Going for a 6 pack

[Luis337]

I was close to getting one around 9th grade...then I got a computer and everything went to hell.

Anyone have any tips on the fastest way to a six pack? I did 100 yesterday and 200 tonight.

[ximmy]

LOL... :D I had one (are they called six pacs on girls) from about 17-21.. long gone and never again to be seen... :-\

I heard a fitness coach say once... See all the guys in the gym with six-pacs??? "Why yes... yes I do!"... Now, look at what they are doing... they were all doing sit-ups... :P

[Luis337]

Well you could start too, this doesn't have to be just my thread :)

Sit-ups do work. My cat was patting my head on the way down though but I knew if I kept it there long enough the claws would come out and scratch my head so it was good motivation to keep going.

[Horn]

Take a dirt bike to the corner store.

http://www.infolibres.com/wp-content/motocrosss.jpg

[Liquid]

Best I could do is a nice 4 pack. ;D

They key to the six pack, is building muscle..and diet. I took the muscle seriously, but my diet has always been high protein and such, not too clean and focused on that.

Perfect your diet.

For the muscle part, here's what I do. It's very tough. Lie on your back on a mat at they gym or home. Make sure you have a clock in visual range. Keep your legs straight, and raise them 6 inches off the ground. Hold that for 30 seconds, then raise them 12 inches for 30 seconds, then back to 6 inches. Don't let your feet touch the mat for a 'break'. Keep going.

I am up to 3 1/2 minutes of alternating this, after minute 2, it's just torture, all mental. Time slows way down, each second seems like eternity. You've got to mentally fight through it. Works though.

[Luis337]

what? :o

[Luis337]

Sounds like torture liquid but fun too. I'll try it later today when I wake up. Thanks for the tip. You must have gained a lot more than physical endurance doing those exercises as well.

[steveoc]

Interesting question.

Some interesting facts for you :

- The abdomindal muscles that make up the 6 pack are already there, on everyone, regardless of their overall weight or condition.

- Whether or not those abdominal muscles are visible or not is purely a function of how thick the layer of fat cells is that is covering the muscle.

- To have a visible 6-pack then, it has nothing to do with how many situps you do, or how many hours of pilates you might do - it is all about reducing your body fat %. Get it down to under 20-18%, and you will start to notice a rather pleasing 6-pack. Get it down to 15%-12%, and you will have a very distinct definition over your abs as well as all other muscles on your body.

- Dropping body fat % below 12% - that is not exactly sustainable, and can get dangerous without expert supervision. It can also dangerously f*ck with your immune system if you get it too low. Leave that to the professional atheletes, who tend to 'peak' for short periods, and then go into long periods of recovery. You dont want to do that.

- You cannot selectively 'burn fat' by area. The body will always deposit excess fat stores exactly where it wants to put them. You never get a say in that matter. There is no such thing as doing 'ab exersizes' to get well defined abs, or 'butt toning' exersizes to develop movie star thighs. For women - losing body fat generally means a proportional loss to breast size as well ... all of this is determined by genetics much more so than exersize type.

- So how do you reduce your body fat % (to get the 6-pack you want) ? .... well, that means doing something physical on a regular basis, and putting your body into the 'fat burning zone' for a short sustained period every day. The 'fat burning zone' is that zone of effort which is just at the upper end of your aerobic capacity ... this means any exersize or effort which gets your blood pumping, but is just easy enough that you can still breathe in a controlled way and hold a bit of a conversation. The simplest way of measuring this is with a heart rate monitor and a bit of homework. For someone like yourself, that is probably holding a heart rate of around 140-155, and keeping it there for a 15-20 minute interval. Do a couple of intervals like this every day, and you will see results very quickly.

- Get up early and go for a run / swim / cycle on an empty stomach. When you wake, your glycogen stores (glucose energy) are low, so the body will attack fat stores as an energy source.

- There is some evidence that caffeine causes the body to slightly bias towards burning fat stores in preference to glucose. Drop a short black before the morning run to slightly improve the effect.

- To build muscle (hypertrophy), make existing muscles appear larger .... you do this by stressing that muscle group, which in simple terms kicks off a chemical chain reaction which results in that muscle being reinforced. A bit like the way a broken bone heals to form a stronger joint. The exersize itself only damages the muscle - it is during the recovery phase after the exersize that the muscle 'grows'. Exersize alone does nothing - its exersize + rest that builds the body. Sleeping and relaxing are hugely important parts to your health regime.

- Adding all this up, try this approach :

1) Get up 45 minutes earlier than normal every day, and go out for a run / swim / cycle for half an hour regardless of weather. Every day without fail. Dont push yourself hard, just get the blood pumping and sustain that at a comfortable pace. Keep the intensity level constant, dont slack off but dont push it either. Eat when you get back, never eat before.

2) Once a week, for 2-3 days only, do some high intensity exersizes. Choose a load that you can only repeat 8-12 times till exhaustion. (bench press, squat, leg raises with weights, etc). Do a couple of reps of 8-12 with a break in between. Eat a big meal afterwards, and go to bed early. Sleep for hours.

3) Once or twice a week, treat yourself to a 'mono-meal', that is .. a meal with just 1 ingredient. Like raw fresh pineapple, or maybe bananas, or carrots .. or whatever. Each as much as you want, but of only 1 thing.

Do this for 6-8 weeks straight, and you will be amazed at the difference. You will not only have a new 6-pack, but you will have a vastly improved energy level, immune system, confidence, sex appeal, and about 100 miles of newly grown blood vessels.

Just try it and let us know how it goes for you.

[dysgenic]

I don't care what the experts say, that last post is wrong. Ab exercises DO matter. I've put on a good deal of body fat over the past 2 years, yet I can still see my abs (not a 6 pack anymore, more like a 3 pack). Yet when I was in my early 20's w/ a lot less body fat, I had no abs. If you consistently work on your abs everyday, you'll end up w/ a 6 pack in time. It does take time, though. It took me 3 or 4 years.

[k-os]

Diet, diet, diet and aerobic exercise. Then get serious about the ab work.

I had a sweet 4 pack when I was in my mid to late 20's. I always thought females (unless they are serious athletes) could not get a full six pack. But I could be wrong.

I used to hang inverted and do crunches upside down . . . a lot.

[k-os]

For the muscle part, here's what I do. It's very tough. Lie on your back on a mat at they gym or home. Make sure you have a clock in visual range. Keep your legs straight, and raise them 6 inches off the ground. Hold that for 30 seconds, then raise them 12 inches for 30 seconds, then back to 6 inches. Don't let your feet touch the mat for a 'break'. Keep going.


I do that when I am at the beach in the mornings. I read while I am doing it to pass the time. :D

[dysgenic]

Or you could just rip a cycle and it will be easy.

[steveoc]

I don't care what the experts say, that last post is wrong. Ab exercises DO matter. I've put on a good deal of body fat over the past 2 years, yet I can still see my abs (not a 6 pack anymore, more like a 3 pack). Yet when I was in my early 20's w/ a lot less body fat, I had no abs. If you consistently work on your abs everyday, you'll end up w/ a 6 pack in time. It does take time, though. It took me 3 or 4 years.


Thanks for the feedback - but seriously dude, I know my shit in this area. It is serious 100% all about BF%, and nothing more.

You may have seen good results yourself with your own program of crunches, but your attributions to the cause of the effect are not spot on. All you have done is raise your heart rate to a certain level for a certain period of time, and therefore burnt off fat cells covering your abs. There is NO WAY on God's earth that any person can selectively target fat loss to a specific area of the body. It does not work like that at all.

Just doing benchpresses or squats or a morning swim will develop a 6-pack as the end result is a certain drop in BF% .. without a single ab exersize. It does work.

Just try my suggestions for a few weeks and see what a difference it really does make ..... its not a a lot of work at the end of the day.

Dont just trust my word (or any other words) - look at the results. In particular, keep a close eye on one of my own students who is in the international spot light these coming weeks - Jack Bobridge, who will be riding for Garmin Slipstream in the 2010 TdF. its a sheer privilege for me to know this young bloke. His coming actions will echo my own words.

As to my ever distant sister k-os ... how I wish I could sweep you under my wing for only a short period of tine ... :) If I could only teach you face to face half of what I know ... you would in no time be the bikini model from Hell .... a woman the envy of your peers and a certain embarrassment to girls half your age.

I know exactly how to do this, its really simple, and its age interdependent I also eat my own dog.food when it comes to ths stuff ..... you can finff me out on the eoad every

[zap]

Steveoc is right on this one.

I have a six pac under this layer of fat, you can feel it you just can't see it until you burn off the fat layer. ;D

[StackerKen]

This is me working out...

No body fat....no muscle...no pain ...no six pack :)

[k-os]

As to my ever distant sister k-os ... how I wish I could sweep you under my wing for only a short period of tine ... :) If I could only teach you face to face half of what I know ... you would in no time be the bikini model from Hell .... a woman the envy of your peers and a certain embarrassment to girls half your age.


I appreciate your desire to help me, but you know what? I don't really care to be a bikini model. I am a size 6-8, and I am really fine with that at my age. I have no desire to be the envy of anyone or be compared to girls half my age. Sure, who doesn't want to drop a few pounds, or be more healthy? Beyond that is more superficial than beneficial (for me). I don't want to spend the rest of my life chasing the body and beauty I once had (and took for granted) when I was younger.

[Liquid]

LOL Stacker, you look like you are snoring in that pic. Must have been after a good surf session. ;D

steveoc, great posts and I agree that it's mostly diet and cardio. Situps, will not make you lose fat around the midsection. However, imo, dysgenic has a valid point.

Abs are muscle, and need to be exercised to get them built. Also, abs are key in lower back strength in general. For folks that have lower back issues, building up the muscles in the abs section takes the stress off of the back muscles. Tightens the whole midsection.

[Liquid]

I do that when I am at the beach in the mornings. I read while I am doing it to pass the time. :D


You read while doing this?!? Me, I've got my eyes closed most of the time, going to my 'happy place', while my body is shaking and cursing at me. ;D

After 3 minutes, I'm drenched in sweat.

[StackerKen]

Liquid' lol...yeah I think I was snoring...My step daughter took that pic.
It was after a long day of beer drinking and swimming.
I was taking on any challengers in swimming races and winning!

Im a damn good swimmer...I think my body is built for it. ;D

[k-os]

I do that when I am at the beach in the mornings. I read while I am doing it to pass the time. :D


You read while doing this?!? Me, I've got my eyes closed most of the time, going to my 'happy place', while my body is shaking and cursing at me. ;D

After 3 minutes, I'm drenched in sweat.


Oh, I am not sure if I make it past 3 minutes. I will time myself next time. But yeah, reading will take my mind off of just about anything.

[StackerKen]

I do that when I am at the beach in the mornings. I read while I am doing it to pass the time. :D


You read while doing this?!? Me, I've got my eyes closed most of the time, going to my 'happy place', while my body is shaking and cursing at me. ;D

After 3 minutes, I'm drenched in sweat.


I remember that leg lift exercise from high school sports ...Man I hated that!

I would never do that again!

[willie pete]

You can't "spot" loose body fat, it's lost systemically, like has been mentioned several times, you have to reduce the layer of adipose(subcutaneous tissue , Fat) between the muscle and epidermis, to be able to visualize the abdominal muscles, IF you're able too, Drink a lot of water everyday and you will loose weight along with reducing caloric intake and restricting certain foods and the way they're prepared

[Buddha]

Best I could do is a nice 4 pack. ;D

They key to the six pack, is building muscle..and diet. I took the muscle seriously, but my diet has always been high protein and such, not too clean and focused on that.

Perfect your diet.

For the muscle part, here's what I do. It's very tough. Lie on your back on a mat at they gym or home. Make sure you have a clock in visual range. Keep your legs straight, and raise them 6 inches off the ground. Hold that for 30 seconds, then raise them 12 inches for 30 seconds, then back to 6 inches. Don't let your feet touch the mat for a 'break'. Keep going.

I am up to 3 1/2 minutes of alternating this, after minute 2, it's just torture, all mental. Time slows way down, each second seems like eternity. You've got to mentally fight through it. Works though.


This is a good way to do it, start with 6 inches, for thirty. Make sure to keep your shoulders off of the ground during this and keep your hands under your butt. Then go up to "half way" legs at a 45 degree angle. Do this for thirty. Never drop your legs, if you must bring your knees to your chest. Don't let your legs touch the ground. To work other muscle groups, your can do swims (kicking like your swimming) at 6 inches and half way, scissors (horizontal swims, making your legs act like the are cutting something as a pair of scissors), and also circles (keeping your legs together touching and making small then incrementally larger circles.)

[ximmy]

I appreciate your desire to help me, but you know what? I don't really care to be a bikini model. I am a size 6-8, and I am really fine with that at my age. I have no desire to be the envy of anyone or be compared to girls half my age. Sure, who doesn't want to drop a few pounds, or be more healthy? Beyond that is more superficial than beneficial (for me). I don't want to spend the rest of my life chasing the body and beauty I once had (and took for granted) when I was younger.


Yeah, I don't care about having them myself or seeing them on guys.. I think... the more muscle, the greater chance he is some dope... I dig average Joe... :) not to skinny, not too fat, but stout is sexy for guys... IMO

[k-os]

Yeah, I don't care about having them myself or seeing them on guys.. I think... the more muscle, the greater chance he is some dope... I dig average Joe... :) not to skinny, not too fat, but stout is sexy for guys... IMO


I am partial to the skinny guys myself, not the muscular ones. I always fast forward 10 years and see the muscle guys with a beer belly, kinda like what guys do when they see cankles on a girl.

[ximmy]

Yeah, I don't care about having them myself or seeing them on guys.. I think... the more muscle, the greater chance he is some dope... I dig average Joe... :) not to skinny, not too fat, but stout is sexy for guys... IMO


I am partial to the skinny guys myself, not the muscular ones. I always fast forward 10 years and see the muscle guys with a beer belly, kinda like what guys do when they see cankles on a girl.


LOL... I can appreciate our differences in attractions... for some unknown reason, I see skinny "guys" as weak, unhealthy, frail... :-X I don't know why I see them this way... but I also try to see the future of them too... In my minds eye, the skinny ones won't last in a dark night, the stout ones can take a lickin and keep on tickin... ;) :) If I end up with a beer bellied guy... I'll punch him in it... ;D

[zap]

Ximmy, K-os you guys are funny! I will take (Stout) as Ximmy says takes a lickin' and keeps tickin, :D my dearly departed was pretty stout ;)

[Serpo]

Liquid' lol...yeah I think I was snoring...My step daughter took that pic.
It was after a long day of beer drinking and swimming.
I was taking on any challengers in swimming races and winning!

Im a damn good swimmer...I think my body is built for it. ;D


I notice a lot of people are working towards a one pack.......LOL

[Serpo]

Going for a 6 pack

[StackerKen]

Skinny guys are quicker...err...wait...

I mean faster...yeah thats it.

were fast....err....I mean agile...Yeah that's it

skinny guys are agile....

[ximmy]

This is me working out...
No body fat....no muscle...no pain ...no six pack :)

Skinny guys are quicker...err...wait...
I mean faster...yeah thats it.
were fast....err....I mean agile...Yeah that's it
skinny guys are agile....
http://gold-silver.us/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8127.0;attach=2730 ;image

SOOO FUNNY Ken... :ROFL:

[Serpo]

Skinny guys are quicker...err...wait...

I mean faster...yeah thats it.

were fast....err....I mean agile...Yeah that's it

skinny guys are agile....


When everyone around you is fat normal becomes skinny...........

[StackerKen]

SOOO FUNNY Ken... :ROFL:


;D

lol...Hey!..I was tired from swimmin all day! ;D

[zap]

Skinny guys are quicker...err...wait...

I mean faster...yeah thats it.

were fast....err....I mean agile...Yeah that's it

skinny guys are agile....



LOL ;D

[Liquid]

;D

lol...Hey!..I was tired from swimmin all day! ;D



With all due respect Ken. ;D It kinda looks like you are tired from smoking doobie's all day.

Swimming is a good excuse though.. ;D Honey, I'm going for a swim (cough cough)

[Ash_Williams]

Loosing fat will determine if you can see the six pack or not.

Exercise will determine how the 6 pack looks (as well as genetics, of course.)

Guys with the same low body fat can have totally different abs. To make them bigger you need to put some real strain on them, so do a few situps on an incline with weight, so you want to max out at somewhere around 8 per set, not 200. Doing 200 is good for burning fat and toning but it won't make the muscles grow (it's like expecting your legs to get bigger because you are walking around a lot). It all depends how you want them to look and your other goals. If you want to get big, do the 8 reps per set. If you're a lean runner, do the 200.

Of course the first stage is people just want to see them, in that case burn off as much fat as you can. And with that in mind, situps aren't the best way to get there, as other exercises will take the fat off quicker.

[kregener]

P90X

[Ash_Williams]

Also, if it's all about looks, a tan is often used to make things look more toned. That's why those professional wrestlers are never pale.

If you are going for the magazine cover abs, keep in mind it's only a fair comparison when the lighting is right. They have the right type of light shining on them from the right angle (usually overhead, slightly in front of them, and to one side) and without that they don't look all that ripped.

[ShortJohnSilver]

I would say, stay away from weights! They are not needed and can hurt your joints. Instead do 5BX plus pushups and situps.

[1970 silver art]

Skinny guys are quicker...err...wait...

I mean faster...yeah thats it.

were fast....err....I mean agile...Yeah that's it

skinny guys are agile....


skinny guys are just................skinny. ;D

I am nothing but skin, bones, and cellulite. I have a little muscle but you cannot see it. ;D

[Book]

http://hideyourarms.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/jack-black-six-pack.jpg

:D