Six-pack help
- Thread starter Thahngo1
- Start date
pretty clean diet, only water. 3 protein shakes a day, chicken, fish, steak, a lot of carbs and what not as well. should i do more cardio? i do cardio at least 2-3 times a week to stay nice and cut i just don't want to do too much trying to get my six pack to bulge more because i'm also trying to gain wieght, i'd like to be more around 200-210
mick-g
New member
14% is too high bf to show the abs. You have to be at or near the single digits to have them come out. What kind/kinds of cardio are you doing, and for what length per day? 2-3 days is not enough. Also, you say you are taking in alot of carbs. I question what kind of carbs you are taking in? Bottom line, if you want to loose bf%, and of course you have to, and absolutely no cheating at all. Put alot of emphasis on the abs when training, alot of cardio and diet are the key. Imo, you have to decide "do i want to cut or bulk" You can still gain while cutting, but you have to avoid simple carbs, sugars, fats (sat and trans) etc. Also taking in too many supplements, including protien shakes can actually bloat your stomach out, so if you can get more of your protein from whole foods like lean meats, poultry, and fish, eggs, you may not have to supplement as much on the shakes. Also don't forget fiber. We all know what that is good for, lol! Unfortunately there is no such thing as spot reducing, so you have to lean out evenly. Simple equation is, if you are taking in more cals then you are expending you will gain, but if you aren't taking in the right kinds of foods and not doing cardio correctly and enough it will most likely turn into fat not muscle. On average, most adult male unfortunately hold their fat in their mid-sections, so to get that six pack it will be most likely the last bit of fat that you loose. Of course there are always those few that are genetically blessed, but on the most part men will sooner or later have a prob with the mid section if not putting in the dedication into their diets and training.
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haha for sure. i also take creatine (cell mass) and n.o. xplode, you mention supplements might effect. would these two maybe effect it as well? i do a number of things for cardio, jump roping[about 10 minutes], cycling[30-45 minutes], running[2-3 miles], rowing. maybe i should just bulk up a little more before i plan on leaning down even more then i am. also if i do end up doing a lot more cardio and get my bf% down to around 8% or so will i lose some of my hard earned muscle? that's the only reason i don't do more cardio i'm afraid of my muscles not growing enough
mick-g
New member
If you are taking in alot of creatine, and i think there is also creatine in the NO Explode, then yes, you can retain from that. It really depends on how much creatine you are taking in. I would perhaps lower it on the creatine. Anyways, i was actually talking about the protein shakes and also many pill/capsules contain fillers that can have an effect on the digestive system, causing bloating out your stomach, but i would say the creatine, if taking too much can do that as well. It is very hard to bulk and cut at the same time without loosing some muscle. Many men i think when bulking think it is the time to eat whatever they want and this is the first major mistake if you want to retain a defined look. Increase in cals sure, but keep it fat free and absolutely no sugars, don't put any salt on your foods and main thing is to look at the product labels on the back of your foods, even your shakes can contain high amounts of sodium, fats, and sugars, so you have to be very carefull when selecting a protien powder. You can get your good fats from EFA's, like fish oils and flax. If you cook with oils use grapeseed, but use it sparingly. You mention alot of dif cardios, lol, but i will give you an idea. Jumping rope is a good overall cardio, because it is utilizing all your major muscle groups. Biking imo, is only putting emphasis on the legs and alittle on the mid section depending on how your adjusting your seat. Low impact cardio has been shown to be the best at reducing bf. What i do is i will do 45-50 minutes on a treadmill (my gym has Lifefitness ones). I will start out with a medium jog (6mph) for about 2 miles, then i will cool down for about 2 minutes @ 4mph, then i will set the incline for 15, which is the highest setting and do the rest at 3.8 mph. Doing this alone will burn your bf for sure. Some ppl do the high incline at the 3.8-4mph for the whole time. You will be sweating like a pig doing that. I know some bros also that do cardio twice ed, but imo that is over kill, but they are at their goal weight and want to get ripped as hell, and it will work. Eliptical is also good low impact cardio. I used to do the treadmill first then end it with a 15minute eliptical. Reguardless i do this at least 5 days a wk.
mick-g
New member
I will add...Stress and not getting enough sleep is a big factor in making muscle gains and in how we store fat. If you are stressed out it will effect your cortisol levels and in how your body expends fat. You can do everything correctly, but if you are stressed and not getting proper rest, sooner or later you are going to go catabolic and breakdown, not only physically, but mentally as well.
crazyfool405
New member
fat free... no. No sugar.... coming from high glycemic foods... you need fat in you diet .... make sure its healthy fat thoguh beight that it helps synthesis adequet testosterone. low fat diets have studies that show up with low testosterone. and you dont want low test if your building muscles... abs try training every other day like every othe muscle. abs wont come through all the way till about 10 percents orso.. outlaw said it right aswell if you have fat over them they wont show,., think about it this way if your shredded.. and your wearing a sweatshirt you cant see it because u have that layer covering it... imagine the sweatshirt being fat and you can see ur shredded physique without loosing that fat
