyrobillard
    darcyrobillard Posts: 42
    To be perfectly honest...Your abs look GREAT to me AND I do not think you have anymore fat to lose!!!!! If you are doing Turbo Fire, Chalene works your abs in every workout you do. You could try Jillian Micheals 6 week/6 Pack. She does include cardio with the ab work. It's about 30 minute workout.
  • gatorgirlyyy
    gatorgirlyyy Posts: 349
    Jillian Micheals 30 Day Shred will give you nice abs and tone you all over really. Make you muscular and defined. Check it out. :)

    BTW: You look great. hun! :)
  • leahnoelle31
    leahnoelle31 Posts: 79 Member
    Try yoga or Pilates. They are actually a lot harder than they look and really focus on the core.
  • 000WhiteRose000
    000WhiteRose000 Posts: 266 Member
    Thanks guys :-)
    Turbo Fire is 4 days cardio with 2 days cardio and strength. I also have changed the resistance bands to a harder level.
    You might be right maybe I should be doing even more resistance workouts. Wonder if it matters if I just do abs or all around strength?

    My stomach is better than it use to be, but I want it ripped! That has always been my dream and I find a flat, strong, ripped stomach very sexy on men and girls :-)
  • 000WhiteRose000
    000WhiteRose000 Posts: 266 Member
    I know Yoga is really good for you, and I have done about 40 classes. But it's just not for me. I don't enjoy it. I don't mind it once in a while when I'm in the mood, but I much prefer cardio and resistance...
  • lickmybaconcakes
    lickmybaconcakes Posts: 1,063 Member
    Do you do any weight training for your abdominals?
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    1. Squats, and deadlifts.
    2. It depends.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Getting abs is all about dropping body fat.
    So having the proper diet is first priority.
    Cardio is second priority.

    Then....

    Squats and deadlifts!
    =D

    Open your diary and i'll tell you how long it could take.
  • libby328
    libby328 Posts: 287 Member
    I really like ab ripperx from p90x . I did that 3 days a week for 5 weeks and had better definition in my abs then I ever did.
  • maddiedog22
    maddiedog22 Posts: 116
    I do prob 100 or more crunches a day, with cardio and other things, I think my stomach muchles are just naturally huge
  • TriciaZ944
    TriciaZ944 Posts: 317 Member
    Diet also plays a huge role in ripped abs
  • 000WhiteRose000
    000WhiteRose000 Posts: 266 Member
    Yeah I do a bit of ab work. I do some resistance work on my abs with resistance bands, probably about twice a week. My diary is open btw. I don't want to lose much more fat as I do not want to lose my chest. I've gone from a DD to a C and i'm not going down to a B...
  • 000WhiteRose000
    000WhiteRose000 Posts: 266 Member
    Diet also plays a huge role in ripped abs
    Do you mean eating clean or the amount of calories?
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
    I love me some planks, and as the others said, squats and deadlifts.
  • TriciaZ944
    TriciaZ944 Posts: 317 Member
    Clean eating is what I believe...

    http://www.sixpackabs.me/eating-clean-pack-abs
  • sammanchester
    sammanchester Posts: 32 Member
    Hey, I know you said you didn't like Yoga but have you tried pilates? Someone recommended POP Pilates - on youtube, to me. Honestly, I have NEVER hurt so much after a work out in my life. She does all different ones, some that are cardio based too. I've copied a link for one of them but there are tonnes more. PS, the girl's voice can be a bit annoying so someone recommended turning the sound off and playing your own workout music :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93e5RP8Wd5I&feature=related (I've not actually doen this one, looks a bit scary :s)
  • recriger
    recriger Posts: 245 Member
    I have no expertise on the subject. But there is one question for the trainers and more experienced folk. I have read that if you have been in calorie deficite you don't build muscle. This we have all heard. The question would be about a "Bulk-Cut" cycle. Are most people's abs already large enough to be visible simply through losing weight? Or could any, or most of us benefit from increasing the ab muscle size through a bulk-cut cycle of sorts? I don't remember which magazine it was, "Men's health" or "Muscular Development" probably. Down time magazine browsing.
  • 000WhiteRose000
    000WhiteRose000 Posts: 266 Member
    I have no expertise on the subject. But there is one question for the trainers and more experienced folk. I have read that if you have been in calorie deficite you don't build muscle. This we have all heard. The question would be about a "Bulk-Cut" cycle. Are most people's abs already large enough to be visible simply through losing weight? Or could any, or most of us benefit from increasing the ab muscle size through a bulk-cut cycle of sorts? I don't remember which magazine it was, "Men's health" or "Muscular Development" probably. Down time magazine browsing.

    This is a great question that I have wondered often.
  • aelarek
    aelarek Posts: 83 Member
    You look soooooooo great!!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Clean eating is what I believe...

    http://www.sixpackabs.me/eating-clean-pack-abs
    What you has very little if nothing to do with it. For a woman to have a full 6 pack you eill need a bf% below16% in most cases. For men it is more like 9-10%.

    Keep a very slight deficit, no more than 250 cals a day, and partake in a heavy lifting strenth training routine and give it time.
  • 000WhiteRose000
    000WhiteRose000 Posts: 266 Member
    Clean eating is what I believe...

    http://www.sixpackabs.me/eating-clean-pack-abs
    What you has very little if nothing to do with it. For a woman to have a full 6 pack you eill need a bf% below16% in most cases. For men it is more like 9-10%.

    Keep a very slight deficit, no more than 250 cals a day, and partake in a heavy lifting strenth training routine and give it time.

    Sorry, do you mean what I eat has nothing to do with it?
    less than 16%? That will mean I will lose more fat from my breast isn't that right? I don't get how you get women with washboard abs and they still have breasts...
  • Molly182
    Molly182 Posts: 406
    I would love to tone my abs. Who wouldn't? You look great!
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    P90X Ab Ripper X is what I do. It's only 15 minutes & I do it 3 times a week. I have killer abs from it. Maybe you can find it on YouTube.
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
    Genetics and implants? =)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Sorry, do you mean what I eat has nothing to do with it?
    less than 16%? That will mean I will lose more fat from my breast isn't that right? I don't get how you get women with washboard abs and they still have breasts...

    Genetics, implants or padding. :wink:
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    I have no expertise on the subject. But there is one question for the trainers and more experienced folk. I have read that if you have been in calorie deficite you don't build muscle. This we have all heard. The question would be about a "Bulk-Cut" cycle. Are most people's abs already large enough to be visible simply through losing weight? Or could any, or most of us benefit from increasing the ab muscle size through a bulk-cut cycle of sorts? I don't remember which magazine it was, "Men's health" or "Muscular Development" probably. Down time magazine browsing.

    Squats and deadlifts. Your muscles are there, just covered by a layer of fat. You don't need to do any ab excercises to make them show up. Just burn the fat. A heavy weight training routine with squats and deadlifts will work your full core way more than any crunches will.
  • SarahxCheesecake
    SarahxCheesecake Posts: 169 Member
    I don't get how you get women with washboard abs and they still have breasts...

    Either they are genetically lucky or they are fake.
  • lickmybaconcakes
    lickmybaconcakes Posts: 1,063 Member
    I have no expertise on the subject. But there is one question for the trainers and more experienced folk. I have read that if you have been in calorie deficite you don't build muscle. This we have all heard. The question would be about a "Bulk-Cut" cycle. Are most people's abs already large enough to be visible simply through losing weight? Or could any, or most of us benefit from increasing the ab muscle size through a bulk-cut cycle of sorts? I don't remember which magazine it was, "Men's health" or "Muscular Development" probably. Down time magazine browsing.

    Squats and deadlifts. Your muscles are there, just covered by a layer of fat. You don't need to do any ab excercises to make them show up. Just burn the fat. A heavy weight training routine with squats and deadlifts will work your full core way more than any crunches will.

    ^^ this is good information although decide yourself on whether you what to do abdominal specific exercises though.
  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    Squats and deadlifts. Your muscles are there, just covered by a layer of fat. You don't need to do any ab excercises to make them show up. Just burn the fat. A heavy weight training routine with squats and deadlifts will work your full core way more than any crunches will.

    Okay, I think I missed some MFP bus or something.... how does heavy lifting burn the fat layer? The implication I am seeing everywhere is that it is more efficient than cardio... but my happy little strength/resistance routine burns sweet FA. It strengthens my muscles so that I can burn more when I do cardio, but doesn't burn on its own.

    Which brings me back around to the bulk/cut cycle question, since obviously body builders can't be doing crazy cardio or they would look like marathon runners........ what does a cut cycle actually involve if not much cardio? lots of lifting, strict diet, and a bit of cardio?

    I think I'm going to go research this myself, but answer if you want (I think both questions should help OP out too - they're aimed to).
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