I really want a six pack. Don’t ask me why, it’s just one of them things! I’m currently 5ft 9” and 9 stone 10 lb and male. I’m not the most muscular person ever but I do have quite strong abdominal and arm muscles which i know contribute to my weight. My body fat is around 16.5% and i’ve read you need 12% maximum to have a visible six pack. I have a small layer of fat (1 inch) covering my abdominals and about 2 inches on my lower belly (pouch) and I was wondering how long it would take to get from 16.5% to 12%? I have lowered my calories by roughly 1000 aday (2500 to 1500) on a balanced diet. I do 30-60 minutes cardio each day and work my abs every second day as i know it’s easy to overwork them. Does anyone have any idea on how long this will take me? Or any suggestions on where i can improve.
Any answers are welcome!!!
Thank you!
March 15th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Actually, you will need to get your bodyfat percentage below 10% to see your entire six pack. Above that, and you might see the first ridge but definitely not the bottom two or the lower abs. You shouldn’t cut your calories so drastically because you will start to lose muscle mass as well. A deficit of 200 – 300 calories below your caloric needs is all that is required; often, you can do this by simply exercising more and raising your metabolism rather than simply cutting calories.
March 15th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
First the cardio is too long. You are doing steady state cardio. This type of cardio has been proven scientifically to keep your metabolism elevated for only the duration of the exercise. Interval training is where it’s at. It only takes 20 mins. to do. max. This type of training will keep your metabolism elevated throughout the whole day. Next…there is no way that is in stone to work the abdominals. I know some that have 6 packs from training them daily and I know others that train them every 2 days, every other day, and so forth.It is up to the individual. My advice truly is to enlist in a real boxing or kickboxing class. Why? because it works. Most fighters are lean, cut, and have strong abdominals. And guess what???They get that way without starving themselves, because they diet for performance. How long it takes depends on your metabolism, and genetics.Give the interval style cardio a shot only 3 days a week is necessary. If done right this will be enough my friend. Also remember cardio can take other forms like kickboxing, biking etc. Also general physical preparedness conditioning workouts done right will help. These type of workouts change the make up of the body without sacrificing form and strength. They also help you to recover from intense strength training workouts. Check out this website for more info http://www.rossboxing.com and http://www.bodybuilding.com