What must I do?

U

underPAR

0
It's been awhile since I last posted. Brief background: I am 20 years old, 5'11", and 9 months ago I weighed 190 pounds. Since then, I've lost 40+ pounds and am around 148-151, depending on the day. I have 7.5% body fat. The one thing I've always wanted is a noticeable six pack - but I can't seem to achieve it. My build is very thin, but not very muscular - I haven't been able to stick with a weight training routine. The one thing I do a lot is RUN (I'll either do an INTENSE 35 minute HITT, or just run 5 miles in about 34 minutes). I am EXTREMELY picky about what I eat, more than anyone I know. I am currently consuming between 2500-2800 calories a day (and trust me, these are good calories). I run more than anyone I know, eat better than anyone I know, but my six pack does not show through yet. I can see it if I flex my abs really hard, but that's about it.

What must I do to get rid of this last bit of fat covering my abs? Start weight training? Eat less calories? Eat more calories? Run more? Run less? Needless to say, I'm quite confused. Someone with my body fat % should already have a six pack, in my opinion.
 
underPAR said:
It's been awhile since I last posted. Brief background: I am 20 years old, 5'11", and 9 months ago I weighed 190 pounds. Since then, I've lost 40+ pounds and am around 148-151, depending on the day. I have 7.5% body fat. The one thing I've always wanted is a noticeable six pack - but I can't seem to achieve it. My build is very thin, but not very muscular - I haven't been able to stick with a weight training routine. The one thing I do a lot is RUN (I'll either do an INTENSE 35 minute HITT, or just run 5 miles in about 34 minutes). I am EXTREMELY picky about what I eat, more than anyone I know. I am currently consuming between 2500-2800 calories a day (and trust me, these are good calories). I run more than anyone I know, eat better than anyone I know, but my six pack does not show through yet. I can see it if I flex my abs really hard, but that's about it.

What must I do to get rid of this last bit of fat covering my abs? Start weight training? Eat less calories? Eat more calories? Run more? Run less? Needless to say, I'm quite confused. Someone with my body fat % should already have a six pack, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Are you doing any ab exercises at all? You may still need to build up some mass in the ab muscle.
 
I was doing abs 3 times/week, but have really slacked off the last couple of months.

My previous ab routine was a circuit workout, and it looked something like:

1) 15 reps: slow, concentrated crunches with feet 2-4 inches off the floor
2) 15 reps: lying on back, legs extended and 2-4 inches off the floor, raise one leg to chest and return back to starting position, then repeat with other leg
3) 15 reps: lying on my side, elbow on floor, lift legs off the ground to work my obliques
4) 15 reps: push up position, lift right arm and left leg off ground and hold for 2 seconds

No rest between between those exercises, then rest about 30 seconds and repeat two more times, three sets in all.

Is this a good workout for me to start doing again, or do you have any better ab workouts?

I think you may be right about my abs not being strong enough. I heard something that poorly conditioned abs won't pop from even the leanest physiques. That sounds like me.
 
Doing ab exercises doesn't make the abs show. A low body fat does that.

What method did you use to to ascertain you're 7.5%?
 
^

Athlete's Performance in Tempe, AZ. They are the #1 athlete training facility in the country (I was training for golf). The first day of the session they test body fat. They used a tool and pinched my skin in like 10 different places. They said it was 8% (about 60 days ago), and it has definitely decreased a little since then.

I had always heard you had to have under 10% body fat for abs to show. So before I got it tested, I figured my body fat to be around 10-15%. But when I found out it was only 8%, I was confused. That's why I think my abs may be poorly conditioned.

EDIT: Are there any tests I can do to tell if my abs are strong or weak? Like should I be able to do a certain amount of sit ups, etc.?
 
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I just found this , and it looks really interesting.

I'm looking for an increase in muscle mass while getting rid of that last little bit of fat. Is this a good workout for what I'm looking for?
 
underPAR said:
^

Athlete's Performance in Tempe, AZ. They are the #1 athlete training facility in the country (I was training for golf). The first day of the session they test body fat. They used a tool and pinched my skin in like 10 different places. They said it was 8% (about 60 days ago), and it has definitely decreased a little since then.

I had always heard you had to have under 10% body fat for abs to show. So before I got it tested, I figured my body fat to be around 10-15%. But when I found out it was only 8%, I was confused. That's why I think my abs may be poorly conditioned.

EDIT: Are there any tests I can do to tell if my abs are strong or weak? Like should I be able to do a certain amount of sit ups, etc.?
Click to expand...

Even if you work your abs 3 times a week, they may not be showing because you are not incorporating exercises that will hit your abs in different ways. You should be doing something with resistance to get definition in your abs. I recommend spread eagle sit ups (holding a weight plate) along with a high-rep exercise, such as the reverse crunch. Along with oblique and low back training as well of course.

You go to ASU? I'm also in Tempe, starting at ASU here in a few weeks.
 
^
Thanks for the advice.

I actually go to school in New Mexico, but my folks live in AZ.
 
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