Thread: 8 pack abs Help plz

For a start, stop doing all that useless volume in ab workouts. Ab exercises wont make them any more visible, to make them more visible you need to lower your body fat.

To be honest, at 130 pounds id looking to add some muscle to your frame with general weight training rather than losing more fat.

Actually I do workout all the time. I have a routine and everything. My body fat is fine at the moment also.

i have measured my bf % I hope this helps I am 5 % body fat 118.7 pounds of lean muscle, bone, body water. And 6.3 Pounds of fat

I think that's called "starving".

Originally Posted by danzik17

I think that's called "starving".

Hah actually I am not starving. I eat about 3-4 thousand calories a day. No lie just I can't gain weight.

I would recommend posting your diet in the D&N section for some critiquing. Your goals will only be hit with a combination of training and diet, not one or the other alone.

This is Tom Venuto, his bodyfat is in single digits - do your abs look like this?

I refuse to believe that you are 130lbs with 5% bodyfat eating 4000 calories a day. If this were the case you would be far far bigger than you are right now.

When i was "bulking" i was on 4200 a day at 180lbs 12%Bf and i got up to 190lbs in a matter of a few months and my bf was fairly constant. You cant be telling me that at your weight and bf% that 4000 calories is your maintenance. Its just not possible.

What is your routine?

What is your diet plan?

How did you measure your bodyfat%?

you say you have a 5% bodyfat, but want your abs to show more. At 5% bodyfat your abs should be showing really well. 600 reps for abs and obliques is way too much. you are 130 pounds, what height is that at?

It sounds like you really need to gain weight, so eat a lot and lift heavy, and forget about the abs for now.

Originally Posted by Gazhole

This is Tom Venuto, his bodyfat is in single digits - do your abs look like this?

I refuse to believe that you are 130lbs with 5% bodyfat eating 4000 calories a day. If this were the case you would be far far bigger than you are right now.

When i was "bulking" i was on 4200 a day at 180lbs 12%Bf and i got up to 190lbs in a matter of a few months and my bf was fairly constant. You cant be telling me that at your weight and bf% that 4000 calories is your maintenance. Its just not possible.

What is your routine?

What is your diet plan?

How did you measure your bodyfat%?

Actually it is possible cause I am doing that. I measured my body fat online by measuring my hips, stomach, wrist, and forearms. I consume a lot of calories a day cause I am trying to gain weight but it seems to never work for me. I am pretty sure I have a fast metablism and no my abs do not look like that.

Originally Posted by UFC rocks

you say you have a 5% bodyfat, but want your abs to show more. At 5% bodyfat your abs should be showing really well. 600 reps for abs and obliques is way too much. you are 130 pounds, what height is that at?

It sounds like you really need to gain weight, so eat a lot and lift heavy, and forget about the abs for now.

I am 5 9, my abs show pretty well but I want them to show even better. I have been eating a lot of egg whites, steak, chicken, peanut butter, and proteinn shakes ( desinger whey) . Also I eat rice and some other things but those are my main. On to the 600 a day I do that many cause I do each ab/ oblique in reps of 30 and I have a lot of different workouts I do. Mostly lower ab workouts though. My favorite I think is the crunches on the ball makes my abs feel the most used in the workout.

Originally Posted by rammstein913

Actually it is possible cause I am doing that. I measured my body fat online by measuring my hips, stomach, wrist, and forearms. I consume a lot of calories a day cause I am trying to gain weight but it seems to never work for me. I am pretty sure I have a fast metablism and no my abs do not look like that.

I hate to break it to you but the only accurate way of measuring bodyfat is by physically measuring it using calipers. Online calculators are not accurate, and they even say they aren't on the page.

If your bodyfat was in single digits they would look as defined as that guy's.

What EXACTLY do you eat in a day? I still call bullshit on the 4000 calories.

My advice stands, and is the same as UFC's - you need to get a diet and training plan sorted, lift hard, and then worry about abs. The best form of ab work is stabilization through lifting.

I have a friend who is 130 lbs and is around 5'10 and he is disgustingly skinny... trust me, gain weight. If you claim to be eating 4000 calories a day (wich I hardly beleive) then you would be gaining weight. its not possible for weight gain to occur when you are routinely 1500-2000 cals over your DRI for maintenance.\

I hate to break it to you, but everything that has been said is correct. you just need to lift big and eat big. if you cant get all your calls, get a mass gainer.

As for abs, theres a problem if you are doing 600 every other day... your body has clearly adapted to this, and doing the same routine over and over again will never yeild results. Mix it up, and add weights. I bet you couldnt do 600 with a 45lb plate on your chest. But like everyone said, I think abs should be the least of your worries... id focus on gaining muscle mass for all your body parts first, not ONLY abs. you are one of the lucky ones who genetically carry low bf... use that to your advantage and get ripped. Imagine how youd look at 150-160 lbs and >10% bf.

calipers is most accurate you can get like said before..and @ "5%" i would gain some muscle weight..your BMI is ~19.2 which is close to "underweight"(all theoretically speaking)...like everyone said focus on building mass and forget abs

You guys don't have to believe me but I am not lying. I am pretty sure I know why. I eat my main meals first then I do my workouts. I am pretty sure I burn off most the calories I am eating. I workout for about 2 hours a day. That is the only way I can think of me not gaining weight. But I know how much I eat in a day I don't know why I would lie and I am going to get my body fat measured tomorrow I will tell you when I find the info out. I don't work out on just my abs either I do my whole body every week. I started working out at like 105 ish pounds when I was 15 now I am 16 and I weight 130 ish.

Originally Posted by ArnoldsProtege

I have a friend who is 130 lbs and is around 5'10 and he is disgustingly skinny... trust me, gain weight. If you claim to be eating 4000 calories a day (wich I hardly beleive) then you would be gaining weight. its not possible for weight gain to occur when you are routinely 1500-2000 cals over your DRI for maintenance.\

I hate to break it to you, but everything that has been said is correct. you just need to lift big and eat big. if you cant get all your calls, get a mass gainer.

As for abs, theres a problem if you are doing 600 every other day... your body has clearly adapted to this, and doing the same routine over and over again will never yeild results. Mix it up, and add weights. I bet you couldnt do 600 with a 45lb plate on your chest. But like everyone said, I think abs should be the least of your worries... id focus on gaining muscle mass for all your body parts first, not ONLY abs. you are one of the lucky ones who genetically carry low bf... use that to your advantage and get ripped. Imagine how youd look at 150-160 lbs and >10% bf.

Thanks for the mix up idea and add weights. I will surely give that a try.

Ok i havent been around here for that long and even I know that 130lbs @ 5'9is underweight. Like everyone is trying to tell you you need to gain muscle by eating more CALORIES. Even what they have told you there are ways to get more cals in a day by weight gainers etc etc and CONSITANCY in the GYM and EATING RIGHT. By what you are telling us from what you posted is way off the mark. You need to gain weight with a good clean diet. Focus on the basics then work on the rest. I dont even get all my 3-4000 calories in a day that I should I may get in like 1500-2000 but im trying to add more every day if you take a look at my progress IM a prime example of a beginner on this site trying to learn as much as I can. Even though I am Still considered a "fat ass" lol. But I know my body tells me I am doing things right. Just listen to these people, they have more knowledge about this than what you think....

BTW I am 5'10 and weigh 250lbs. Before I came here I weighed 259....

ok here is a perfect example of how wrong online body fat testers are. i did one that uses the measurments you were talking about. my body fat is between 12-14%. that is from using calipers. ok the online test told me that my bodyfat is like 6.2 or some shit like that. get some calipers and redo the test.

Originally Posted by getlean09

Ok i havent been around here for that long and even I know that 130lbs @ 5'9is underweight. Like everyone is trying to tell you you need to gain muscle by eating more CALORIES. Even what they have told you there are ways to get more cals in a day by weight gainers etc etc and CONSITANCY in the GYM and EATING RIGHT. By what you are telling us from what you posted is way off the mark. You need to gain weight with a good clean diet. Focus on the basics then work on the rest. I dont even get all my 3-4000 calories in a day that I should I may get in like 1500-2000 but im trying to add more every day if you take a look at my progress IM a prime example of a beginner on this site trying to learn as much as I can. Even though I am Still considered a "fat ass" lol. But I know my body tells me I am doing things right. Just listen to these people, they have more knowledge about this than what you think....

busting my ass off to gain weight lol. I have eaten so much today 2 protien shakes chick twice pasta and 3 sandwhiches. I got a lot more to eat as well. I do have a good amount of muscle on me to just cause I weight that little. I measured my biceps forearms etc and it was pretty good so I am not skin and bones lol.

Originally Posted by tomuchgear

ok here is a perfect example of how wrong online body fat testers are. i did one that uses the measurments you were talking about. my body fat is between 12-14%. that is from using calipers. ok the online test told me that my bodyfat is like 6.2 or some shit like that. get some calipers and redo the test.

best way is to get a certified consultant to do it..theres lots of room for error even with calipers.. and from ramm...why don't you post your workout plan that you are on currently..and also when and what you eat in a typical day, and like i said before your goal should be to increase lean mass and to leave the fat and abs alone for now..if you do eat that much, your problem must be in your workout

Originally Posted by Elson

best way is to get a certified consultant to do it..theres lots of room for error even with calipers.. and from ramm...why don't you post your workout plan that you are on currently..and also when and what you eat in a typical day, and like i said before your goal should be to increase lean mass and to leave the fat and abs alone for now..if you do eat that much, your problem must be in your workout

K I do biceps and triceps on monday and thursday. I do shoulders/chest on wednesday and saturday. Abs/obliques/forearms on tuesday thursday and saturday. I do neck wednesday and saturday. I do lower body friday and sunday. I do sets of 3-5 for each workout I do for the body part except for abs and obliques I do 1 set but I mix it up with tons of other workouts for the abs and obliques,and do reps of 30 for each set of workout I do. But with the other parts i just do 3-5 and reps of 10 for each workout I do.

In a typical day I have peanut butter, egg whites, pasta, chicken, fish. I also drink 2-3 protein shakes a day depending on how I feel I drink designer whey. Sometimes I will throw in some other stuff but the food I named I eat a lot of pasta and peanut butter that's how I gain a lot of calories a day.

Originally Posted by rammstein913

busting my ass off to gain weight lol. I have eaten so much today 2 protien shakes chick twice pasta and 3 sandwhiches. I got a lot more to eat as well. I do have a good amount of muscle on me to just cause I weight that little. I measured my biceps forearms etc and it was pretty good so I am not skin and bones lol.

Ok so you have muscle what is it you are trying to accomplish then?

Originally Posted by getlean09

Ok so you have muscle what is it you are trying to accomplish then?

I am trying to get more weight on myself so I can get even bigger muscles.

Originally Posted by rammstein913

K I do biceps and triceps on monday and thursday. I do shoulders/chest on wednesday and saturday. Abs/obliques/forearms on tuesday thursday and saturday. I do neck wednesday and saturday. I do lower body friday and sunday. I do sets of 3-5 for each workout I do for the body part except for abs and obliques I do 1 set but I mix it up with tons of other workouts for the abs and obliques,and do reps of 30 for each set of workout I do. But with the other parts i just do 3-5 and reps of 10 for each workout I do.

In a typical day I have peanut butter, egg whites, pasta, chicken, fish. I also drink 2-3 protein shakes a day depending on how I feel I drink designer whey. Sometimes I will throw in some other stuff but the food I named I eat a lot of pasta and peanut butter that's how I gain a lot of calories a day.

looking at your routine, you are doing a lot of the same movements. triceps on Monday and Thursday, then chest/shoulders Wednesday and Saturday which is a lot more tricep work. absolutely no back which you can put some serious weight on. also if you only do 3-5 reps per set you should vary that more often.

Originally Posted by rammstein913

K I do biceps and triceps on monday and thursday. I do shoulders/chest on wednesday and saturday. Abs/obliques/forearms on tuesday thursday and saturday. I do neck wednesday and saturday. I do lower body friday and sunday. I do sets of 3-5 for each workout I do for the body part except for abs and obliques I do 1 set but I mix it up with tons of other workouts for the abs and obliques,and do reps of 30 for each set of workout I do. But with the other parts i just do 3-5 and reps of 10 for each workout I do.

In a typical day I have peanut butter, egg whites, pasta, chicken, fish. I also drink 2-3 protein shakes a day depending on how I feel I drink designer whey. Sometimes I will throw in some other stuff but the food I named I eat a lot of pasta and peanut butter that's how I gain a lot of calories a day.

Terrible program. No time to rest (needed for growth) and a really bad split. Keep it simple, read the stickies and make a good program. No wonder you don't grow, you need a good program and time to rest.

A day for neck???? Bi and tri day? Why?

Originally Posted by rammstein913

busting my ass off to gain weight lol. I have eaten so much today 2 protien shakes chick twice pasta and 3 sandwhiches. I got a lot more to eat as well. I do have a good amount of muscle on me to just cause I weight that little. I measured my biceps forearms etc and it was pretty good so I am not skin and bones lol.

If thats an overview thats nowhere near 4000 calories.

This is a day i found in my nutrition log from last year, the closest i could find to exactly 4000 calories:

Meal 1:
30g Cereal With 125ml Milk
24oz Yogurt, plain, lowfat milk

Meal 2:
2 Slices Bread
150g Beans

Snack:
PROTEIN BAR

Meal 3:
10" Bread stick, soft
2oz Pork, cured, ham, center slice, separable lean and fat, unheated
0.5 Cups Cheese, Mozzarella, NFS

Pre/Post-WO:
180g USN Whey Protein (In total)

Meal 4:
2 Slices Bread
125g Jelly Dessert
150g Ham
50g Dried Fruit
30g Potato Chips (Low-Fat)

Meal 5:
200g Oats
2 Cups Sliced Banana, raw

Totals:
Fat - 76g (17%)
Carbs - 553g (51%)
Protein - 321g (32%)
Calories - 4006

As it goes thats pretty poor content, but at least the calories are there. I didnt get many vegetables that day for some reason...just beans

Anyways.

Nobody is calling you a liar here, least of all me, but judging by your stats there is something not quite right, whether you're being generous with reporting your calories or simply not actually calculating them, under-weighing yourself, or your bf% is totally off (which it is if you used an online calculator).

Listen to the people here, your program needs work and you need to start logging your diet in detail if you want to be able to gain or lose anything. Thats all i'm saying.

You could do 500000 crunches a day and it wont do anything for you, you could better spend the energy you are wasting on these mammoth ab sessions of yours to actually resting from the gym.

You know what they say about beans.

Originally Posted by danzik17

You know what they say about beans.

Trust me, i eat so much dairy the beans pale by comparison...