Advice for cutting fat % and getting a 6 pack.

[KCguy]

Cardio, cardio, cardio. Simple as that. Do one hour of cardio, 5x a week. Trust me when I say this. Your stomach has a layer of fat in the way and doing strength training or sit ups won't do squat. Yes, you want to work your core to strengthen it, but you NEED to work your ass off cardio wise or you won't ever get a six pack.

Eat healthy fat burning foods, cut out refined processed carbs.

Strength training is still good to do. Do it. I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying that alone won't give you a six pack.

[Deleted]

I also have finished a course in personal training and I agree with all what warchild said, except 1 thing - the streching before exercising. You got to WARM UP first, if you just start stretching cold muscles you are just as prone to injury as just starting to work out cold. Generally 5-10 minutes of warming up does the trick, include simple lower intensity moves like light jogging on the spot, shoulder circles etc. just to get the heart rate up, the muscles and joints warm, then you can do a light stretch and then do your workout, followed up with cooldown and stretching.

[Speedlance]

Starting Weight was like 78kg a few weeks ago (healthy weight range for my height 58kg-72kg) I am not sure how to measure body fat so I can't sorry, it looks way too complicated and I'll probably get it wrong anyway.

Here are my stats currently as of today:

Age: 23
Height: 170cm (5"7)
Current Weight: 72.7kg (159.9 lbs) as of September 1st 2011

I can feel that my stomach has started shrink by looking in the mirror + grabbing at the stomach fat, it seems to be a lot tighter than before.

In the morning I walk for 2 hours, I can walk 12klm's at a steady pace in that time. And in the afternoon, I go for another 2 hours walk. I sometimes run for a few hundred meters...then go back to walking steady pace then back to running. So I am moving about 20-30KLM's a day, 7 days a week.

The foods I am eating;

I stopped eating breads/butter and those carb foods as I heard carbs slow fat loss percentage, but I 3/4th cup of all-bran for breakfast (http://www.kellogg.com.au/Home/Produ...1/Default.aspx)

I stopped eating red meat. I only eat chicken + fish for my meats.

I eat veggies and fruits instead of eating snacks like bars n stuff, and I am drinking more water.

My day is like this.

*Eat 1st meal Breakfast (All-bran) <1st meal of day

*Go for 2 hours exercise with my dogs.

*Eat 2nd meal (Tuna fish, or fruit) < 2nd meal of day

*Before my 2nd 2hour exercise, I eat another 1-2 fruit. < 3rd meal of day.

*Go for 2 hours exercise, then eat another 1-2 fruit < 4th meal of day.

*Come home eat dinner, which is veggies+chicken or tuna + a little fruit < 5th meal of day.

Eating this way.....I AM NEVER hungry...I feel good all day.

I've been doing some weights, but just a lot of reps with very light weight, I don't want to go muscle until I've finished burning fat % off, am I doing it right?

(FYI: I have never drunk sugar drinks ever....only "soft drink" i can drink is the 100% sugar free ones)

You can still build muscle while losing fat, just remember to keep your protein intake high and get enough carbs so you got enough energy for your workout. What I suggest is using a calorie calculator, this way you can see what should be your daily calorie intake and just lower it with like 200 cals or even lower(but don't lower your protein intake). And 20 mins of daily cardio, as that will cause you to burn calories all the time, even when you're sleeping (afterburn effect). You will probably not go down in weight through this but you will get a low fat %, visible abs and more mass on your body

[Verazh]

It depends on why you do it. Even when I was fat, I would go for bike rides even longer then 4h, simply becouse I enjoy it.

And thats lovely. I also supplement my training with long trips on my longboard and volleyball training twice a week. Each to his/her own. But using 4 hours a day is alot, no matter who you are. If his goal was to simply loose weight he could loose more weight in a much shorter time, twas all I was saying

[Epiphanes]

If you have the patience, perseverance, and the money (of course), I'd highly recommend Insanity by beachbody. I'm on Day 2 and I have to say, it kicked my ass. My upper body is in above average shape due to intense super-setting at the gym (heavy weight, low reps, high intensity) but my lower body? Man, I've slacked and it's showing. Program comes with a nutrition guide with a list of meals, ingredients, and even a short description of how to prepare the meal.

In the last 36 hours, I've lost 2 pounds and you better believe I'm sore.

As for tightening your core. The only way you're going to do that is by WORKING IT.

[Deleted]

You should not ask on these forums. People live and trust in myths that are bulshit and doesn't work. There is no real science behind it. Look at http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/ it is a reliable source of information and it's all on one place. I used it as a beginner to get some clue. He has lots of videos on youtube, im sure it could help you

[TaylorGang]

You should not ask on these forums. People live and trust in myths that are bulshit and doesn't work. There is no real science behind it. Look at http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/ it is a reliable source of information and it's all on one place. I used it as a beginner to get some clue. He has lots of videos on youtube, im sure it could help you

soo....according to you.......Exercise and eating right to get in shape isn't a real science?.................................................................................. .................

[Gunslinger]

Check this out: WALKING is NOT excersise. I say that because it doesn't pack a "punch" on your cardio nor does it contract/relax your muscles to the max. If your body does not peak but goes at a pace you will NOT get a trained body. You may lose some weight but you will NOT get muscles.

High interval training is a MUST if you want to look more like Wolverine and less like the Blob. Also apply the muscle confusion technique as well as steady and regular training hours. Do NOT train when you are tired. Your body will NOT work to it's full potential. If you must train twice a day ALWAYS have 1 part cardio and 1 part weight lifting.

Enough with the 5 billion fruit a day. Most fruit contain citric acid which will (unless regularly brushed) damage your teeth. Always maintain a balanced diet and watch your calories. DRINK A LOT OF MILK!

[Epiphanes]

I also have finished a course in personal training and I agree with all what warchild said, except 1 thing - the streching before exercising. You got to WARM UP first, if you just start stretching cold muscles you are just as prone to injury as just starting to work out cold. Generally 5-10 minutes of warming up does the trick, include simple lower intensity moves like light jogging on the spot, shoulder circles etc. just to get the heart rate up, the muscles and joints warm, then you can do a light stretch and then do your workout, followed up with cooldown and stretching.

And I was wondering why Insanity had a 6-8 minute warmup (if you want to call it that, hah) before you even think about stretching. Now I know! lol.

[Deleted]

youtube.com/sixpackshortcuts

Dont know if you know them, but it works - even if people say its a scam, I use it myself and all you have to do is follow what the guidelines is, activate more groups to gain more fat burn and work up your abs, nothing will show if you dont have anything to show, hit the gym, you dont need to walk for ages ect, can be done in less then one hour each day with correct diet as well.

see you have some of the basics put down, so you aint a total novice.

For me, I can say that I was 136kg when I first started out, 196cm - pretty strong, used to box alot in my teens and early 20s, Im 27 now - now, 8 weeks later, Im sitting on 113kg and gained some strength as well, its sick fast - but it requires that you commit to it.

Best advice I can give anyone - control your diet and study this field, its really easy to loose weight and gain strength once you got the guideline, dont be scared to ask either.

He calls it the "afterburn effect" I didnt blive it at first, but it seems to work.

[the kins man]

Honestly, all the points people have made are pretty good. As certified personal trainer, as well as a certified strength and conditioning specialist, both through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, getting a six-pack is quite difficult to do for the "average" person. The muscle definition is based solely off genetics, granted if you work hard, and have crummy genetics you will still see results. People who have "six packs" are genetic freaks. Lets take Chad Ochocinco for example. Having had a chance to intern with the Bengal's strength and conditioning program, I will safely say that he isn't exactly the hardest worker, and his nutrutional choices are pretty crappy. Yet, he has an obscene six pack. Pure genetics. My advice to the op, work out for health, and over time some looks will come with it. Probably not the model muscl looks you want, but enough that others will notice.

[warmanne]

From the looks of it something I'd suggest. I learned this from my dad (who went to school for training).

You should switch your first day's meal with your first exercise. As soon as you wake up get dressed head out the door. This is when your body has the most energy after you wake up because you've been sleeping all night, can't remember the rest of the reasons also to do it first.

Second you don't need to exercise so much, 1-2 hours a day of light exercise (walks) per day is good.

If you're doing more intense exercises (like lifting weights) you can do like 4-5 hours a week and still see/feel the effects, also rotate what you work out each day. Example, if you do cardio one day, upper body the next. I know you said you want to burn fat % first but you could just do warm ups instead. Jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups Although not as intense as weights, they're I believe in the "medium" category for exercise because they're working out multiple muscle areas but not really intense/hard.
And if you're lifting weights, you don't need to worry about lifting heavy weights to build muscle. Just lift something that makes you have to work, but not stress your muscles when lifting. Say you can lift 100kgs max, you should lower how much you're doing to around 50-75kgs, which every number you can get a good amount of reps out of for most amount of work. Think of it like a bell curve that number between 50-75 kgs is your optimal for lifting weights (so at the highest point).


Your diet seems pretty good. Personally I would throw in some eggs/peanuts in there (preferablly during your lunch/snack time). Also depending on how you prepare your food I think you're missing some oils that you need (very little) but it's still good for you. Something like Kraft's Greek/feta and orego (Be on the look out for just greek that would be way better). Don't need a lot just a little unless your tuna is prepared with the oil, then ignore what I just said.

[Fabrio]

It seems a lot of people thought by me saying "6 pack" that i meant I want to look like a greek god, perfectly bulk etc.

No thats not what I want.

I want to be slim and lean, with just enough tone and lower body % fat to show some definition on my body.

I don't wanna RAMBO.

I don't get how I wouldn't obtain this...just by walking/jogging/running every day for 2 hours in morning , 2 hours at night, around 20-30 KLMs a day - 7 days a week, EATING only HEALTHY food while doing LIGHT weights and push ups etc....

You guys sure you're right on this? REMEMBER, I DON'T WANT TO BULK. I just want a slim/lean frame with some definition. Please take that into account.

I am doing this for a very long time, this isn't a "quick fix". I have all the time in the world to do this. I don't drink soft drinks and I don't ever get take-away, I am not lazy when it comes to this stuff.

You guys saying massive cardio + good diet can't achieve that....Then wtf can? Come on guys...be realistic about this. You can't honestly tell me running/walking/jogging 2 hours in the morning, then 2 hours again in the afternoon (IE 4 hours per day 7 days a week), while eating only healthy foods in small portions....wont get me slim and with some definition on my core.


I will join a GYM and LIFT AFTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR I've slimmed down my body. 1 thing at a time. I don't wanna goto the gym now because all it will make me do is EAT MORE, gain muscle....but I probably wont lose any body fat.

[warchild1987]

It seems a lot of people thought by me saying "6 pack" that i meant I want to look like a greek god, perfectly bulk etc.

No thats not what I want.

I want to be slim and lean, with just enough tone and lower body % fat to show some definition on my body.



I don't wanna RAMBO.

I don't get how I wouldn't obtain this...just by walking/jogging/running every day for 2 hours in morning , 2 hours at night, around 20-30 KLMs a day - 7 days a week, EATING only HEALTHY food while doing LIGHT weights and push ups etc....

You guys sure you're right on this? REMEMBER, I DON'T WANT TO BULK. I just want a slim/lean frame with some definition. Please take that into account.

I am doing this for a very long time, this isn't a "quick fix". I have all the time in the world to do this. I don't drink soft drinks and I don't ever get take-away, I am not lazy when it comes to this stuff.

You guys saying massive cardio + good diet can't achieve that....Then wtf can? Come on guys...be realistic about this. You can't honestly tell me running/walking/jogging 2 hours in the morning, then 2 hours again in the afternoon (IE 4 hours per day 7 days a week), while eating only healthy foods in small portions....wont get me slim and with some definition on my core.

Why so serious bro?

On a more serious note, you should have been more specific (and also understood that threads like these sometimes get out of hand).

[Fabrio]

Why so serious bro?

On a more serious note, you should have been more specific (and also understood that threads like these sometimes get out of hand).

Ok then sorry.

I'll ask again then. for you

My exercise -

walking/jogging/running (mixture) for 2 hours in the morning then again in the afternoon for 2 hours again - 4hours toal - I do about ~20-30KLMs- I do this 7 days a week.
light weights with high reps, and stuff like push-ups.

My eating/drinking - Fish,chicken,fruits,veggies,(nuts = almonds),water etc.


You saying that will not slim me down and get me some definition on stomach? I will of-course intensify my exercise by sprinting/running more and going harder when I lose more fat and get fitter...

If doing that can't achieve that then I dunno what to say. Either I am being really dumb or people don't know what theyre really talking about :/

[Deleted]

Ok then sorry.

I'll ask again then. for you

My exercise -

walking/jogging/running (mixture) for 2 hours in the morning then again in the afternoon for 2 hours again - 4hours toal - I do about ~20-30KLMs- I do this 7 days a week.
light weights with high reps, and stuff like push-ups.

My eating/drinking - Fish,chicken,fruits,veggies,(nuts = almonds),water etc.


You saying that will not slim me down and get me some definition on stomach? I will of-course intensify my exercise by sprinting/running more and going harder when I lose more fat and get fitter...

If doing that can't achieve that then I dunno what to say. Either I am being really dumb or people don't know what theyre really talking about :/

People do know what they are talking about, several people (including me) in here are certified personal trainers. Maybe just the form of how we are giving you advise is not quite reaching you in the way we mean it to.
Anyway, I want to say first of all that what you are doing is great. Walking/running is great way to exercise, it improves your cardio and any movement is going to get you in better shape and it will reduce your weight and get you toned. However, that is not ideal way to achieve your goals for several reasons:

First off, if all you do is walking/running several times per day you are utilizing same muscle groups and not letting them rest. While working out you tire and even physically damage your muscles (microscopic tears). Muscles generally need about 24-48 hours of rest to recover and repair.

Secondly with just doing same thing (may it be running or maybe even doing same routine in gym) from day to day is kinda bad. You are going to get fast results at first, but human body is adaptive and is built to conserve energy. So after a while your body figures out what you are doing and will minimize the amount of energy for your workouts. Less energy spent = less calories burnt = you will see slower progress. Eventually you hit plateau, where you don't lose nor gain anything.

For these two reasons I'd say listen to what people are saying here and mix up your workout.

You are saying you want to lose weight and tone up, but not bulk up. Thats perfectly reasonable wish. Not everyone wishes to look like bodybuilder. But generally people have misconseption of working with weights. Mostly they think as soon as they start lifting weights they will bulk up, have huge muscles and whatnot and that to lose weight best thing you can do is running and similar low intensity cardio. That is not true!

For faster, better results and healthier body you should be doing full body workout. Think of it this way - muscle requires energy just to sustain itself, in order to get that energy body has to burn calories, the more muscle you have the more calories the body has to burn, the leaner you get. Now when I say "the more muscle", I don't mean you should become bodybuilder, but just general exercises using your own body - push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges etc. and maybe some moves with dumbells will give you more muscle and aid your weightloss. Besides, the thing with muscle is if you don't use it - you lose it. So as soon as you start looking too muscly, just stop exercise and your results will diminish in a matter of few weeks.

Rule of the thumb is choose appropriate weight for maximum reps. If you have a weight that you can only do 1-6 reps, you are generally working on increasing strength. 8-10 max reps per set will increase your muscle volume. 12-15 reps per set will give you toned lean muscles. So whatever your goal is, just pick a weight that suits your goals. Just remember, last few reps got to be hard, don't just kinda do it until you don't feel like doing them anymore, last few reps got to "burn". So choose a correct weight to get the burn.

To eliminate plateau effect you have to confuse your body with mixing up the routine. As you don't want to join the gym, I would suggest you to look at some home workout programs like P90X or Insanity. They are great as far as muscle confusion goes and they ARE working. I've tested them myself and the results are amazing. So have thousands of other people, you can find plenty of P90X result videos on youtube and as you will notice, many of people are heavily overweight when they start. The programs are tough, there are plenty of moves and one set generally lasts from 30 - 60 seconds. But you don't have to keep up with them up to a repetition. Just take it easy at the start and do each exercise as many times as your body allowes and then rest while guys on the video are finishing up. On next move start with the video again and do as many as you can and so on. As Tony Horton in P90X says "Do your best and forget the rest!". Here is an introduction video for P90X - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLYsy59tNSY

You eating habits are fine. General rules are to eat every 3-4 hours. Don't eat about 2 hours before exercising cause it will put increased stress on your digestive system. And DO eat within 2 hours after exercise, the sooner the better, cause after exercise your body is depleted of carbohydrades, proteins and minerals and needs a new portion of food to replenish itself.

I hope I helped you some and maybe cleared few of your misunderstandings, if you have some additional questions, feel free to ask.

[solari]

posting here just because i want people to know i know a lot about fitness and i'm really good at copy/paste; to the op i don't really care about what you wanted to know i just want you to know i have a perfect body because i know how to get one. sorry if i was of no help at all to you but i just want to let you know i'm probably hotter than you, probably.

[Shakari]

Fruit is not as healthy as people like to think. Shit has loads of sugar.

You can always try an EC stack, or just caffeine alone.

Aye so very true ... my brother used to have fruit for 2 meals a day ... and he is now diabetic and has been told by experts that eating so much fruit as meals (to much fruit and nothing else with a meal) was very likley a major cause of him becoming diabetic, it may sound healthy but its how your body treats such a large amount of sugar.

[handsdown]

Someone said this in another board: fruit is nature's candy. Unlike candy of course, fruit offers useful nutrients, but, like candy, many of the popular types contain a high percentage of sugar (per serving or even less): peach, mango, pineapple, banana, cantaloupe, pears, oranges and a few others. As a basic rule of thumb the best time to eat these types of fruit is after a work-out or 30 minutes before a high intensity cardio session (such as HIIT). There are a few fruits which are an exception to these rules which are acceptable to throw into a breakfast meal or a mid-day snack such as raspberries and blackberries (1/2 cup or less); these lower-sugar fruits are also higher in antioxidants and phytonutrients then some of the higher sugar fruits making them a wiser choice overall. You definitely need more veggies in your meal plan (white potato doesn't count!). Starchy vegetables like sweet potato, carrots and winter squashes (i.e. butternut and acorn) should be eaten sparingly during the week (1-2 servings perhaps) and early in the day or even at breakfast since it is likely you will use the slow-releasing complex carbs during the day when you are more active. Most other veggies are fine to eat whenever, especially your greens (spinach, kale, asparagus, brussel sprouts, leeks, broccoli).

I really suggest salmon, eggs, and lean cuts of turkey for complete protein sources as well (tofu/soy products are also good if you like it). There are incomplete protein sources that are good to add to your meal plans as well which the body can transform into complete protein which paired with other types of incomplete protein sources ... can read more about this by clicking here. Just a note, a serving of legumes (usually 1/2 cup) provides high source of complex carbs; so, if you add them to your meal plan, they should eaten early on in the day. Same goes for grains (which I personally rarely eat; if i do, it is quinoa).

[Glomp]

Do some cardio after you lift weights.