Six pack

tunney

What would it take to develop a six pack? In terms of daily exercises - time wise and exercise wise? I know that you have to have % body fat <8ish % but what do you _actually_ have to do?

I've been told that 4 hours a week on abs does it, 35 minutes a day. Does this sound right?

What exercises should be done? Crunches and a few variations on them are all I really know.(one is legs in the air and touch your toes and the other is doing the crunches with your legs as if you were sitting cross legged. What more are there?

I know running helps too, but I'm already doing that.

Cheers all.

Benbaz

You've already answered your own question!!

I know that you have to have % body fat <8ish %

As far as I know we all have a sixpac there, within reason of course, but it’s covered by the layer of fat across your stomach. And as you’ve already said, you need to reduce your BF% by reducing your fat intake.

tunney

Ahhh come on, there has to be some more exercises than that!! Does anyone here actually have one and if so whats your daily ab regime?

Gaz

You already have a 6-pack but unless you get rid of the layer of fat covering them you will never see them , so loose the weight then you can work on toning them up.

tunney

Okay, so now that we have established that I already have six major abdominal muscles, can we move onto how to increase the size of them?

Gaz

The traditional crunch is the best , but unless you do it correctly there is no point.

Do 3 sets of maybe 15 , lift your head untill you can really feel it , about 15 inches from the ground , tense your stomach , hold it for a few seconds , then relax and go back down.

If im wrong someone please correct me.

tunney

3 sets of 15 a day? if it was that easy everyone would have a six pack

Gaz

Its not that easy if you do them correctly , but im only suggesting that as ...

a: a start , work up to more

b: only part of the overall workout.

tunney

ts not that easy if you do them correctly , but im only suggesting that as ... a: a start , work up to more b: only part of the overall workout.

Okay fair enough but I would like to hear from someone who actually has a six pack(visible one) and has a daily programme. Mine is:

20 crunchs
20 reverse curls
20 oblique crunchs x 2
20 Crunchs touching toes of raised legs
20 Legs in legs out exercises (sitting up, bring legs in and out)
20 Crunchs with legs as if sitting cross legged
20 back extensions

I do 3 sets of the above(or rather did till recently). I know I have to get the body fat % down from 11 to 6ish but I am just wondering is the above okay? Like I said I'd appreciate the input of someone who actually has achieved a six pack.

Magic Monkey

Diet is _far_ more important than exercise to develop a 'six-pack', as the others have said.

Exercise-wise, my abdominal region got the strongest/biggest just from doing heavy deadlifts, nothing else, as the abdominals act as stabilisers in the movement. Isolation work (crunches, static holds, oblique bends, etc.) was too time-consuming, and had pretty much the same effect.
The benefits of deadlifts being that it's a compound movement, takes less time, and easier to stick with than specific isolation exercises.

Don't do weights any more, although I find balancing on my head and bringing the legs up/down (like at 45deg angles) works the abs well.

Oh yeah, here's a good article by Lyle McDonald about Leptin and all that malarky. He's a good writer, with a good knowledge of the whole fitness/fat-loss area. More articles here. Good luck finding your ab's in time for summer.

Trojan

This is the goal of my training right now. I reckon I'm at ~12.5% BF at the moment.

Al.

Magic Monkey

What ab work (if any, i.e. isolation work) do you do Trojan?

Also, how do you gauge your bf% just by sight? I find that difficult to do accurately. A quick 3-site Jackson/Pollock calliper measurement I'd trust more, yet it is quite unforgiving

Still, I reckon bf% ain't worth a damn; just as long as you (think) you look good, and nothing jiggles, then no need to fret about the specifics.

Trojan

Well, I'm 5'7, 93kgs (about 14.x stones), and have a 34" waist.

I found a table somewhere online that takes those 3 details and gives you a rough %BF estimate. I'm not taking it as gospel though.

At the same time, the only method that gives real accuracy is the water displacement method.

edit: sorry, forgot to mention what work I do: not much specifically for abs, just a few sets of crunches/situps each week. Spot reduction being a myth and all that. My problem is BF, so that's what I'm working on.

Al.

tunney

Thats bull, get a proper caliper test done to figure out that your bf% is.

So basically, what I judging from todays replies , is that no-one on the fitness board has a six pack?!?!?! Come on, post your ab regime who ever has one(six pack that is)

Magic Monkey

True, hydrostatic weighing is reputedly the best method currently, but callipers/skinfold measurements are second-best, and quick and easy to do in a 'pinch' *ahem*

Out of curiosity, has anyone read (mostly Lyle McDonald's) research/articles on Leptin's effect on bodyfat? It's interesting stuff, and he explains a good approach to dieting (to solve the common physiological, and more importantly, psychological issues that arise).

Basically one day a week (depending on your bf%), eat loads of carbs to elevate (dwindling) leptin levels, for reasons too extensive to go into here. I posted some links above.

tunney

Well, I'm 5'7, 93kgs (about 14.x stones), and have a 34" waist.

12.5% bf with those stats???? You're just kidding yourself and no one else. I'm three inches taller and 13kg lighter, thats a whole 2 stone and my waist is 32/34" and my bf% is 11%. While I'm not ripped, I'm not puny either, and unless your built like arnie I'd suggest that your bf% is much much higher.

Magic Monkey

Tunney, bf% doesn't really matter. If Trojan (sorry to use you as an example!) looks fat, then he's fat, regardless if hydrostatic weighing/caliper measurements say he's <8%bf, or whatever. What matters is how it looks in the real world, not some measurements.

It's possible to have Trojan's stats there, and be muscular/low bodyfat, or poor musculature/high bodyfat. Big waist doesn't necessarily indicate high bodyfat amounts.

[Edit] Forgot to mention - Friend of mine has a full, well-defined six-pack. His regime? Nothing. *mumble* bloody genetics... *mumble*

Trojan

Originally posted by tunney
12.5% bf with those stats???? You're just kidding yourself and no one else. I'm three inches taller and 13kg lighter, thats a whole 2 stone and my waist is 32/34" and my bf% is 11%. While I'm not ripped, I'm not puny either, and unless your built like arnie I'd suggest that your bf% is much much higher.

Like I said, that's what some page I found on the web said, if it's on the Internet it must be true, right? Maybe you're right. Feel free to judge at boards beer (but if you start feeling me up I'll have to kill you)[1].

So what % do you suggest I am, given that I'm "much much higher"? 15, 18, 20, 30? I guess we'll see what's what when I actually do go and test it

Cheers,
Al.

1. Unless you're female. Although I doubt it

tunney

Well I can't really say unless I know how bulked you are but juding by your waist size its defo over 20%, question is just how much over.

tomED

OK Lads,

Got onto this late.

The main point is that yes everyone has a six pack.
To develop your six pack losing the weight is most important.

I have a what I would call a proper six pack, everytime I go on a low fat diet. The rest of the time the upper abdominals are defind and clearly visiable - but the lower ones (where me gut usually gathers) are less defined when Im carryin a bit of weight.... and when i say a bit of weight its miniscule!

My routine - I got a great CD from Men's health magazine that that outlines 3 sets of exercises For beginners to advanced.

The first point they mention is about a low fat diet..... then they go into the excersises.

Ill describe the beginners guide becuase I have started to incorporate that back into my new routine and its fresh in my mind!

Your abs are made up of three muscle groups (correct me if im wrong someone!)

1. Upper Abs
2. Lower Abs
3. Obliques

So excercise 1 & 2 are for the Upper abs

1. Lie flat on the floor with your knees bent and feet touching the floor - hands behind your ears, with your fingers touching the back of your ear (this provides more resistance than the normal hands behind your head).

Lift your head and shoulder blades off the ground and hold for two seconds. It should take two seconds to reach the pinnacle of the movement, two seconds to hold and two seconds to lower.

Do this for 12 - 20 reps and move onto next exercise without resting.

2. Ok this time same position except with your knees bent touch each of the sole of your feet together, like frogs legs... and same as per above.

Lower abdominals
3. lie on your back, hands behind you head and lift your pelvis from the floor. Same reps etc as per above.

Obliques
4. lie on floor same position as number 1 with legs bent and feet touching the floor.
Put one hand over your body and hold your oblique muscle (you will be able to feel if you are working the correct muscle). The other are should be at the side of your head. So if you have your right hand on your head bend your right side of your body towards your leg, keeping your right arm as close to the floor as possible - you should remeble a big fisk hook... if that makes sense. Repeat exercise for other side of your body.

4. on your back again.... Legs bent touching the floor.... now put your right leg over your left leg (cross). put your right hand on your chest, and you left hand at the side of your head. lift and turn your left arm to touch your right knee - repeat exercise for other side of body.

Full range
5. lie on your back, feet touching floor. do a crunch except pull your keens up to meet your elbows. Make sure you meet in the middle so that you are working upper and lower abs.

Do this routine every other day
if you have been training your abs for a while it should take no longer than a week or two to be able to do 20 reps of each without any rest, then its time to move on!

I use this routine again now mixed with other exercises from the advanced level and using a cin up bar and raising my legs vertically so my body is at 90% (they are killers!!!)

Another thing I noticed after completing ths whole routine for the first time was that my lower body began to get a rounded look.. i started adding another exercise to the routine to build up the inner abs (i dunno if thats what they are called! I read it somehwere! ) BUt that was basically hands and knees on the flower and pulling your stomach in as far as it would go and holding for 30 seconds. thats one set, so repeat 2 or 3 times.

I have this CD it might an idea to upload it on to a server for you all to download!

Is that a good idea or would I be wasting my time?

Benbaz

Originally posted by tomED
I have this CD it might an idea to upload it on to a server for you all to download!

Is that a good idea or would I be wasting my time?

Not at all!!! Please do!!

tomED

OK

Im in work now, so Ill bring it in tomorrow and upload it somewhere.

Will post message when done!

Benbaz

That's not good enough!!! Go home and get it now!!!

Cheers!!

tomED

i might actually go home at lunch... we'll see.

either way its gonna take a while to upload, its about 200 mgs. I think ill have to find some free hosting, unless some hosting provider here wants to give us some free space for its use!

HINT HINT!

Benbaz

Tom, I was only kidding!! No rush!!

tomED

help me with my search for free hosting for it!!

I hope you have a decent connection to download it... In fact I might make it a realplayer file and stream it... would that be better? Or should I just have it as a download.

There is a smal interface to it too that lets you skip through to the advanced level etc, but you can view all parts through the video alone.

tunney

Yeah TomEd, lash it up on a server and i'll grap a copy of it! Can't hurt anyways!

tunney

Ahhhh don't stream it, just put it up on a server and let people grap it!

tomED

okie no problem -


so anyone want to give us any free space? probably safe at around 500MG

I dont think any free servers will give us that much space will they?

D-Generate

They only way to get 500 megs space would be to buy it and that size wouldn't come cheap.

tomED

OK,

I have zipped it to 202MGs....

Im trying out some of these free spaces places - but they only let you uplaod it through the browser using scripting and a lot ot them time out before it fully uploads.

Anyone any suggestions on whee to put this?

Thanks!