Advice for Cut Abs, and an Overall Cut Look

[twiztedfactotum]

First time poster, here.

I found this excellent site in the midst of my fitness research, and decided to post as I've reached an impass...

I'll try to make this short... I weighed about 230 lbs. about 7 or 8 months ago now. I was really out of shape, and it showed. I stepped up my cardio with tae bo, martial arts, racquetball, and some weight training and whatever else I could get my hands on. I currently weigh about 165 lbs. Cutting most of the fat, I've decided to step up on strength training, and found this site.

Here's my question: I already have muscle, just not the definition I'm looking for. Specifically, in my abs. I still have a layer of fat covering my lower abs. My top part isn't cut, but defined, and I think I look muscluar. I'm just looking for a more cut look than what I currently have. Should I focus on strength training or cardio?

Age: 24
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Waist around belly button: 34" (I typically buy 32" or 34" pants)

I still feel like I should be in the "cardio" mode, and therefore I typically eat about 1500 calories a day. This increases to around 2000 on the weekends. I also try to take in around 157-165g of protein a day, mainly consisting of whey (post strength or cardio workout) and some chicken, and soy milk. I started the 5x5 Beginner's Strength Training a little over a month ago now. I currently do all the excercises with 80 lbs with some ab training at the end of the workout. I can feel myself becoming stronger, but see the fat still covering up the muscle.

I feel like I've talked enough, let's start with that. Thanks ahead of time for your opinions.

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[brett_needs_strength]

well youre obviously makin great progress as is, i just think you need to eat more calories. Mehdi just made a great post about eating right, so be sure to check that out to get your diet in place. As long as you keep addin weight with the strength training and are doin a reasonable amount of cardio, once the nutrition is locked in you should be set. keep it up

[Russ89]

Rightee, welcome...

• Firstly, you're not eating enough.


• Secondly, cardio 3 times a week, at roughly 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, that will shift the fat.


• People are gonna reply to this bigging up the SL5x5 and saying you'll lose fat through the routine... But I know what I am talking about. The routine will shift fat, but nothing compared to decent cardio.


• HIIT is also a good way of cardio training, I'm sure you're aware of it already, but if you not then Google is your friend.


• Eat more food and your body will be more inclined to shift the fat.


• Eat every 3 hours to speed up your metabolic rate.


• Remember you can't spot reduce fat [can't choose where to lose it] so be patient.


• Oh and drink plenty of water


• There are many supplements on the market to help speed up fat reduction [AAKG, Taurine, also EFAs like Flax and omegas.]

Hope that helps a little!
Russ.

[mutt]

Have you considered going on the anabolic diet?

[KIB]

Maybe it's my natural pre-disposition in terms of physique, but I've always seen good progress on the abs with just lots of plain, boring old sit-ups. I'm currently doing 3x20 with a 5kg weight held on my chest on the incline bench along with 3x15 straight-leg crunches holding a 6kg medicine ball between my feet. Do that three of four times a week and you'll see some changes.
Big congratulations on the work already done, though. That's a great change, man. Enjoy it!

[Tony]

If you are 5'6 and your waist is 34", that seems a little off.  I am 6', and a few months back when I was ripped up, my waist was about a 29, and I weighed 165.  Weight is deceiving because I looked really big.  I know Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky's was around a 28 or 29" waist, and a lot of boxers up to 175 have the same waist.  I did it by ridiculously reducing calories.  I drank energy drinks which curbed my appetite and was really eating nothing.  Veins were popping out all over, and there was absolutely no fat on my lower abs.  You could see my hips bones.  I got the idea here: http://sylvesterstallone.com/Exercise.html.  This is not a good idea for the long term.  The best way to do it is frequent balanced small meals, lifting, sleep and running.  It takes time, but it works. 
 
ps. soy milk is poison, see here:
http://roex.com/healthy_reads2.html

[Mehdi]

No soy anymore, more eating, get stronger, eat healthy, persist. Ab training is not important, getting squat up is important. First goal 1x body-weigth squat, next goal 1.5x body-weigth squat.

[Kyle]

Rightee, welcome...

• Firstly, you're not eating enough.


• Secondly, cardio 3 times a week, at roughly 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, that will shift the fat.


• People are gonna reply to this bigging up the SL5x5 and saying you'll lose fat through the routine... But I know what I am talking about. The routine will shift fat, but nothing compared to decent cardio.


• HIIT is also a good way of cardio training, I'm sure you're aware of it already, but if you not then Google is your friend.


• Eat more food and your body will be more inclined to shift the fat.


• Eat every 3 hours to speed up your metabolic rate.


• Remember you can't spot reduce fat [can't choose where to lose it] so be patient.


• Oh and drink plenty of water


• There are many supplements on the market to help speed up fat reduction [AAKG, Taurine, also EFAs like Flax and omegas.]

Hope that helps a little!
Russ.

No soy anymore, more eating, get stronger, eat healthy, persist. Ab training is not important, getting squat up is important. First goal 1x body-weigth squat, next goal 1.5x body-weigth squat.

Totally agree.  Ab look is mainly genetic, so dont worry about it.

[paul]

mehdi, surprised you werent mad about the bodybuilding haha 

[honcho84]

I don't think anyone gets mad in reguards to the bodybuilding threads...they do get a bit, how do I say...annoying on a strength forum where the basic philosphy is that if one focuses on the squat, bench, deadlift, ohp, bor, chins, dips, powercleans ect.  they will get stronger, bigger muscles, burn more fat and so forth.  The blog is full of amazingly basic straight foward information if people take the time to read it.  many of the new threads and questions have been repeated 3 or 4 times in the last month alone.  The search function and READING the past posts is a great resourse if utilized.
/rant over

[Rugger]

First off, VERY nicely done on losing that much weight! I don't care what anyone says, that takes willpower, and you are definitely on the right track. I don't have anything to add in regards to nutrition or training advice that hasn't been mentioned already, but I can relate to you my own experience with SL.
When I started I was roughly the same wieght at you are now, and at around 15% bodyfat, with ZERO definition on my abs, and ZERO problem with this as I was training to gain weight and get stronger for sports. Now I'm 15 lbs heavier, have defined obliques and upper abs, and I've been following the program exactly. We aren't kidding about the squat being the king of exercises, it will work everything below the bar.

[muecke]

I don't get your soy phobia, Mehdi. As long as soy istn't your sole protein source everything should be alright. The decreasing testosterone theory istn't up-to-date anymore.
e.g. Effect of protein source and resistance training on body composition and sex hormones (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articl ... id=1997115)
 

[Gee]

Secondly, cardio 3 times a week, at roughly 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, that will shift the fat
Will this effect muscle gain and recovery?
What are the best days to do cardio if you workout Mon, Wed, Fri?

drank energy drinks which curbed my appetite and was really eating nothing.  Veins were popping out all over, and there was absolutely no fat on my lower abs.  You could see my hips bones.
I take it this was when you were not strenth training? How can muscle be built without the calories/food?

[Mehdi]

I don't get your soy phobia, Mehdi. As long as soy istn't your sole protein source everything should be alright. The decreasing testosterone theory istn't up-to-date anymore.
e.g. Effect of protein source and resistance training on body composition and sex hormones (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articl ... id=1997115) 

I'd like to see the same study that compares soy to a red meat diet. Even if you don't believe the testosterone story, there's still the food allergy story. Soy is one of the foods people have the most food allergies to.
If you like it, use it. I know I'm not missing anything by not eating soy and I don't have problems eating/killing animals.

[Russ89]

@ Gee
Nope, the cardio will not effect your muscle gain or recovery. Cardio should be on on either A) After workouts or B) On non-training days. Just see when you can fit it in.
Some have found cardio in the morning works best for them, but everyone is different.