Crunches & Weight Loss

Hey Guys, I've just decided today that I want to get them nice sleek and flat six pack abs. I've started doing reps of 30 with around 5 sets a day today, and continuing on. What I'm wondering is though, I have a very little bit of fat on my stomach. Like I said, I want FLAT abs. Will my abs be sticking out a bit like my stomach, or will it flatten as I go on with my crunch exercises? Images below.

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Hey Guys, I've just decided today that I want to get them nice sleek and flat six pack abs.


“The strongest single factor in prosperity consciousness is self-esteem: believing you can do it, believing you deserve it, believing you will get it”

(Jerry Gillies)

When developing a a diet and fitness goal, one has to: 1. Take their current body composition and current level of fitness--as a whole into consideration, 2. Take time to learn the applicable knowledge and techniques than can lead to this goal, and 3. Consistantly apply, adapt, and keep "perceptions optimal" to knowledge and techniques learned. Of the three units listed, the 3rd is the most difficult, the most important, and the very one, that will fail most persons through suboptimal choice vs perception application: The mind can be a friend and/or foe, in either case you are in control of variances in the equation.


Most, not all, that "want" the coveted ab core to show focus on this body part without understanding its TRUE role and function within the body. And, pursue methods of application that can be suboptimal to their goal. The body is designed to work as one unit, and failing to realize this very thing can bring much despair. The best approach is to view your body as one unit and apply diet and training methods with this in mind, and your goal of wanting the ab core to show will come and you will be more "balanced" and more healthy looking than one that does not, IMO.

The body (considering one healthy) grows in direct response to whether having to adjust to diet input and the type of outside stimulus applied. These will always be related, and has to be manipulated to get the goal one desires.

Within this in mind, young man, your focus should be training your entire body. I understand that your goal is to build and reveal the ab core; however, take a look at yourself "realistically" and ask youself these questions:

1. Does my upper body need development?
2. Does my lower body need development? (Legs, calves)
3. Considering age, are you still in "overall" development?
4. Have some body fat, but not alot

If the answer is yes to the first 1 and 2, with 3 not applicable, then going strictly with a deficit diet, and just doing ab core exercises (and nothing else), will a suboptimal approach. You will look unhealthy thin with a subpar ab core. Here is the reason: 1. The body has no reason to tell itself to hold on to (and build muscle--for those new to weight training gains), 2. Your loss in the muscle vs. fat loss will be at an equation you DO NOT WANT.

In this scenario, the deficit diet is the strict killer because the body is being forced to use more muscle tissue (than it otherwise would) and fat tissue to feed on itself. Since your upper body needed development, it will need more when your done and you could look even worse within the upper body than you did when you started. The same for your lower body as well. There is absolutely no reason to hold on to and/or stimulate growth and every reason to canabolize itself while you bang away at your abs thinking your are doing yourself justice. You will be creating imbalances and setting yourself up for some bodily issues, possibly.

Currently, I think that 1, 2, and 4, are applicable to your situation. I dont know about number 3 (I dont know your age). To me its obvious what you need to do.

However, we need to know what sort of equipment you have your disposal to work with in order to give you better information on how to go about your "over all" routine and diet. Notwithstanding this information, you need to develop a "full body" routine--however--modified to your situation.

You need to really GRASP the importance of the almighty calorie (the Diet) and the importance of outside stimulation (weight training, fitness training) in relation to your goal, and seek all the knowledge you can, and then seek knowledge on how to keep yourself consistant in its application.


Go here and read on some basic and fundamental information:

Weight Training 101

Mreik-per-your-request-nutritional Mreik per your request, Nutritional sticky

Weight Training Technical Articles

How to get abs guide


Go here for some thoughts on the mental side:

Weight Loss Intricate


[The ChillOut Log by Chillen
(allot of pages to go through, but there IS good information that may help you if you take the time to seek it)

If you need ANYTHING let me know, I will try to help you all I possibly can.

====================================================

Come back post what you have available to work with, and we can see what we can do to help YOU assist YOURSELF in setting up a diet and training routine.

I am here to help you in any way I can to "assist" you in your personal success and so are many other persons on this forum. You have come to the right place to seek help and advice.

You are what you think. You are what you go for. You are what you do.----You have in you to do anything you desire! ROCK ON!


I wish you the best in all that you in life and in fitness,

ROCK ON! :)


Chillen
 
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I would guess your body fat is in the higher teens. You generally need to get to about 10% body fat for them to be exposed. You can do the math and see how much fat you have to lose before you can see your abs. Unlike other muscles like biceps, triceps, quads, etc., abs will not stick out unless there is minimal fat to expose them. Chillen, at 46, has unbelievable abs and I think his bf is around 8%.

...and remember, "I before E except after C"
 
I'm 15 and have two fifteen pound dumbbells and sadly that is all.

I'm sorry guys, but nobody really answered my question.

JewelTheif said:
Like I said, I want FLAT abs. Will my abs be sticking out a bit like my stomach, or will it flatten as I go on with my crunch exercises? Images below.

Thanks! =]
 
I'm sorry guys, but nobody really answered my question.

Your question was not answered, no, but your query was. You're just not reading between the lines. Or at all, from what I can tell.

Your question cannot be answered truthfully because it is subject to the logical fallacy often referred to as the false dilemma.

This line of "reasoning" is fallacious because if both claims could be false, then it cannot be inferred that one is true because the other is false. That this is the case is made clear by the following example:

1. Either 1+1=4 or 1+1=12.
2. It is not the case that 1+1=4.
3. Therefore 1+1=12.

Try re-reading the previous comments. Or, any of the multitude of stickies available on the subject. Or, the following: there is no such thing as spot reduction of fat; Crunches have nothing whatsoever to do with having a "flat" stomach; lose weight.
 
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Crunches have nothing whatsoever to do with having a "flat" stomach;


lose weight.


However, if this person wants to reach their goal of having " nice sleek and flat six pack abs " some form of abdominal exercises ( like crunches ) - in addition to fat loss - would be required wouldn't it ?
 
However, if this person wants to reach their goal of having " nice sleek and flat six pack abs " some form of abdominal exercises ( like crunches ) - in addition to fat loss - would be required wouldn't it ?

Perhaps, in some cases, to an extent. But then again, that's not what "required" means. What I said was in criticism of the OP's question. Obviously if you take it out of that context, it can look a little silly. Having said that, I know a number of people who have never done any direct ab work and have washboard abs, but that's neither here nor there. The point is that it's more a function of the quantity of fat concealing them (and to a lesser extent, imo, genetics) than how much you work them out.

Yeah, I was snarky, and maybe exaggerated a little. The OP asked an unanswerable question and then complained that 'no one had answered it' , when in truth he received several solid replies. Sue me. :p
 
Give this site a try! REMOVED LINK

You are not spamming this respected site are you? You have a few posts, and most refer back to the same site your promoting in your sig line. Don't make me sick Malkore on you, LOL. He doesnt mess around. :)
 
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No not trying to spam just letting you know of a great site that has helped transform me and my abs. I will be glad to not add a link. I hate it that good sites cannot be promoted but I guess that is your guidelines. Have a good one.
 
Have a good one.

Oh....he'll have a good one alright. Young man, you're talkin' to Chillen, and not only will he have a good one, he'll have an even better one tomorrow, and the next day an even better one!

Have a good one 101

Oh yeah, I'm having a good one baby

If you believe you'll have a good one, you will

You want the truth? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH...but have a good one just the same!

If you want to have a good one, you can...but you have to truly believe you deserve a good one. Who's to say what a good one is? To truly define a good one you need to contrast and compare the goodness and intensity level. All things remaining equal the trilateral congregation of all things relative is only parallel to the perpendicular substance of the array of that which remains equal.

You can't have your pudding if you don't eat your meat, how can you have your meat if you don't eat your pudding. In, get in.
 
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