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I started ab exercises but...

goldengloves Posts: 690 Joined: 2003/09/19	2004/02/25, 11:09 AM I've been doing them for a few weeks now....But it seems like my stomach has gotten fatter and more round....I was just doing cardio for the longest time to cut the body fat but I was suggested to do ab exercises as well...Well when I started it seemed like my stomach has gotten bigger and lost some of the definition it was starting to get....Should I quit the ab exercises?
rpacheco Posts: 3,770 Joined: 2001/12/13	2004/02/25, 11:17 AM The muscles are beginning to push itself out beneath the fat. Stick with it and as your bodyfat lowers, your ab muscles will show through. -------------- **_Robert_** Pain is temporary; glory is forever! E-mail: rpacheco@freetrainers.com
goldengloves Posts: 690 Joined: 2003/09/19	2004/02/25, 11:19 AM Since im doing a mass program and doing 15-20 minutes of HIIT cardio 2 times a week...Couldnt that take a while?
rpacheco Posts: 3,770 Joined: 2001/12/13	2004/02/25, 11:22 AM Yes. But to build a true 6-pack, you need to work your abs with weights and drop your bodyfat somewhere below 8%. -------------- **_Robert_** Pain is temporary; glory is forever! E-mail: rpacheco@freetrainers.com
goldengloves Posts: 690 Joined: 2003/09/19	2004/02/25, 11:25 AM 8%...Wow as long as I drop body fat it will go back to how it was before right?...Im losing my love handles my gut is just round :(....Need to work on this.
	2004/02/25, 11:28 AM Robert, is 8% healthy??? From some of BB1's posts I have gathered that the immune system is severely weakened at BF levels below 10% or so. -------------- Some times life is like herding cats. Charlie
goldengloves Posts: 690 Joined: 2003/09/19	2004/02/25, 11:29 AM Id like to get down to around 10% im at 16% last time I checked...I look like I have slimmed down a tad since then though....
rpacheco Posts: 3,770 Joined: 2001/12/13	2004/02/25, 11:37 AM Put it this way, bodybuilders have an on and off season. They pack on pounds in the off season, then chisel away before competition. For me, it was very hard maintaining a low bodyfat % so I go on mass cycles where I gain 2-4%. Nonetheless, I don't think that lowering your bodyfat below a certain % weakens the immune system. -------------- **_Robert_** Pain is temporary; glory is forever! E-mail: rpacheco@freetrainers.com
goldengloves Posts: 690 Joined: 2003/09/19	2004/02/25, 11:40 AM I just measured the body fat on my stomach and it says it was around 14% last time I went to the doctor I was at 16...I dunno if thats right but im happy...Im the same weight but my b/f has gone down :)
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2004/02/25, 11:44 AM Your soposed to do body fat with a 3 point test or 6 point......not just tummy -------------- .......adversity causes some to break, but others to break records! ......minds are not vessles to be filled, but fires to be enlightened ......Confucious once said ,DO NOT play leap frog with a unicorn
m3kamikaze Posts: 12 Joined: 2004/02/04	2004/02/25, 11:57 AM This site is pretty good for viewing exercises and has some good calculators including a 3 and 7 point body composition calculator: http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/BodyComp.html Everyone has different answers for the body fat percentage to show a 6-pack. I've heard below 8% up to 12%. I don't know how low you can go until it becomes healthy, because I haven't asked my doctor. It just doesn't make a sense to me for it to be unhealthy to the immune system if you're already skinny and have a low body fat percentage to begin with. I can see how 5% bodyfat would be not so good, cause you'd probably die if you didn't eat or drink for 3 days..lol.