Q

scree

Whats the best way to get in shape for the least ammount of money?

More interested in a 6pack that bicepts size

Micro1

I presume you can run, walk ,cycle, swim.
Last time i checked these were all free.
Getting in shape aint about money, its about putting in the time and effort.
Sit ups and crunches are easy to do and good for abs, but on there own they wont give you a 'six pack'. To get in shape you got to do cardio.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

dangerman

least amount of money? ok for free then.

First, pick a hill. A big hill.

Second, pick points on the hill that your going to run to, starting with a short distance.

Every second day, run that short distance.

The first week or two your muscles will ache like a bitch, so much so that you may miss a few goes.

After a while, you'll be able to run the short distance every second day without any trouble + minimum pain the next day.

Then, run further.

Repeat ad infinitum, throw in some bog standard sit-ups which u should do as soon as you finish your runs and you'll see gains pretty damn quickly. Perhaps go to a gym once and ask a trainer to show you how to do situps properly.

There is no other way except variants on this way. Ie, swim 3 times a week. Ie. Cycle 3 times a week etc. etc.

tunney

You in all likelyhood will never have a six pack.

Say your body fat was low.
Say you were doing 10-16 hours of cardio a week.


What would it take to get one? In terms of time and exercises a day?

dudara

Vanilla sit-ups/crunches on their own aren't enough for a six-pack. You also have to work the other set of abdominal muscles as well, perhaps by doing oblique crunches or something of that kind. Variety is the spice of life after all

Ab muscles

Corksham

Originally posted by daveirl
You in all likelyhood will never have a six pack. Not trying to get you down, but the amount of people who come on looking for that, versus the amount that achieve it is minimal.

Not a very helpful post there daveirl, don't know upon what you base the assumption "in all likelyhood".

silverside

depends on your natural body shape but to get a 6 pack its quite simple

you need

good ab muscles - can get these from situps, crunches, and oblique situps

low body fat - can get this from healthy diet & a good bit of cardio - can get this from anything really, basketball, soccer, running, whatever you are into - cutting down on beer also helps

combine these for 6 months to a year, and if you're body shape is right for you to develop a 6 pack, you will get one.

if you can find a good circuit class, do it, it helps with both of these.

I think its a bit girly to so concerned with how you look anyway - its more important to be able to score goals, run fast, whatever - Having a six pack is not going to make burdz flock to you in Ibiza - but if it makes you happy, go for it.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

tunney

The fact that they are very difficult to get without killing yourself trying to get your bodyfat down,

Ahhh but my point was what if your bodyfat was already low as a result of the training you were already doing. What would it take? 20 minutes a day of ab work?? What?

BrianD3

I've been doing weighted crunches (with a 50 kg dumbell on the top of my chest) which I think are a good exercise for increasing ab muscle mass. However, as has been stated low bodyfat is really the key to having a visible six pack.

I used to be very skinny and never did ANY exercise - no resistance training and no cardio. Also lived on a diet of burgers and chips and acted like a lazy slob. Yet I had a six pack.

Every person on the planet has abdominal muscles, they are used in twisting and stabilising the trunk etc. so every person should have some semblence of a six pack if they can get their bodyfat levels low enough. That's a big "if" though

So in answer to tunney's question - if your bodyfat is low enough, you might not need to do any ab work at all to get a six pack. Once your bodyfat is low, doing ab work may "improve" your six pack however. That's why I do the weighted crunches which I think are miles better than normal crunches. I can only do around 12 weighted crunches whereas I can do 50+ unweighed ones and I don't believe in doing 50 reps of any exercise (boring as ****, takes up too much time and is not the right way to build muscle mass from what I've read)

BrianD3

Stark

Originally posted by daveirl
The fact that they are very difficult to get without killing yourself trying to get your bodyfat down, and without having good genetics.

Instead of freaking out trying so hard to get one, you'd be far better off spending your time doing more all round training instead of fixating on a six pack

I agree with Dave, the fact is the ideal body fat percentage for a male is between 12 and 18% and to get a six pack you need to have body fat much lower than 10-12%. This can be problematic if you don't do it right. (at the moment I'm plagued by low blood sugar in my attempts to lose body fat).

Bicky

what is the easiest\cheapest way to get an accurate measurement of your body fat?

Micro1

Originally posted by Bicky
what is the easiest\cheapest way to get an accurate measurement of your body fat?

Theres a machine that looks like a weighing scales, you stand on it and it gives you your body fat, It also gives you your weight. I reckon you could pick one up in argos for less than €100.

Genghis

You could pick up such a scales for about €60-70, I think. As well as Argos, check out Boots.

You can also get a bodyfat measurement at your gym - they usally take about 10 minutes, and may be free (it is in mine, though you have to book it, and you couldn't be getting it done every week). They will use calipers and take readings from various points on your body (triceps, biceps, back, etc). This method is probably less accurate than the scales because it is reliant on the instructor knowing exactly where to measure. It can also be complicated if you want to be re-measured - two instructors can easily come up with two results based on flaws in their technique.

The best way is the underwater weighing technique. Basically you are weighed normally, and then you are weighed underwater (with empty lungs). Based on how your 'weight' changes, and possibly by measuring the displacement of water, they can accurately tell you your bf %.

Does anyone know where this can be done in Ireland? I presume places like DCU and UL where sports science courses are given can do it.

Stark

Actually the calipers are considered more accurate than the scales. There can be as much as 5% variation on the scales. The scales I have at home shows me at 11% body fat (no way), whereas in the gym I'm shown as 13.8% (sounds more like it).

uberwolf

Originally posted by Stark
I agree with Dave, the fact is the ideal body fat percentage for a male is between 12 and 18% and to get a six pack you need to have body fat much lower than 10-12%. This can be problematic if you don't do it right. (at the moment I'm plagued by low blood sugar in my attempts to lose body fat).

I've body fat of 10%. Had a 6 pack. Got a hernia, stopped training, lost 6 pack. still have body fat of 10%.

There is no one ingredient, a balanced overall toned body looks best, a balanced over all training regime will achieve that for you.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Mr E

I believe that the electronic body fat measurement (i.e. on scales) varies, depending on hydrated you are. More water in your system = lower body fat measurement. Apparently.

I go by calipers myself...