tehblaed

Hey guys, thanks for clickin' on my post.

As of about 3 months ago I started seeing the effects of what I like to call "post-Pubescent muscle growth", i.e. I just turned 18 and still sit around doing nothing however now I have undefined abs that my girlfriend thinks are hot. I have no idea how this happened, I am on a Tastykake and Mountain Dew diet, but I've always been lean - 145 lbs, about 6 foot tall.

So anyway, for the past week I have been "working out" for about 20 minutes a day on and off - push ups, fisted push ups, chair dips, and crunches like a mofo. The pushups and fisted pushups have already started to show development of my pecs and biceps, however my crunches haven't really shown any much improvement (it's only been a week, mind you).

Perhaps the reason the pushups are showing improvement already is because they were completely undeveloped (i had saggy pecs yet i only weigh 145....you see the problem here I take it). However as of yet the crunches haven't been too helpful in really defining my abs. I have a slight 6pack but I really want to get some development, especially around the "line" area of my pelvis. What do you recommend other than hard crunches?

Thanks a bunch.

tikki

Abs are the result of good dieting. You can do a million crunches, but it won't do any good on your Tastyshake and Mt Dew diet.

Add some veggies to your diet, eat more protein, and get the metabolism going.

Also, to help with the abs, rather than doing tons of crunches, do 3 or 4 sets of weighted crunches. Just grab a 25 pound weight, get on an incline bench and do 12 reps.

don't get discouraged if it takes a while. I've been trying to get a nice set of abs for two years, but my dieting is lacking.

tehblaed

I'm really lean though. Like uh, I can kind of see the six pack there. I need to build up my abs in order to see more of them, you know. I can see my ribs if I am raising my arms, I doubt it's my diet. My metabolism is through the roof.

tikki

Then just do weighted ab exercises for a few weeks and see where that gets you.

Go buy a health magazine at the bookstore. At least one of them has a big ab article every month. That'll get you started.

__________________
Take notice. Take interest. Take me with you.

rainheart

I've heard lowring your body fat levels (basically taking away that sheet of fat in front of your abs) will help. Diet! or.. not. I mean 145 lbs @ 6 feet, that's a little slim, no?

tikki

Exactly. If you want cut abs you gotta have hella low body fat.

To make matters worse, you can't spot reduce the fat. It goes off wherever it damn well pleases first. On a guy, abs are usually last. On a girl, its around the hips.

Konichiwaneko

I couldn't imagine being 145, and I'm 6' also.

Not bad, people have different builds...but wow.

__________________

tehblaed

Fear me, for I am the walking twig man.

It's not that bad actually....for a geek I mean.

Schwan

You got very good results on such a light work out (it's not a swipe at you), you're one of those lucky people who burn calories very fast, so you do need to worry about what you.

But... If you'd really like to build up muscles, you will need to work much more then that. They will grow, but only to a certain point. After that, you will need to gradually increase the amount of time you spend working out.

blanks

you wont be that age forever, change your diet. Its mostly feeding your muscles with the right stuff to grow. Of course working out also helps alot. Just look for the right balance.

water_boy1999

I am a certified trainer and have been working out for the majority of my life. The one true way to develop good abs is cardio. Cardio is the quickest way to burn fat. You probably already have the abs you want to have, but it is hidden by the layer of fat. Try running 3 days a week for at least a half hour. If you have bad knees, try swimming or bicycling. The weights are great for toning and building muscle, but you need to implement a regimine of cardio to burn the fat, weights won't do that.

If you have a really fast metabolism and eat properly, you should see results very quickly.

__________________
Doh!!!!


-Homer Simpson

Schwan

Sorry if I steal the thread for a sec, but this would be a good moment to ask some questions . Many people say that the best way to work on abs are sit ups (you know, when you lay down flat on your back and raise your abdomen to a vertical position) , so which is it? Also, does rowing and cycling count as cardio?