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sonnylax
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Joined: 30 Sep 2003
Posts: 2942
Location: Living in a lollipop and unicorn world
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 Posted: 09/08/04 - 11:52 Post subject: It's official - I hate ab work!
I got my body fat checked last week for the first time in like 6 months and I'm disappointed. My overall BF has risen slightly. All of this due to my "ab fold measurement." I've only gained around 3 lbs since the spring, so it's hard to explain how I could have jumped 2% in body fat.
I can do upper body and lower body weight training for 60 - 75 - 90 minutes a pop, but I avoid ab work like the plague. When I started weight training over a year ago, I did some ab work each session. But I got away from it gradually and I haven't done anything in the ab department since early this year. I don't really know why - I guess its because it's hard work for me personally and it's hard to see any real results. I just avoid it at the gym nowadays.
As I get back into running this Fall, I'm going to morph into a 3-day split weight training workout soon so I can spend less time in the gym (and more time on the tennis courts and running trails). Something along the lines of:
Arms/Back
Legs/Calves
Chest/Shoulders
I know I need to clean up my diet a little more. But should I work in abs at every session if my goals are to expose that 6-pack? I couldn't even get a 4-pack when my BF was sub 9%, so I don't really know how low I would have to go in this dept. Any other tips?
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TriBob
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Joined: 29 Aug 2002
Posts: 5771
Location: Lost in Transition
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Posted: 09/08/04 - 12:08 Post subject:
Ab work doesn't have anything to do with BF. Six-pack, yes. Add ab work to your weight training days and watch your diet. You have to get pretty low on the BF % to get cut in the abs. Bodybuilders also dehydrate themselves for competition to look cut.
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Mike G
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Joined: 02 Sep 2004
Posts: 114
Location: Ontario, Canada
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Posted: 09/09/04 - 21:01 Post subject:
| TriBob wrote: | | Ab work doesn't have anything to do with BF. Six-pack, yes. Add ab work to your weight training days and watch your diet. You have to get pretty low on the BF % to get cut in the abs. Bodybuilders also dehydrate themselves for competition to look cut. |
Yeah, thats what my fitness teacher was talking about today, I don't see how it could be worth it  .
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AlaninTX
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Joined: 14 May 2002
Posts: 6582
Location: Austin, Texas
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Posted: 09/22/04 - 09:32 Post subject:
You may not be able to see it, but you can sure feel a strong core. My bf and age are such I am never going to have the much desired six pack, but I sure like knowing there is some steel underneath.
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afipunk
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Joined: 19 Sep 2004
Posts: 25
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Posted: 10/03/04 - 14:07 Post subject:
Okay here is an area I know my business on. First of all there's no way to melt the fat just on your abs. I know it's hard work and a pain in the butt. That's how itw as for me. But here's what I do. They say you're not susposed to work any muscle more than two times a week. But then again they say run 3 to 5 times a week. Go figure. So the best way for strong abs is to work them every morning before you eat and combine that with some cardio (20 to 40 minutes). I started doing that 3 months ago and I am showing some nice abs. And I have 14% BF. The trick is workign them different ways and of course my favorite thing to do. Super Sets. Here's what I've been doing. Also rotate these as often as you can.
Sit ups/ leg raises - 15 to 35 reps
Crunches/ Twists - 15 to 35 reps
Reverse Crunch/ Knee Ins. - 15 to 35
(To do super sets. Sitsups then do leg raises. Then go back to sit ups and then back to leg raises. Then back to sit ups then leg raises. So three sets of each one right after the other. Stick breaks in if you need them but the more you can do faster the more stimulation you give your abs. Also don't forget. The key to great abs is a strong lower back and total body work. You need to have a great body all over for a six pack to mean anything.)
Then every saturday I do my marathon day as I call it. 100 pushups in two minutes. 100 sit ups in two minutes. Run as far as I can as fast as I can. In two and a half months I've lost 12 pounds of fat and gained two pounds of muscle. And I'm still gainging muscle and loosing fat. Read Body Scultping Bible For Men. That's where I got alot of this. But if you read around you'll just pick up the info that fits with what you do. Try new things. Never let your body adapt to your workouts.
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