abs!

[FierySquidFace]

Hello again everyone. I have a question for you guys.

First off, I'm a small guy. 5'10, 140 lbs. I'm pretty thin, though muscular, but I have a bit of a belly. I lift weights regularly, do alot of ab excersises, and eat pretty healthy, but I can't seem to lose this belly! I don't want to lose a lot of weight, but do want to have flat, muscular abs that are proportionate to the rest of my body.

Any helpfull advise for me?

[Cliff Hargrave]

There is no easy answer. Lower body fat and train them with weights. If you are not the kind of person that naturally walks around with six pack abs, it will take a lot of effort to get there and even more to stay there. I hope to see mine one day

[Tonersensei]

Austin,

At 5'10" and 140 lbs, it doesn't sound like you have a body fat issue. What may be causing the belly is accumulated crud in the lower intestine. Most North Americans carry around a lot of undigested meat and so forth (I'm NOT a vegetarian) in the gut. This causes the bulge you see in otherwise healthy looking people. There are some herbal remedies for this or you could look at colonic cleansing treatments. Just a thought.

David

[Cliff Hargrave]

I hope you don't take offense but that is 100% wrong.

Most people don't carry around undigested anything. Speak to anyone in the medical profession.

[Nick L.]

Keep in mind that even most people who walk around at 8% body fat don't have abs popping out. Most of the guys you see with abs a' poppin have just gone through a very uncomfortable weight cut and dehydration process. That look does come naturally to some people. If you are 140lbs at 5' 10" and you can't count a dozen different veins in your right forearm, chances are you need to work on adding some muscle. I suggest lifting heavier and trying to pack on some strength.

[Tonersensei]

No, I don't take offense... It was a Naturopathic Dr. who told me that though.... Maybe he's full of undigested crap!

[TonyU]

Maybe he's full of undigested crap!

[Cliff Hargrave]

No, I don't take offense... It was a Naturopathic Dr. who told me that though.... Maybe he's full of undigested crap!

Might be because they are not actually doctors too.

http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...turopathy.html

But seriously, abs are muscles, so if you want them to look good you have to treat them like the rest of your muscles. People don't do 500 light reps of bench press and expect their chest to be sculpted, they do less reps with heavier weight. But then they turn around and 500 crunches or sit ups and wonder why they don't have a six pack.

Also, just because someone is slim looking, it doesn't mean their body fat percentage is low enough to allow their abs to show, or that their core muscles are developed properly.

[Jay Bell]

Might be because they are not actually doctors too.

True...keep in mind that N.D.'s have an academic degree, *not* a medical degree. Out of the several N.D.'s that I've worked with in the past, I know of one that was worth her rear-end, and she was fantastic. The rest would just chant psycho-babble with little to no results.

Misdiagnosis is huge in that community...as well as habits that step greatly outside of what one would see as ethics in the medical community. Their hearts tend to be in the right place, but their knowledge and their witch-doctor bandwagon approach just goes too far.

And, imo, there should be a quackwatch quackwatch. I hate those gits.

[FierySquidFace]

If you are 140lbs at 5' 10" and you can't count a dozen different veins in your right forearm, chances are you need to work on adding some muscle.

Actually, there are many visable veins in my forearms. Maybe not a dozen, but... well, let's see: I count 8 without flexing (right arm). Hmmm... might need some more work there. Though I have been lifting more, and do core conditioning regularly.

I know it's probably a matter of preferance, but which seems to be better: barbell or dumbells?

And how can I incorporate weights into my ab workouts for visable results? Medicine ball routines maybe? I'm pretty new to all this healthy excercise stuff...

[TonyU]

I know it's probably a matter of preferance, but which seems to be better: barbell or dumbells?

A combination of both.

And how can I incorporate weights into my ab workouts for visable results? Medicine ball routines maybe? I'm pretty new to all this healthy excercise stuff...

Medicine ball work so do weight plates and dumbbells. I use a combination of both dumbbells and weight plates.
Keep in mind though don't just work the abs one dimensional. You need to work the core with means your obliques and back muscles as well.

As you're new at this I would recommend asking jwinch for help in possibly contacting someone in your area to get you started correctly.

[Nick L.]

A second to what Tony said. Also, Jason Winchester is our resident PhD on these matters, anything he says will override my little opinion.

But since you replied to my post and I do spend way to much time in the gym, here you go. I like to start off with a barbell workout and finish off with dumbbells or kettle bells, they all have their place. Exercises like a military press, squat, deadlift, incline/decline bench and triceps press will work your core in the process, so will many others. I am not too big an the whole working your abs until you die thing. Crunches, leg lift and twist, russian twist and the little wheel you hold onto and extend yourself out and back are about as far as I go. But then again I do allot of grappling and get a good core workout that way. From what you have said, you might want to start concentrating on the "big four" and eating right (steak and eggs, eggs and steak, milk, broccoli). The abs will come with time.

FYI, Big Four= Squats, dead lift, bench, military press and then more squats.......

[FierySquidFace]

Cool. Thanx to all.

[Jeff C.]

Austin, is your goal to improve the appearance of your abs, or to increase your core strength and endurance?

Jeff Cook

[FierySquidFace]

Both. Really, functional strength is more important to me, but I wouldn't mind improving my outward apperance either...

[victorykarate]

Get your bodyfat percentage checked. If it is very low, then start working on building your ab muscles just like any other muscle. You can do something like crunches with light weight. I would recommend very slow contractions (3-5 seconds up, 3-5 seconds down).

[TonyU]

victorykarate,
The rules require that you have your real full name in your profile. Please correct this. Your account will be suspended until you do so.
Thank you.