how to get a toned ab?

eurotrotter

i have been trying ab crunch machine, chin ups, press ups.
this is everything i have tried. can you please tell me or educate me on how to get ta toned ab. it is circular at the moment - it has shape-however i want it properly toned
thanks for your help
ed

walt0r

I had a toned ab once but somebody stole it in the gym. I left it down for a second while I filled my glass of water and when I turned around again it was gone.

walt0r

Then I decide to start doing lots of cardiovascular work like running and biking in the morning before my day began. Along with ab workouts in the gym like weighed crunches, incline crunches, hanging leg raises etc. and before I knew it I went from losing my one and only ab to have at least 6!!!

justsomebloke

i think what walt0r is trying to say is that is doesn't matter how good your ab muscles are once they are surrounded by fat that is all you are going to see. So the most important thing in getting a good 6 pack is by getting your diet in order as you are going to have to get your body fat % down in the low teens to be able to see your abs

walt0r

Couldn't have said it better myself. Well, that's obvious I guess.

shewolf

best things is to run at least three times a week, also try gettin urself a skipping rope and skip fast with high knees, i find this is workin well at the moment. sit ups and that build the muscle, ya need to do these kinda exercises to burn off the fat around it

madmurdock

It is NOT possible to tone a muscle,

Abs are made in the kitchen, your diet HAS to be spot on in order to obtain a 6 pack, doesn't matter what exercises you perform, I guarantee you already have a perfect sixer under the layer of fat around your stomach, it's all about reducing your body fat so low that they become visible,

DIET DIET DIET

flywheel

wondering why everyone always focuses only on diet, surely as the abs are a muscle group working them hard is also a key factor to building size (and thus shape / tone). i'd have a low enough bf % and a decent enough diet, still not happy with the shape / tone of mine though... which sounded to me what the OP was asking...

to the OP perhaps check out a book, i got this one Complete Book of Abs or look for recommendations of other books / sites with specific exercises you may not have tried before to see if you can make any progress...

Dragan

DubWireless wrote:

wondering why everyone always focuses only on diet, surely as the abs are a muscle group working them hard is also a key factor to building size (and thus shape / tone). i'd have a low enough bf % and a decent enough diet, still not happy with the shape / tone of mine though... which sounded to me what the OP was asking...

it is because this is the area where most people are really lacking....if your at a point where you can genuinely worry about having abs then chances are you are already working them to a point.

Personally i would say that things like Push Press, Deads, Squats, Tricep Pushdowns done good and heavy all add to the abs as well. If your doing a Farmers or a Waiters walk and not feeling it in the abs then your not doing them heavy enough.

To be honest, the last time i had a visible six pack i did 3 sets of 20 crunches every second day, very slow and very controlled. That was all the direct work that i did for them and yet i had abs that you could wash your collar on.

madmurdock

Dragan wrote:

it is because this is the area where most people are really lacking....if your at a point where you can genuinely worry about having abs then chances are you are already working them to a point.

Personally i would say that things like Push Press, Deads, Squats, Tricep Pushdowns done good and heavy all add to the abs as well. If your doing a Farmers or a Waiters walk and not feeling it in the abs then your not doing them heavy enough.

To be honest, the last time i had a visible six pack i did 3 sets of 20 crunches every second day, very slow and very controlled. That was all the direct work that i did for them and yet i had abs that you could wash your collar on.

Exactly Dragan!

Dubwireless - I wasn't saying this is the only area you should concentrate on but as dragan as said if you're at the stage where you're wondering why your abs aren't showing then you've obviously been working out for a certain period of time, alot of exercises will hit your abs and to be honest they don't really require much work,

If you're looking for a book to read check out "the abs diet", you should be able to pick it up in easons handy enough,

and it really is all about your diet!

flywheel

Dragan wrote:

it is because this is the area where most people are really lacking...

"most people", apart from the OP who said they could see their's already...

Dragan wrote:

if your at a point where you can genuinely worry about having abs then chances are you are already working them to a point.

prob why the OP came on here looking for advice on getting past that point to one where they were toned to their satisfaction

Dragan wrote:

Personally i would say that things like...

thinks that is what they were after... info about exercise etc... good to see someone reading the question (although after it was pointed out )

Dragan

TO be honest, from the original post, i took the impression that as he could a "rounded" stomach, but is obviously not fat, his abs are already developed and further dedication to a strict diet and the proper cardio would bring about his results.

Thats just me though.

abetarrush

madmurdock wrote:

It is NOT possible to tone a muscle,

Abs are made in the kitchen, your diet HAS to be spot on in order to obtain a 6 pack, doesn't matter what exercises you perform, I guarantee you already have a perfect sixer under the layer of fat around your stomach, it's all about reducing your body fat so low that they become visible,

DIET DIET DIET

Thats bull****

Of course u can tone a muscle, but toning a muscle and havin ripped muscles is a different thing

flywheel

madmurdock wrote:

If you're looking for a book to read check out "the abs diet", you should be able to pick it up in easons handy enough

yeah, have browsed through that... it does have chapters dedicated to exercises too...

madmurdock wrote:

and it really is all about your diet!

well... no it isn't!

Dragan

abetarrush wrote:

Thats bull****

Of course u can tone a muscle, but toning a muscle and havin ripped muscles is a different thing

Sorry to disagree, but "tone" is a rubbish word, put around by PT's and cardio junkies.

You can work out a muscle, you can train and develop it and it will grow to be a certain shape, size etc depending on your genetic inclination.

Your bodyfat % has no bearing on the shape and structure of your muscles, it only means that the shape and structure are more visible.

Me now at my current BF and me getting down to 6% makes no difference to my muscles, just a difference to "peoples perception of how toned i am".

My muscles are what they are and always will be. Striations, deep cuts and seperations all come from working the muscle for a long time, gaining a degree of muscle maturity and then having a low enough BF to show off the muscular development you have attained.

"Toned" is a marketing word. Thats about it.

Lift right, eat right, do your cardio right and "tone" will come.

It's really that simple.

layke

When you work out your body converts fat to muscle, no?

I assume this is the case with your abs as well?

Dragan

layke wrote:

When you work out your body converts fat to muscle, no?

I assume this is the case with your abs as well?

Nope, not at all. They body has no way to "convert" fat to muscle.

Fat must be lost, muscle must be built.

madmurdock

Dubwireless - I understand what you're saying that isn't ALL about diet but it's 90% of obtaining a 6 pack, you can train train train, do 500 sit ups a day and if your diet is wrong you'll never EVER see your abs,

Abetarrush - I'm sorry to say but you're wrong, as dragan said it's a marketing word and you'd be surprised the amount of people who think it's possible to "tone" a muscle,

madmurdock

layke wrote:

When you work out your body converts fat to muscle, no?

I assume this is the case with your abs as well?

Of course not! you CANNOT turn fat into muscle

justsomebloke

layke wrote:

When you work out your body converts fat to muscle, no?

your right, no it doesn't. Fat can't be turned into muscle

Sangre

About this time last year I started seeing a 6 pack, if I stretched the stomach flat it was clearly defined. This happened without any activity trying to target the stomach. It was only becoming visible because my bf% had dropped. All it involved was a good diet and cardio....then I went on a j1! Oops.

abetarrush

Dragan wrote:

Nope, not at all. They body has no way to "convert" fat to muscle.

Fat must be lost, muscle must be built.

Exactly, and the term we use for building muscle is "tone"

madmurdock:

I still havent a clue what your on about

I go to the gym, I do cardio and weights, and my muscles are gettin bigger, thats wha I call "toning" my muscles
and i never changed my diet, so, what are u on abt? im really confused

Dragan

abetarrush wrote:

Exactly, and the term we use for building muscle is "tone"

madmurdock:

I still havent a clue what your on about

I go to the gym, I do cardio and weights, and my muscles are gettin bigger, thats wha I call "toning" my muscles
and i never changed my diet, so, what are u on abt? im really confused

Maybe your diet was already good, or maybe your diet is terrible and you have a mega fast metabolism.

Either way, most people don't call building muscle "tone" , they call it "building muscle" , for most people who use the term "tone" they mean that they want to "build muscle and lose bodyfat" , they will then normally follow this with some kind of statement like "but i don't want to get too big."

There is just a general mis understanding as to what is happening, or what it is that they are trying to do with there bodies.

I imagine that since you started in the gym you have added lean mass and lost adipose ( bodyfat ), hence the more obvious shape of the muscle and the improved definition.

The reason people sometimes react badly to the word "tone" is that it doesn't mean anything, doesn't really help anyone or tell anyone what they need to do....but man will it sell products!!!!

If someone walked into a gym, i feel it would be better that everything was explained to them, the aim to build muscle, the aim to lose body fat and how to do both, not just agree with them about "toning" to get them onto a threadmill and out of the way.

I would just associate use of the word "tone" with a lack of understanding as to what exactly is happening with the trainee, and without that basical knowledge and being in tune with your body there is only so much you can do.

In my opinion.

madmurdock

Couldn't have put it better myself

flywheel

Dragan wrote:

The reason people sometimes react badly to the word "tone" is that it doesn't mean anything

well... it does mean something:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_tone

abetarrush

I think people just have different understandings, like slang

When I say I tone my muscles, I mean i work out to make them bigger, and more tense at rest



Ok, im a retard, im still confused, so jus gna go the gym :P

to BUILD my msucles

t-ha

abetarrush wrote:

Exactly, and the term we use for building muscle is "tone"

The term who uses? I call it muscle growth. "Tone" as most people think of it (as in those models for ab-flex machines and so on) is an end product of having well developed muscle, a low amount of subcutaneous body fat, good firm skin and low subcutaneous water retention. The only way I can think of that you could actually improve the 'tone' of a muscle through weight-training would be by using near maximal loads when weight lifting to increase myogenic tone (muscle density).

To the OP, it sounds like you're working out from home so I'll give you a good exercise now. To everyone who has a gym membership, if you have a low bodyfat and can't see your abs then hit the free-weights.

OP: pick up a chin-up bar from argos which you can put in a doorway (or maybe you have one if you were doing chins). Set it up so that when you lie down in front of the doorway in a normal sit-up position, the backs of your calves rest against the bar. Now when you go to do the sit up, pull against the bar with your calves, using your butt and the backs of your legs to do it (this is to stop your hip-flexors from working) as you do the sit-up. If your doing it right you should have problems doing more than a couple of them.

If your carrying bodyfat around your mid-section you'll need to lose it so review the stickies on diet. If not, then a little work like this should bring them up pretty quickly. If I'm reading you wrong and you DO have access to heavy weights/stuff then just lift that and the abs will come along by themselves.

flywheel

t-ha wrote:

To everyone who has a gym membership, if you have a low bodyfat and can't see your abs then hit the free-weights.

they can be seen, but (as what i took from the OPs question who could see them too) wanted more development / definition (or tone! :eek:) ... the book i linked to has loads of exercises which should hopefully help out

t-ha

DubWireless wrote:

they can be seen, but (as what i took from the OPs question who could see them too) wanted more development / definition (or tone! :eek:)

Like Lee Priest?


His ab workout: *tumble-weed floats silently by*

that means he doesn't have one BTW

flywheel

would not be in any way interested (or i expect practically capable) in getting that big ... so not really a solution for me?

justsomebloke

that wasn't t-ha's point. His point was that to get the toned muscular look ab section that th OP is looking for he doesn't have to be any major ab workout as if he has a good free weights plan his core is going to be worked anyway giving the ab look the OP is looking for

t-ha

DubWireless wrote:

would not be in any way interested (or i expect practically capable) in getting that big ... so not really a solution for me?

well I was really referring you more to his abs - and then pointing out that he does no ab specific training. His overall size is irrelevant.

Anyway it makes no odds, if people want to do direct training on their abs I have no problem with it - but there is a common misperception out there that you need to do countless crunches and sit-ups to get abdominals when they can be perfectly well developed by stabilising your trunk during other lifts. Also, a low enough bodyfat is essential to having a six-pack. For many people who seek a six-pack but don't have one, the answer is to assess their diet.

flywheel

jsb wrote:

that wasn't t-ha's point...

nah... didn't read that as his point

flywheel

t-ha wrote:

well I was really referring you more to his abs - and then pointing out that he does no ab specific training. His overall size is irrelevant.

ok so there is no correlation to the fact that as he is massive, lifting large weights would work his core enough he doesn't need to do specific ab exercises? i mean being that big i take it he lifts a lot, i don't so that's why i didn't think that solution would work for me

t-ha wrote:

Anyway it makes no odds, if people want to do direct training on their abs I have no problem with it - but there is a common misperception out there that you need to do countless crunches and sit-ups to get abdominals when they can be perfectly well developed by stabilising your trunk during other lifts. Also, a low enough bodyfat is essential to having a six-pack. For many people who seek a six-pack but don't have one, the answer is to assess their diet.

think we covered the "many people" thing earlier... the OP was (as i understood) looking to improve the definition (or tone :eek:) of his existing abs - well i am anyhow hence my interest in the topic

thanks for the input t-ha, only you and Dragan gave any more indepth info than watch your diet, i'll stick to that book and see how i fair after a couple of weeks (and yes i'll be paying attention to the diet before that get's mentioned again)

Idbatterim

heys guys, looking for some advice, i am another one looking to get toned, i am 6 foot in height and weigh 75 kilos. Have a little more body fat than i would like particularly around tummy area . Started proper routine in the gym about 3 weeks ago, however have been using the gym for several months frequenting on average 2/3 times per week. So i want to lose bodyfat and gain muscle, so the only things thats going to get rid of the fat for me is cardio? doing weights wont burn the fat and turn it into muscle? i dont want to lose weight just body fat and replace weight with muscle. should i be taking proteins shake, if yeah how often and how much? i go to gym every second day... thaks for help

amazingemmet

My advice to you is to not worry about getting toned til you hit 100-105kg so when you lean out you'll look like you got some serious muscle and not look like some anerexic metrosexual. So eat good food like a b@stard, lift weights and do a bit of cardio.

jester77

Idbatterim wrote:

heys guys, looking for some advice, i am another one looking to get toned, i am 6 foot in height and weigh 75 kilos. Have a little more body fat than i would like particularly around tummy area . Started proper routine in the gym about 3 weeks ago, however have been using the gym for several months frequenting on average 2/3 times per week. So i want to lose bodyfat and gain muscle, so the only things thats going to get rid of the fat for me is cardio? doing weights wont burn the fat and turn it into muscle? i dont want to lose weight just body fat and replace weight with muscle. should i be taking proteins shake, if yeah how often and how much? i go to gym every second day... thaks for help

75kg is way too light for your height. You should really hit the weights really hard and get plenty of protein into your diet. A good heavy weights program with a 4 day split (I like Max-OT but there are other good ones) with some light cardio will add mass and at the same time will reduce your BF. You would look like a skeleton if you just dropped BF. The more muscle you have the more fat you will burn, so yes definetly do weights. 80 - 85 kg would be a decent weight without looking anyway big. Oh and of course diet needs to be spot on.

justsomebloke

Idbatterim wrote:

So i want to lose bodyfat and gain muscle, so the only things thats going to get rid of the fat for me is cardio? doing weights wont burn the fat and turn it into muscle?

ok just a couple of points on this one, one you can't turn the fat into muscle, i think jesus did it once, but hell that party animal was always doing crazy sh1t like that, like his turning water into wine trick, man i miss that dude:D .
anyway doing weights will actually help get rid of soem of that fat on you as it takes more energy to sustain muscle so as long as you are lifting big and eating well teh weights would actually benefit you with the weight loss. That said now do some cardio aswell, just make sure you aren't doing HIT training, i.e. the running for as long as you can as fast as you can, instead do some LIT exercise i.e keeping your heart rate at around 60% of max, or even better some HIIT e.g. sprint for 30 seconds then walk for 30-45 secs then sprint and so on do around 6-12 intervals. This with a good diet with help you get that "toned" look.
Oh with the protein shakes it just depends on whether you are getting enough protein into you from natural sources chances are no so it may be a help to supplement your diet with a protein shake on weight days

Dermington

I'm currently at 17% BF (6'3", 105kg's). How the hell do you get down to required levels through diet? What I mean is it sounds like major life changing diet changes to acquire that at my level.

justsomebloke

well what is your current diet and exercise plan (both cardio and weights). it mightn't be as big a change as you think.

abetarrush

My bf% is 12

I think under 10 is when ye start t notice definition, so im not far off

Dermington

jsb wrote:

well what is your current diet and exercise plan (both cardio and weights). it mightn't be as big a change as you think.

Day 1 is chest, shoulders and triceps, 35 mins fat burning 15 mins cardio.

Day 2 is legs, back and biceps, 35 mins fat burning, 15 mins cardio

Day 3 is abs, 35 mins fat burning and 15 mins cardio.

I am taking pro X protein, animal pak, glucosamine, omega 3+6+9 oils, licorice root every day.

Current diet is not stable. I just cant get what I am looking for at work besides sandwiches and salad. I need to start buying stuff on Saturdays and freezing it etc (tuna steaks, veg etc). No idea where to start though. I dont drink or smoke.

Idbatterim

you know when you look the way you want to after alot of hard work, say going to gym several times per week, good diet etc, how many times do you have to go to maintain figure, just looking for a guesstimae, like half the amount when your building or what? thanks

justsomebloke

Dermington wrote:

Current diet is not stable. I just cant get what I am looking for at work besides sandwiches and salad. I need to start buying stuff on Saturdays and freezing it etc (tuna steaks, veg etc). No idea where to start though. I dont drink or smoke.

you already know what is holding you back here and it is your diet. If you can't get what you want in work to eat, best bet is to then start bringing in your own food. Also if you are counting on getting food in work chances are that you are going quite long periods without eating and only having 3 meals a day where as you should be looking to have 5-6 meals having food every 3 hours or so.

Dermington wrote:

35 mins fat burning and 15 mins cardio

also just as a matter of interest what is the break down of this cardio, i am gathering the fat burning is LIT, however what is the other 15 mins i.e. is it just HIT that is running as fast as you can for the 15 mins

Dermington

jsb wrote:

also just as a matter of interest what is the break down of this cardio, i am gathering the fat burning is LIT, however what is the other 15 mins i.e. is it just HIT that is running as fast as you can for the 15 mins

my fat burning is low intensity, cardio is high intensity.

through experience I learned about muscles and weights etc so I adapted that side of my program accordingly because I wanted to improve on the stock program I was given, so far so good.

the fact is I know absolutely nothing about anything else so at this point in time I myself am unable to do anything but add/remove time/intensity etc. I am not a fan of cardio and fat burning because I find it boring but I realise it's utterly critical, in conjunction with diet, in order to lower BF % and increase overall health which is my eventual aim.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The whole diet thing is really pissing me off. I have the basics, ie protein carbs etc, but I lack any experience or insight into nutrition. I know I can bring food into work but the truth is I have no idea what to bring. I dont know what I can buy that is good for me. I guess I'm lacking inspiration diet wise.