Re: Advice for building abs - diet
- From: "Curt James" <curtjames@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 31 Jul 2006 08:19:20 -0700
mick wrote:
I do have visible abs -- they are just not well defined
unless I flex or just finish a set.
And that's a significant surprise? Do your biceps pop out at all times
or just when you flex or after you've finished your curls? Do you do
curls? Start. But only after your leg presses, dumbbell benches,
pulldowns, and close grip benches.
" Don't do so many crunches. It's a waste."
what do you mean by that? i always thought the "crunch"
was the way to work the overall ab muscles.
It's a great exercise but a million reps is insanity.
I am interested in working my chest, back, etc. just not now,
Just not now? What the heck? WHEN?
so I just want to get a head start on the abs before starting
the rest..
By doing chest, back, and legs now *along with* your ab work, you're
beefing up your metabolism - kicking it into high gear - by the
(hopefully) added muscle you'll gain.
Even though I am skinny and am not worried about getting "fat" I am
worried that if I eat too many of the wrong foods I might develop some
fat in my stomach that will cover the muscles. Any advice for diet?
Yes. 1) Don't top-post. No, seriously, 1) http://theabsdiet.com/
That book, available at my local Wal-Mart (and probably yours, too) for
$10.88, has EVERYTHING you'll need to know about abs and getting yours
where they need to be. Or, hey, where you'd like them to be.
Thanks!
You're welcome. Now go buy that book.
....
What else did you write?
JMW wrote:
"mick" <micojc@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I want to develop my abs and have started doing around 300-400 crunches
a day.
aahahahahHAH! I think you're in the book. The author, iirc, says
something about "the only thing you want to do 1000 times a day is..."
NOT CRUNCHES. Three sets of 12 or 15 crunches with a weight plate on
your chest will build your ab *muscles*. Ab workouts are not endurance
events. I ran cross-country. Trust me. D'OH! (I even got a varsity
letter that one year when everyone else had shin splints!)
I am very busy between work and grad school so I do not have
much time for doing cardio. I would like to build my abs while doing
ZERO cardio and maintaining a diet conducive to building the abs.
Congrats on the grad school. What's your area of study? I worked three
part-time jobs during college - GNC, a book store, and as a resident
hall assistant. Plus still found a small amount of time for the
Universal machine on campus. Regardless, The Abs Diet book sounds like
it dovetails with your philosophy or chosen strategy.
I am around 6 ft tall and 155 lbs -- I have always been skinny and have a
difficult time putting on weight.
Hey, you're me! Well, me at your age (if you're in your 20's - 30's).
Wait until you hit 44. I'm finally gaining some weight. 185 lbs as of
this post.
1. Based on the info I provided, shou<snip>
Forget what you think you know. Buy the book. It's ten bucks. That's
pizza and a beer. Come on, man. And you really only have to read two
chapters - the food recommendations and the ab exercise recs. Maybe
it's available at the library. Or buy it, Xerox the pages you want,
return it. That'd be two bucks in copies and the cost of your sense of
right and wrong, but, hey. We're talking your abs here, right?
If you don't have visible abs at 6', 155#, then you're skinny-fat.
You lack appreciable muscle. Do something more than abs. At least do
push-ups, pull-ups, and other bodyweight exercises.
Listen to big nose. He's right.
Don't do so many crunches. It's a waste. Add weight by placing
something heavy on your chest. Also, work the full range of the
abdominals by hyperextending your spine over a Swiss ball or using
something to anchor your feet and bending backward over a bench, i.e.,
a Roman chair crunch. Your abs will develop a lot faster that way.
Swiss ball? Those things scare me. Stupid green ball.
Despite that advice, you still need to develop your chest, back, and
arms. A stickboy with prominent abs still looks like a stickboy.
And, yes, women *do* notice that.
He's right. I'm a stickboy at thirty pounds more than you, so you must
be stickboy on crack. I KEED! I KEED! Seriously, though, eating more
protein - shakes between meals (fat-free milk and any of the weight
protein powders) would be a good start and then working out three times
a week on an A-B-A split will do more for your physique than countless
crunches. And it's manageable with your current work and class
schedule. I know it is. I've lived it. Not grad, undergrad, but still.
More on the A-B-A split routine:
Split routine, three times per week...
Former Mr. Pennsylvania, Frank Calta, touted the benefits of a
three-day split:
Workout A: Legs
Workout B: Chest, Back
Week 1:
Monday: Workout A
Wednesday: Workout B
Friday: Workout A
Week 2:
Monday: Workout B
Wednesday: Workout A
Friday: Workout B
Keep rotating like that for six to eight weeks. Plenty of time for rest
and recuperation. Work your abs all three days or just two. And work
them just about like any other muscle - 3 sets of 10 reps, or 4 sets of
12, etc.
Best of luck. Please post a follow-up.
--
Curt
.
- References:
- Advice for building abs - diet
- From: mick
- Re: Advice for building abs - diet
- From: JMW
- Re: Advice for building abs - diet
- From: mick
- Advice for building abs - diet
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