Thread: hellz yeah....i'm getting veins on my stomach....

Tell us about the diet and the program.

just so you know, they where always there!

Originally Posted by MyK

just so you know, they where always there!

well i know they were always there, it's just i never noticed them on myself or really any other bodybuilder before.....never thought of stomach skin as thin enough to show veins.

anyway, the diet is just the normal strict cut diet, the ab program is from one of those mens health ultimate abs books......graduated program, starts off fairly simple, moves towards advanced exercises over a 12 week period, i'm 3 weeks into the most advanced phase.....doing these V sit ups where i start in a reverse crunch position, slowly lift to a 45 degree V, hold it, then contract a leg towards my chest slowly, then lower, switch legs.....really kills the lower abs

Originally Posted by cheesegrater

really kills the lower abs

Can you tell me which muscle the lower abs is again? I could've sworn there was no such thing.

the lower abs are the abdominal muscles that are on the lower part of the abdominal region. they lie in close proximity to the upper abs, but sit lower on the torso.

There you go Cowey. They lie in close proximity to the upper abs, but sit lower on the torso.

Originally Posted by cheesegrater

the lower abs are the abdominal muscles that are on the lower part of the abdominal region. they lie in close proximity to the upper abs, but sit lower on the torso.

Can you name the muscle for me? I'm pretty sure it's all the rectus abdominus. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Shit I guess your right

sheesh, does anyone not know what i mean by lower abs?

Originally Posted by cheesegrater

sheesh, does anyone not know what i mean by lower abs?

Cowpimp knows what you are talking about. You can't only contract your lower abs is all he is saying.

awesome on the abs!

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

Cowpimp knows what you are talking about. You can't only contract your lower abs is all he is saying.

no shit, but certain exercises are gonna hit em more than the upper abs

Originally Posted by cheesegrater

no shit, but certain exercises are gonna hit em more than the upper abs

No they aren't. That is what he is saying.

farmer cowboy is just an ass

Originally Posted by cheesegrater

no shit, but certain exercises are gonna hit em more than the upper abs

Wrong. It is one muscle, and you can't stimulate part of a muscle without stimulating the whole thing.

Upper chest what?

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Wrong. It is one muscle, and you can't stimulate part of a muscle without stimulating the whole thing.

oh yeah? so how come before i did this program, which has exercises specifically designed to hit lower abs, my top two rows of abs were well developed but had little to none lower ab development?

You had the development already, but since you are dieting, and have reached a lower bodyfat, the lower abs are more visible. You cant target specific areas of a single muscle, just like you cant spot reduce fat.

no......the muscle wasn't as hard even when i pushed thru the fat...yeah the dieting has made the muscle able to be visible, but the specific exercises have built it up

Originally Posted by cheesegrater

no......the muscle wasn't as hard even when i pushed thru the fat...yeah the dieting has made the muscle able to be visible, but the specific exercises have built it up

Do you know anything about physiology and how the human body works? If you did, then you would know that you can not shape a muscle. Rectus abdominus has an insertion point at the crest of the pubis, and three portions of unequal size into the cartilages of the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs. So when the muscle contracts, it contracts as a whole. You cant contract the lower or upper more than the other.

Thats not saying you shouldnt do different exercises.. but you CANT "build your lower abs".

Originally Posted by cheesegrater

no......the muscle wasn't as hard even when i pushed thru the fat...

Think about what you just said. You were "pushing through the fat." Obviously it isn't going to feel as hard when you are feeling through a layer of fat. That is simply because we tend to store fat lower on the abdomen. The top portion of the rectus abdominus is always visible first, unless you are a genetic freak.

yeah the dieting has made the muscle able to be visible, but the specific exercises have built it up

Yeah, it built the whole thing up. Not just the upper or lower portion.

Originally Posted by PreMier

Do you know anything about physiology and how the human body works? If you did, then you would know that you can not shape a muscle. Rectus abdominus has an insertion point at the crest of the pubis, and three portions of unequal size into the cartilages of the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs. So when the muscle contracts, it contracts as a whole. You cant contract the lower or upper more than the other.

Thats not saying you shouldnt do different exercises.. but you CANT "build your lower abs".

so then why do different exercises? why not just 10 sets of conventional crunches? you gonna tell me a reverse crunch doesn't contract the lower part of the ab wall more than a regular crunch does? cuz it sure feels like it's a more intense contraction....

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Think about what you just said. You were "pushing through the fat." Obviously it isn't going to feel as hard when you are feeling through a layer of fat. That is simply because we tend to store fat lower on the abdomen. The top portion of the rectus abdominus is always visible first, unless you are a genetic freak.




Yeah, it built the whole thing up. Not just the upper or lower portion.

so it's impossible to have the top part of the abs stronger than the lower part?

can you tell me why my low right ab muscle is significantly smaller, softer and weaker than all the other muscles including the low left? shouldn't crunches eliminate that kind of isolated weakness under your theory?

Originally Posted by cheesegrater

so then why do different exercises? why not just 10 sets of conventional crunches? you gonna tell me a reverse crunch doesn't contract the lower part of the ab wall more than a regular crunch does? cuz it sure feels like it's a more intense contraction....

You really don't have to, actually. However, there are a few reasons: variety makes exercise more interesting, there are neural adaptations that take place with different movements, and because the rectus abdominus can contract differently depending on the movement. It can contract from top to bottom or from bottom to top; the whole muscle is still contracting though.

There is something called proprioception. Read the sticky at the top of the page about isolating different parts of the chest. It mentions this phenomonen. Some of it has to do with the facts that certain parts of a muscle may be stretched more than others, and some has to do with the fact that your brain wants to logically apply feeling to an area that it seems should be most involved in a movement.

so it's impossible to have the top part of the abs stronger than the lower part?

Yes, because it's the same muscle.

can you tell me why my low right ab muscle is significantly smaller, softer and weaker than all the other muscles including the low left? shouldn't crunches eliminate that kind of isolated weakness under your theory?

There is no low right ab muscle! Unless you're talking obliques now. It is one muscle.

Genetics. Just because it is one muscle doesn't mean it has to display perfect symmetry. However, there is no strength difference. That's all in your head. Remember, it's one muscle, so you can't measure the strength of part of it. You only think you can.

Originally Posted by PreMier

Do you know anything about physiology and how the human body works? If you did, then you would know that you can not shape a muscle. Rectus abdominus has an insertion point at the crest of the pubis, and three portions of unequal size into the cartilages of the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs. So when the muscle contracts, it contracts as a whole. You cant contract the lower or upper more than the other.

Thats not saying you shouldnt do different exercises.. but you CANT "build your lower abs".

nice post.

Cowpimp and Premier called this one. Get used to finding at LEAST 50% USELESS info in magazines.

Originally Posted by cheesegrater

shouldn't crunches eliminate that kind of isolated weakness under your theory?

I like how you have turned basic anatomy/physiology into a "theory"

Way to keep your patience with this one Cowpimp.