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From Flab to Abs.


Tim

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Atm its just asking for help but like Fastortoise I want to turn this into a blog.

 

 

Im Tim, 20 years old, Weight is currently 72 KGS / 158 LBS, Height is 5"11 and Im highly unhappy with my appearance. (Sounds like an AA meeting)

 

Im not looking to buff out, Im looking to lose the "baby fat" and turn that into Muscle instead, mostly develop a set of abs within this year of 2011. The problem is I no NOTHING about health. I dont know reps, forms of exercise, what to eat: NOTHING.

Starting from January 10th I want to get into a routine to help turn my life around. Im currently living home with abusing parents and as such, I have to eat what is cooked, I dont get a choice in my own personal dinners unless I do it myself but most importaintly they're cheap. Each month I'll post a update of my body especially so I can see the difference per month. My major bad habit I have is drinking too much coke (as for some reason im always feeling thirsty - Probably due to the boredom of unemployment).

 

tl;dr - Fitness noob needs major help.

Popoto.~<3

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OK I think abs are your main question so I'll do that.

start with 30 seconds of each, with ~15 second breaks in between, increase time to 45 seconds after ~1 month 1 minute after ~2 months.

 

planks

crunches

side planks (left and right)

leg lifts

leg rotations (forwards and backwards, may not be correct term.)

"Penguin walk" (definitely not the correct term, basically you lay on your back with your arms flat and knees up, feet on floor, and slide your torso back and forth with your abs so that your hands touch your heels)

rowers

bicycles

scissors

side crunches

 

that should be good, google the terms to get an explanation, its kind of hard to explain.

Thoughs are also entirely running abs, so there may be a few more/different ones for just general abs.

 

Also, your probably always feeling thirsty because you drink coke, soda doesn't help at all with dehydration. Switch to juice or water.

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Ok, first of all, are there any sports that you enjoy doing or that you'd like to start? The reason most people fail to turn their life around and get fit is because they don't enjoy exercising, if you can find something you enjoy spending time on then it'll be far easier to get fit. From your dimensions it sounds like you're in a pretty decent position, you're not particularly fat or skinny and so the main barrier will probably just be staying motivated (which is why I recommend you take up a sport).

I could go on to give you a list of exercises complete with information on how many sets/reps will provoke what muscle response but tbh sitting in your bedroom doing crunches/pushups etc etc can be pretty boring and so I only recommend starting that once you've started becoming active in a way you enjoy, this could be starting cycling/running a few times a week, joining a football club or trying a new sport you might not have had had a chance to try before like rock climbing.

In terms of diet, cut out fizzy drinks as much as possible if you can, if you're thirsty drink water or squash if you must have flavour in your drink. Also, I don't know what sort of food you tend to have cooked for you but if it's mostly pre-packaged ready meals then I really encourage you to start cooking for yourself, anything you cook for yourself is likely to be healthier than a 'ready meal' as long as you dont pile a load of cheese on top of it or something and things like spaghetti bolognaise, stir fry or fajitas are fast, healthy and easy to cook.

Most of my post has been addressing health aspects rather than how to get 'rock hard abs' (which I think is much less important). In terms of the actual muscle, everyone has it, it's just buried beneath varying thicknesses of fat on each of us and the main way to deal with that is to improve your diet. It's alot of effort to go into what you should and shouldn't eat so I won't, but you basically just want to stick to 'whole foods', simple stuff like chicken and potato and lettuce rather than some complicated mixture of stuff you get in a pre-packaged meal. I highly suggest you do some research on the internet about this sort of thing, 'bodybuilding' and other sports forums can be very useful sources if you search through their nutrition sections. Oh also, I don't know about your sleeping patterns but sleep is really important and once you start becoming more active be sure to give your body all the rest it needs (going to bed earlier may also help but that varies from person to person).

 

P.S. If it helps, I too am a 20 year old, 5"11 ~67kg guy. I've always been fairly active taking most opportunities to play football or go cycling with friends but until I went to university I never really bothered with my diet and tended to eat what was easiest. Since improving it and following the tips I've given you (I'm not perfect - I still eat pizza a few times a week) I've become alot healthier - I've got ill alot less regularly, I look alot better and most importantly I feel alot better.

P.P.S. Having a six pack really isn't that great, the times when I'm at my fittest are often the times when my abs are least visible as I tend to eat alot more in order to keep me going. I had flu 2 weeks ago and as a result lost a fair bit of weight, I looked pretty ripped but was ALOT weaker than at peak fitness. Aim to get fit and healthy and muscle tone will come with it.

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Do this, simple and effective:

Day One:

Bench Press: 2 x 6-8

Incline DB/BB Press: 2 x 10-12

Military Press: 2 x 6-8

DB Skull Crushers or Close Grip Bench Press with 4-5” ROM (Not all the way down to your chest and your index fingers should be where the knurling starts): 2x10-12

 

Day Two:

 

Pull-Ups or Wide Lat Pull-Downs: 3xAMAP (As Many As Possible – Use Minimum ¾ Your BW for Pull-Downs

Bent Over Yates Row 3 x 8 -

EZ-Bar Curls: 1 x 10

Kneeling Cable Crunches or Other Heavy Ab Exercise: 3x10

 

Day Three:

 

Squats: 2 x 10

Deadlifts: 1 x 10

Glute Ham Raises or Straight Back Straight Leg Deadlifts: 2x10

 

Abs as a main goal mean you want LOW body fat %. However, since you don't have much muscle to start with, you'll want to BULK for a good portion of the year. That means do the stuff above, and eat and eat and eat. 3000+ calories a day. You said you can't eat that well, but here are some things you can eat to get lots of calories in for relatively cheap:

Milk

Eggs

NUTS (peanuts, almonds, cashews, etc). 2/3 a cup = ~600 calories. Peanuts are cheap too

OLIVE OIL (this tastes DISGUSTING, but if you can cook it/mix it in with something else, it is INCREDIBLE). 1 table spoon = 120 CALORIES! 5 = 600

Cottage Cheese

 

 

 

Again, you'll want about 3k calories day. At least bodyweight in grams of protein too. So 158 grams of protein a day. Doing this as well as working out will pack on the muscle.

 

To keep track of your food daily EASILY, use the following:

 

livestrong.com

register

under Start Tracking, choose My Plate - Calorie Counter

search for the stuff you eat and input it, it'll give you a nice break down of calories, protein, fat, and carbs. You don't want a lot of fat, under 20 or 30% if you can.

 

Once you've got some muscle you can cut away some of the fat and get those abs, but that's a couple months down the line. You can also try stuff like Sprinter Ab Circuits for your abs

 

The most important thing to remember: You get out of it what you put in in the gym. Push yourself in the gym, bust your ass

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Atm its just asking for help but like Fastortoise I want to turn this into a blog.

 

 

Im Tim, 20 years old, Weight is currently 72 KGS / 158 LBS, Height is 5"11 and Im highly unhappy with my appearance. (Sounds like an AA meeting)

 

Im not looking to buff out, Im looking to lose the "baby fat" and turn that into Muscle instead, mostly develop a set of abs within this year of 2011. The problem is I no NOTHING about health. I dont know reps, forms of exercise, what to eat: NOTHING.

Starting from January 10th I want to get into a routine to help turn my life around. Im currently living home with abusing parents and as such, I have to eat what is cooked, I dont get a choice in my own personal dinners unless I do it myself but most importaintly they're cheap. Each month I'll post a update of my body especially so I can see the difference per month. My major bad habit I have is drinking too much coke (as for some reason im always feeling thirsty - Probably due to the boredom of unemployment).

 

tl;dr - Fitness noob needs major help.

 

 

Destroy those abs with a variety of ab work outs and crush the fat with cardio. Eat healthy. It is impossible to lose stomach fat without radical change in diet.

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Don't drink coke first of all. That will greatly cut back on sugar. Drink water instead. Also have a cup of water when you wake up before doing anything. I cannot remember why but it is good for you, and just makes you feel better from my personal experience.

 

What the above poster said is fairly accurate. Eggs, nuts and other high protein stuff. I doubt you'll be training hard like that every single day, so you probably don't want too many calories, as it will possibly just make you fatter, which isn't what you want...

If you don't have access to a gym, running and cycling are both good ways to loose weight, and good cardio.

 

 

In terms of core, the program I do for rowing is:

 

1 min Bridge

1 min Bridge with leg raises

 

V sit 1 min

V sit with twists, rotating body and shoulders 1 min

 

Side bridge 45 sec each side

 

Cycles lying on back, making sure legs are straight when extended 1 min

 

Sky 'humps' - Keep butt off floor and elevate hips. Do it with one leg at a time, so one is straight and one is doing the work. 45 sec each leg

 

 

Obviously you won't be able to do it all straight through easily, so take breaks if you need. Try 1 set, and see how you feel. It's going to hurt, but you'll eventually get better.

After a few weeks, or when it starts to feel easier, try advancing to 2 sets.

 

Good luck with your goal! :thumbup:

My relaxation method involves a bottle of lotion, beautiful women, and partial nudity. Yes I get massages.

 

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I doubt you'll be training hard like that every single day, so you probably don't want too many calories, as it will possibly just make you fatter, which isn't what you want...

 

You need to eat consistently 3k+ calories a day to put on the mass, if he's super concerned about putting on a bit of fat (which I doubt he is, he'll lose some working out and cut later anyway) all he has to do is watch macro splits.

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I doubt you'll be training hard like that every single day, so you probably don't want too many calories, as it will possibly just make you fatter, which isn't what you want...

 

You need to eat consistently 3k+ calories a day to put on the mass, if he's super concerned about putting on a bit of fat (which I doubt he is, he'll lose some working out and cut later anyway) all he has to do is watch macro splits.

 

If you read OP's post he said the most important thing to him is to lose the fat around his abs to expose the muscle, consuming lots of calories isn't gonna help that ;)

 

Edit: Oh P.S. Tim, I can recommend the Athlean X blog blog for interesting reading about 'building a lean, athletic body' it's got lots of useful info. (Not recommening you spend loads of money and buy all their stuff but the information and videos on the blog may prove useful).

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Do cardio along with a healthy diet to lose fat first. Then, eat a protein rich diet and start doing core exercises such as sit ups, boat archs, and planks.

I will put my boots on.

 

I will pass on down the corridor.

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I doubt you'll be training hard like that every single day, so you probably don't want too many calories, as it will possibly just make you fatter, which isn't what you want...

 

You need to eat consistently 3k+ calories a day to put on the mass, if he's super concerned about putting on a bit of fat (which I doubt he is, he'll lose some working out and cut later anyway) all he has to do is watch macro splits.

 

If you read OP's post he said the most important thing to him is to lose the fat around his abs to expose the muscle, consuming lots of calories isn't gonna help that ;)

 

Edit: Oh P.S. Tim, I can recommend the Athlean X blog blog for interesting reading about 'building a lean, athletic body' it's got lots of useful info. (Not recommening you spend loads of money and buy all their stuff but the information and videos on the blog may prove useful).

 

He doesn't have any abs to show.

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In my opinion, to have great abs you have to get rid of the fat first. Here are some points which can be helpful:

 

1. Diet - cut out those fatty foods

2. Metabolism - Metabolism is nothing but the process through which your body burns calories and turns food into energy

3. Cardio Exercise - A 45 minute cardio training routine at least 5 days a week will do the trick

4.Target Exercise - The best way to do these target exercises is to combine it with your cardio workout

5. Posture - It's vitally important to stretch regularly, especially after exercise.

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Well following the trend of topics in this forum, the OP came asking for advice and will never post here again.

And when they don't get the support they crave, they'll then make another identical thread.

Seriously get a grip and do some freaking crunches or something. You don't have to be an expert reflux capacitor physician to optimally use up your exercise time, just do it.

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I havent posted because I've been busy all week dealing with some family abuse if you must know.

 

Yes I have access to a GYM but there's no support for me there. It's a defence force building, your expected to know what you're doing.

Popoto.~<3

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Defence force building? Also, my gym is staffed by a bunch of 60 year old women who know jack [cabbage] about lifting. Stop making excuses, start with light weight and try to get the form right before you move on to the heavy weight. Don't trust personal trainers or gym staff either

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I have not much arm muscle and you're wanting me to jump into something like that?

Day One:

Bench Press: 2 x 6-8

Incline DB/BB Press: 2 x 10-12

Military Press: 2 x 6-8

DB Skull Crushers or Close Grip Bench Press with 4-5 ROM (Not all the way down to your chest and your index fingers should be where the knurling starts): 2x10-12

 

Im trying to stay lean, not turn into Arnie.

Popoto.~<3

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I have not much arm muscle and you're wanting me to jump into something like that?

Day One:

Bench Press: 2 x 6-8

Incline DB/BB Press: 2 x 10-12

Military Press: 2 x 6-8

DB Skull Crushers or Close Grip Bench Press with 4-5" ROM (Not all the way down to your chest and your index fingers should be where the knurling starts): 2x10-12

 

Im trying to stay lean, not turn into Arnie.

 

Then just do ab exercises. There are enough different ones for you to get started. You don't need to incorporate any massive life style changes. Maybe do a 15 min session of core twice a day, and a 30 min run as well. Cut back on Coke and other soft drinks and drink water. Juice is just as bad because of the sugar in it. If you really need something in water, try squeezing some lemon or lime into the water.

 

That should be enough to get you started.

 

Also, don't expect to get abs in the first week or two. They take time to develop.

My relaxation method involves a bottle of lotion, beautiful women, and partial nudity. Yes I get massages.

 

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I have not much arm muscle and you're wanting me to jump into something like that?

Day One:

Bench Press: 2 x 6-8

Incline DB/BB Press: 2 x 10-12

Military Press: 2 x 6-8

DB Skull Crushers or Close Grip Bench Press with 4-5" ROM (Not all the way down to your chest and your index fingers should be where the knurling starts): 2x10-12

 

Im trying to stay lean, not turn into Arnie.

 

high rep, low weight workouts will tone, not bulk up muscles to huge proportions. While what Tim posted is a little low it's not that far off.

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I have not much arm muscle and you're wanting me to jump into something like that?

Day One:

Bench Press: 2 x 6-8

Incline DB/BB Press: 2 x 10-12

Military Press: 2 x 6-8

DB Skull Crushers or Close Grip Bench Press with 4-5” ROM (Not all the way down to your chest and your index fingers should be where the knurling starts): 2x10-12

 

Im trying to stay lean, not turn into Arnie.

 

1. It doesn't matter that you don't have much arm muscle. No one has much arm muscle when they start. Know what that means? All you do is start with low weight and add weight until you've got a comfortable working weight.

 

Also your Arnie comment is asinine and really [bleep]ing annoying. You aren't going to look like a bodybuilder over night, over even over a year. YOU DON'T WAKE UP THE HULK. Want to look good? Want good abs? Lift weights. It's a slow and gradual process, every guy that has a nice, strong looking body can lift a lot of weight. You posted wanting to get rid of fat and build muscle. You won't do that without lifting weights. You asked for a routine. You got one. Get off your ass, get to the gym, and stop making excuses. No one is going to look at you funny, people will do one of two things: act like you don't exist cause they're too god damn busy doing their own work out, or two (more likely) offer you friendly advice when they think you need/want some. You aren't going to lose weight and put on muscle without some effort, stop making excuses. Start your working out and watching your diet yesterday. You'll make huge and fast strength/muscle gains your first few months too, it's great watching the weight go up and up and up.

 

Your arm excuse is terrible, I literally started working out when I was 97 pounds. NINETY SEVEN POUNDS. I was the weakest person in the gym for a while, girls lifted more than me. But because I didn't make excuses and ate right I put on weight fast and got stronger fast.

 

You can't be the person you want to be if you are the person you are.

 

 

 

high rep, low weight workouts will tone, not bulk up muscles to huge proportions. While what Tim posted is a little low it's not that far off.

 

lol "tone"

 

 

 

Once you go to the gym you will LOVE it, it makes you feel great, boosts your confidence, and makes your body produce endorphins.

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I have not much arm muscle and you're wanting me to jump into something like that?

Day One:

Bench Press: 2 x 6-8

Incline DB/BB Press: 2 x 10-12

Military Press: 2 x 6-8

DB Skull Crushers or Close Grip Bench Press with 4-5 ROM (Not all the way down to your chest and your index fingers should be where the knurling starts): 2x10-12

 

Im trying to stay lean, not turn into Arnie.

 

Although that stuff isn't needed just to lose some fat and expose your abs it wouldnt be particularly hard for a beginner. The crucial thing is that he left out the weight that you'll be using to do the exercise so just start low and work up to what you feel comfortable with (so you're as tired as possible by the end of your session but you're just about able to finish each set). As for each exercise, just google them or look them up on youtube, there are loads of instructional videos on the correct way to do each exercise.

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