The 6 pack myth

Group: General Diet & Nutrition

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 399, Messages: 16719

With such a topic so broad we truly try to cover the basics from all angles in this group. Nothing too big or too small. Nutrition is as significant if not more as exercise is to reaching your goals so learn all you can.

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bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2005/07/18, 11:34 AM The media has everyone in a frenzy to get a six pack ab set. It is odd, I can remember just a few years back it was a big chest, or big biceps that was the thing. Oh well, I digress....thought I may shed some light for you folks wanting the 6 pack so bad. First off, it is extremely difficult to do, diet is crazy and essential. It is not just a matter of some fancy workout apparatus doing it constantly and you will have a 6 pack(as I am sure many have found out). Now, even if you do achieve a 6 pack, then what? You have to stay on a constant lean diet, that basically sucks. Those folks you see on TV or videos who have them, they are paid to do so, it is their job, and how they make their money. Normal folks at some point want a life, want to eat some decent food, and abs don't stay around long. It is very difficult to maintain 6% or less bodyfat. So, be realistic here.....and be aware. -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com

bropie Posts: 1,084 Joined: 2004/12/04	2005/07/18, 12:01 PM alot of the suypermodels and actors we see are genetically gifted with a great midsection. they might not have to work as hard as the normal person to achieve the results we see. however, leading up to a motion picture or photo shoot, alot of them go on, as bbifit put it, a crazy ass diet and training regimen. what we see is usually only temporary, then back to normal. its nice to see a well developed core, but again, these results usually dont last forever.
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2005/07/19, 11:58 AM To add to this, one must be happy with their current muscular size, because to achieve the six pack you certainly cannot gain any muscle anywhere, and one must realize that if you have bird legs and arms, a six pack is not going to make you look great. In fact looks silly in most cases. :) -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com
Lecter Posts: 249 Joined: 2005/06/04	2005/07/22, 08:48 AM I have a six-pack, but it's giftwrapped!:laugh: -------------- Cerca, trova
	2005/07/28, 03:46 PM Yeah but how do I get my six pack? -------------- Prayer for the day: Lord, help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. Charlie
asimmer Posts: 8,201 Joined: 2003/01/07	2005/07/29, 08:03 AM depends on whether you want soda or beer, charlie. Try the corner store:) -------------- Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think. Benjamin Disraeli
yadmit Posts: 4,670 Joined: 2003/10/05	2005/07/29, 08:51 AM Charlie... check out this thread. I can't remember what topic it's under but the title is this: "test your phisical fittness." It's even stickied, so it shouldn't be hard to find. That should help you get the long desired six pack and bulbing biceps. t -------------- This donut has purple in the middle, purple is a fruit. - Homer (Simpson) Be here. Live. Love. Hope. Now. Faith. Believe. You. - Keith Urban
hardnfit Posts: 48 Joined: 2005/02/01	2005/07/29, 06:49 PM What? to achieve the six pack you certainly cannot gain any muscle anywhere? This is so very untrue. Many of the most well ballanced, and muscular looking athletes come from the bodies of boxers, and sprinters. Also many basketball players also have very well defined 6-packs, and carry some big guns right along w/em. ============ Quoting from bb1fit: To add to this, one must be happy with their current muscular size, because to achieve the six pack you certainly cannot gain any muscle anywhere, and one must realize that if you have bird legs and arms, a six pack is not going to make you look great. In fact looks silly in most cases. :) ============= -------------- mind and body, like man & wife, never always agree w/each other.
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2005/07/30, 08:57 AM They got their muscle first. The diet needed to attain a 6 six pack will not allow for muscle to be built. A caloric deficit is required to show a 6 pack. Those guys have been working out for years, and have built a solid foundation. -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com
kenny_wtf Posts: 195 Joined: 2005/08/08	2005/08/15, 10:30 AM to get the ultimate 6 pack you have to add some weight too while crunching. then the bigger the ab muscles will get and more definition you'll get and fewer calories you'll have to burn in order to see the packs. you can show ur abs more if you live in a hot climate, but in a cold country its not much use and i dont think its worth the effort to follow a really strict meal plan if you are not gonna show em often (whats the point?). all depends on calories in vs calories out,how much you train ur body, and genetics (ie. rate of metabolic activity etc).
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2005/08/15, 07:23 PM Also.. reading articles......most "perfect" abs...are put in......like janet jacksons.......Also the pistures have perfect lighting, perfect shadows.....perfect tan. Maybe even a lil air brushing ......so if ou wannalook like that......get a plastic surgen and a camera guy. -------------- Friends don't let friends squat high...
GoMcnabb Posts: 72 Joined: 2005/05/30	2005/08/15, 07:36 PM Who wants a six pack when you can have a keg?
mpalone4 Posts: 17 Joined: 2005/08/17	2005/08/22, 11:13 PM Haha....I have a well defined set of abs, and I have never done any kind of exercise with them, just mountain biking.
redrider4life1 Posts: 34 Joined: 2005/07/01	2005/08/25, 01:33 PM How do body builders get six packs if they can't build muscle? My friend eats McDonalds every day, he burns a lot of calories because he sweats a lot and is a landscaper. He takes many supplements and has a well defined six pack and is a big guy. He started at 145 lbs a little over a year and a half ago, is now 185 and is thinking about training to be a body builder. Oh he is 5'10'' so he's not really small either. I don't believe its all genetics so as long as you burn the calories you eat I think a six pack is attainable. I was doing crunches and leg raises for a month and saw no results, now I'm doing my friends workout and it is working. The lower ab fat is a pain in the ass to lose though. I eat tuna, Raisin Bran, and chicken basically every day. If I don't get my 6 pack in 6 months I'll give up and go back to eating what I want and drinking beer instead of bacardi.
gangstershoes Posts: 641 Joined: 2005/05/27	2005/09/08, 10:40 AM redrider, what is your friends workout routine look like?
sstump1 Posts: 1,227 Joined: 2005/03/20	2005/09/08, 04:56 PM I know a guy that's about 6 foot, 160lbs and has had a six pack for as long as I've known him, yet he hasn't lifted a single weight or even done a situp in over 10 years. It's not like the guy eats right or anything...he munches on candy bars all day and drinks beer in the evening...and his wife is a good cook so he's always eating a lot in the evening. I keep saying eventually it'll catch up to him.
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2005/09/13, 04:03 PM Experience is a powerful learning tool friends. :) I can only tell you the facts. There may be indeed be those select genetically few, but chances are good you are not one of them. :( -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com
	2005/09/14, 01:41 PM hey people now understand this: mine is ALL just DORMANT MUSCLE! i got a six pack in there, but the top layer is ALL DORMANT MUSCLE!
Bighoss147 Posts: 71 Joined: 2004/10/06	2005/09/18, 11:00 AM My abs are becoming visible (just slightly, I still have a 34 inch waist) and I've made some rather significant muscle gains while loosing fat. I never originally aimed for a 6-pack but I figure I'm getting pretty close so I just stepped up my ab routines. For a while I was a victim of the do a couple hundred sit ups every other day myth... ugh...
yooperjim Posts: 104 Joined: 2005/09/01	2005/09/19, 08:39 PM I was watching some show on bodybuilding competitions, and the guys that normally drink like gallons of water, would starve themselves of water before competeing just to make their skin cling more or something. Many of them got sick after and passed out, but it seemed to work...Ick! Jim
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2005/09/20, 10:34 AM Well, normally you load up on water for weeks before a show, then 3 days before the show you drop back to normal water intake. Then, the evening before the show, you just sip on water only as needed. You want to come in high and dry, not with a bloat, that takes away from sharpness. The trick is your body gets used to dumping 2-3 gallons daily, and it is still trying to do this come show time, so it dumps all your water. Potassium loading and sodium depletion plays a roll also. -------------- If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.... bb1fit@freetrainers.com
jd49006 Posts: 24 Joined: 2005/08/21	2005/09/21, 11:40 AM In mid July, due to some health concerns,(too much fat in my blood) I stopped eating sugar and cut my fat intake considerably. I am 59 and weigh 174. I joined a gym and began taking cardio classes like aerobics, kick boxing, etc. 5 times a week. I workout after each class and the results are astonishing.(I've already stopped taking one of my meds) I've never had abs but am beginning to see them due to losing some fat around my mid-section (I didn't know I had fat). I've been eating chicken breast, tuna, and lots of salad. With my genetic make-up BB is right about the caloric deficit. I want a Whopper! Jerry weights before dates.......... pain is my friend............. I'll rest when I get home.....
kelbear Posts: 6 Joined: 2005/11/11	2005/11/11, 08:42 PM For the most part, without major cuts in diet and heavy upkeep, people who are not naturally slim(naturally slim, meaning they're slim without an exercise or diet plan) won't be getting a six-pack. The fact is that people are built differently, the important thing is that you're setting achievable goals for yourself and are hitting them. And remember, only after becoming slim can you build a six-pack from sit-ups and such. Naturally round people need to cut a large amount of fat to get a six-pack to peek out. Remember, for that six-pack to show, you aren't looking to shed the fat around your torso, you actually have to shed all the fat all over your body, because you can't lose fat in just one place. Fat is lost all over in a distribution intrinsic to the individual. You can't just do situps and have chiseled abs while being obese all over the rest of your body. It doesn't work that way. For round folk to get a six-pack, they need to do lots of running, not lots of situps.
cool10231980 Posts: 2 Joined: 2005/12/12	2005/12/12, 08:21 PM what's the best thing to do for a guy who wants everything. I have a deceant upper body. and my lower body is starting to come along. but now i just want the total package great abbs. Gotta stay hot for the gf. like what works the best as far as abb workout and diets.
	2005/12/13, 12:11 AM I suggest fullbody training at moderate intensity, at mod volume and mod/high frequency in terms of days trained with big compound exercises... so I would do 1 warm up set....with light weight then proceed to do 2-3 sets...of each exercise listed at 6-8 reps....at 70-80% of 1rm I would do 3 days a week of the following Day 1 Squats Military Presses Bench Press Pull Ups Day 2 Deadlifts Dips Rows Incline Bench Press Day 3 Bench Press Stiff Legged Deadlifts Shrugs Standing calf Raises hope this helps...gl
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2005/12/13, 12:19 AM I would listen to menace. -------------- Pain is only temporary, it is in your mind. If you can still walk, then you can still run. ============ Quoting from 7707mutt: The squat cage is holy ground. ============
slimyfish Posts: 1 Joined: 2007/05/06	2007/05/07, 02:06 PM I heard dont know if it is true but those models, starve demselves of food and water. Firstly the night before they have a light dinner, minus da carbs wit little water or fluids. Then da following day, they continue to not drink and barely eat until after the photo shoot. Its easy for most to get da desired muscle fibre and strenth in da abs. What everyone wants is for da visible 6 pack abs. For dat, nutrition or lack of it is da key.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/05/07, 11:13 PM THE* Notice that word doesn't begin with a D.
asimmer Posts: 8,201 Joined: 2003/01/07	2007/05/08, 09:47 AM Well, and in that vein...if you are gonna change evry other t sound to a 'd' why isn't 'they' 'dey' ???? If you are gonna use a funky dialect (which is annoying anyhow, unless you are Rocky Balboa), do it right or not at all:) -------------- Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. Thomas Carlyle
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2007/05/11, 01:04 AM Da Ardian, Adrian da da da Adrian! -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
engl4nd34 Posts: 17 Joined: 2007/06/13	2007/06/13, 05:39 PM Abs...abs...abs. Yes I can definately relate. I am 12 percent body fat, and although I have abs, I never feel satisfied with them. I concerntrate on working my abs when I workout, but it is very difficult to achieve results.
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2007/06/13, 10:51 PM So it is difficult to achieve results yet in another post you said it was easy and done in 6 months? Care to explain? -------------- Curl Jockeys, get outta the squat rack! I wish everyone would get a partial amnesia and never use 'tone' ever again. (thanks Menance) 7707mutt@freetrainers.com
ajarjun Posts: 1 Joined: 2008/03/28	2008/03/28, 02:57 AM i am 15 and 5 ft 10 and i have 6 pack abs with out taking any pills
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2008/03/28, 08:45 AM Well of course you do! Probably loads of muscle too ! ============ Quoting from ajarjun: i am 15 and 5 ft 10 and i have 6 pack abs with out taking any pills ============= -------------- Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer