Belly - Six Pack *Help Needed*

Fr Dougal Mcguire

**If this has already been covered please delete mods**

Hi guys

Basically have a bit of a belly at the moment. by no means is it big but i want to get it flat.

Iv trawled the net and keep getting different methods to do.

Iv been doing the plank, chin ups and crunches so far... is this enough though.

Id really appreciate it if someone could give me some advice, as i really havent a clue what im doing.

K4t

Fr Dougal Mcguire wrote: »

**If this has already been covered please delete mods**

Only every second day:D

Fr Dougal Mcguire wrote: »

Hi guys

Basically have a bit of a belly at the moment. by no means is it big but i want to get it flat.

Iv trawled the net and keep getting different methods to do.

Iv been doing the plank, chin ups and crunches so far... is this enough though.

Id really appreciate it if someone could give me some advice, as i really havent a clue what im doing.

Basically, that is all well and good for strengthening your abs but it does not necessarily mean your abs will show afterwards. You may have very strong abs after a few weeks of those exercises but will still have that belly fat covering the abs. To lose this you need to do lots of cardio and core exercises, plus probably bench work. Plus of course your diet must be right. Burn more calories than you're taking in. That is vital. Info about this in sticky threads at top of page. *Not an expert here at all but that's basically the gist of it from what I've read on here and across the net*

Devia

Basically what k4t said. A good clean diet with plenty of cardio to lower your body fat percentage. Targeting weight loss with exercises such as crunches won't work by itself.

Fr Dougal Mcguire

Sorry bout that lads. Im new here, didnt know it was covered all the time.

My diet is ok (well i think it is), i dont really eat junk. I eat fruit, veg and usually have pasta for dinner or chicken and veg.

I do cardio but only for maybe half an hour in the gym and thats mostly just running on the threadmill.

When you say bench work and core work, what would the best exercises be?

Should I keep doing the plank, chin ups and crunches or is there any point unless i do more cardio work.

On a complete side note - will chin ups build up upper arm, biceps etc

Fr Dougal Mcguire

Devia wrote: »

Basically what k4t said. A good clean diet with plenty of cardio to lower your body fat percentage. Targeting weight loss with exercises such as crunches won't work by itself.

How do you find out your body fat percentage?
Id be interested to know what it is

Patdusty2010

Fr Dougal Mcguire wrote: »

How do you find out your body fat percentage?
Id be interested to know what it is

You can get it measured in the gym with a set of calipers. When people first get it measured its generally higher than they expected!!:)

Khannie

Fr Dougal Mcguire wrote: »

**If this has already been covered please delete mods**

Don't worry. It's a discussion forum. Some stuff comes up regularly (like the much desired 6 pack), but each persons situation is unique.

Transform

your diet is not great as if it was you would not have a belly you want to get rid of - post it up in detail.

Do a full body weights workout - from home if you have to. Like this (its just an example) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8OqjXdpLC0

and yes do core work but its not going to make a big diffrence unless diet is right and you are doing the other weights exercises

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTvBNEDg_oM

Westwood

would love to see your typical days diet transform!!!

MarcusFenix

Im sure body fat % is measured on the resistance of a persons body, theres a cool little scales thing in most gyms that will tell you all sorts of stuff, no lotto numbers though!:mad:

Carl Sagan

fatburner wrote: »

ever tried dieting with a drastic <snip> - sit ups barely burn any fat so I'd stick with a solid diet.

A good fat burner is lowering your calories.

Put up your diet (the more detailed the better - times, amounts etc.) and people will be along to make some changes.

Hanley

MarcusFenix wrote: »

Im sure body fat % is measured on the resistance of a persons body, theres a cool little scales thing in most gyms that will tell you all sorts of stuff, no lotto numbers though!:mad:

If you're saying one of the ways to measure it is by using those scales that send a small current thru your body and measure the differing impedance of fat, muscle, water and bone density etc, then it is a method.

It's a sh!t method because it'll throw up different results each time depending on hydration and tons of other things.

The best "easy" way to do it is just to use bodyfat calipers. They may not give a "true" bodyfat percentage, but what matters is that the trend over time is decreasing.

Dotcomdolly

Yeah, I hate my body fat scales. I like to weigh myself first thing, but of course then I am dehydrated after a night sleep so the read isn't accurate - well I hope not! :eek:
When I was seeing a p.t he did measure mine with calipers which was informative and I presume accurate.
The second half of this Tom Venuto post
has information about calipers you can use yourself at home.

Transform

Hanley wrote: »

If you're saying one of the ways to measure it is by using those scales that send a small current thru your body and measure the differing impedance of fat, muscle, water and bone density etc, then it is a method.

It's a sh!t method because it'll throw up different results each time depending on hydration and tons of other things.

The best "easy" way to do it is just to use bodyfat calipers. They may not give a "true" bodyfat percentage, but what matters is that the trend over time is decreasing.

agreed

Transform

Westwood wrote: »

would love to see your typical days diet transform!!!

why?

My diet is not going to show you anything drastic that is not shown here by tons of people every day - i am just possibly wayyy more consistent with it and more prepared than most.

Plenty of oats, nuts, seeds, berries, meat, eggs, fish, plenty of veg but no potatoes (love sweet potatoes and butternut squash) some goats cheese, plenty of butter, coconut oil, some whey protein drinks, dark chocolate and for course my flapjacks that i can basically live off (peanut butter, oats, flaxseeds, butter, honey, rasins and dried figs in them today!!).

Is that what i would recommend for others?

I have no idea as i would need to see the individual diet and what the persons goals are.

Overall most people fail to look their very best because they are not consistent with their diet (blow all progress on weekends also) and they focus on mickey mouse exercises and programs that produce very little results i.e. doing 20-30mins of 'cardio' followed by 15mins 'core' exercises on a swiss ball etc and one or two machines or a few biceps curls and bench press. This is NOT the way to go if you are looking to get in much better shape quickly.

Sorting out your diet and training really hard on the basics will get you there quicker and in less workout time.

Hanley

Transform wrote: »

i am just possibly wayyy [...] more prepared than most.

Key point, imo.

MarcusFenix

Overall most people fail to look their very best because they are not consistent with their diet (blow all progress on weekends also) and they focus on mickey mouse exercises and programs that produce very little results i.e. doing 20-30mins of 'cardio' followed by 15mins 'core' exercises on a swiss ball etc and one or two machines or a few biceps curls and bench press. This is NOT the way to go if you are looking to get in much better shape quickly.

Sorting out your diet and training really hard on the basics will get you there quicker and in less workout time.

I like the cut of your jib transform:cool:

I am overweight by about 3 stone and when I went to the gym instructor she gave me a program that was like you said really, about 30 mins of cardio then farting around on machines.

I wasn't looking to build muscle either cos its there already, I JUST WANTED TO BURN FAT! And it wasn't happening!

What would you recommend for someone who is around my weight( 3 stone overweight)? I don't mind the hard work as long as something comes of it, I spent what felt like 12 weeks hard work in the gym for NOTHING with that program! My motivation went and I gave up:mad:

I REALLY want to lose the fat but don't have a clue!

Transform

Ok if you like the cut of my jib then you wont mind me being direct -

1. You did not drop weight becuase the program was BS, you did not drop weight because you did not make the needed changes to your diet i.e. drop all the junk, alcohol etc then cut back on the carbs, low GI, plenty of protein and fats. (god i need to do a video on all that from my kitchen!)

2. The program may not have been optimal and i agree it should be better but just hit the gym and after a dynamic warm up go into a full body program with some skipping or running thrown in throughout e.g. -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjl3AfKZD18

remember this is just an example and should be changed every week.

3. Yes do some core work as i posted up earlier i the post but its the pull ups, press ups, squats, lunges etc that are going to make the difference and if you cant run then walk fast, cycle, hit the cross trainer etc just sweat!!

4. Change what you are doing or just master different things from week to week e.g. box hops and some kettlebell swings (remember the kid is 9yrs old, the mum has 3 kids yet guys and girls still go to the gym and train using methods that are just wasteful of their time (i.e. lack of proper weights, long boring cardio, no stretching, foam rolling etc) if fat loss is the PRIMARY goal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_N2OqLoRI0

5. Be consistent with your diet and training failing to do BOTH is just going to get you frustrated and nothing motivates people more than good progress.

SoulTrader

Transform wrote: »

Overall most people fail to look their very best because they are not consistent with their diet (blow all progress on weekends also) and they focus on mickey mouse exercises and programs that produce very little results i.e. doing 20-30mins of 'cardio' followed by 15mins 'core' exercises on a swiss ball etc and one or two machines or a few biceps curls and bench press. This is NOT the way to go if you are looking to get in much better shape quickly.

Hi, can you explain what you mean by cardio above, i.e. why is it in quotation marks, and why is it a mickey mouse exercise? (obviously I know what cardio means ) Are you just saying that people don't do enough cardio, or don't work hard enough when they're doing cardio?

For the past 3 - 4 weeks I've been getting up 6:15 every morning for 30 minutes of cardio, and 30 minutes of core exercises. This, together with a better diet has given me some real improvements.

MarcusFenix

Ya I could try that so, well I rarely drink and don't eat chipper food, I eat what would be regarded as a normal diet but I have a huge appetite.

Also I live well out in the country side so running is a pain in the balls cos of all the hills close to where I live.

So are you saying to vary the routine? and in between exercises do short bursts of cardio?

By a dynamic warm up do you mean a few different warm up exercises?

Im sorry for all the questions but as I said I am clueless.

Transform

SoulTrader wrote: »

Hi, can you explain what you mean by cardio above, i.e. why is it in quotation marks, and why is it a mickey mouse exercise? (obviously I know what cardio means ) Are you just saying that people don't do enough cardio, or don't work hard enough when they're doing cardio?

For the past 3 - 4 weeks I've been getting up 6:15 every morning for 30 minutes of cardio, and 30 minutes of core exercises. This, together with a better diet has given me some real improvements.

what i mean is the guys and girls in the gym doing 30mins with a magazine or paper infront of them at a really comfortable pace (yes i do think there is a time for that but not every bloody session) or the people that just plod along for 30mins at the same pace every session.

30mins doing core work would be better spent doing 30mins of SOME core work plus some press ups, squats, lunges, pull ups, etc

Anything can get results when done initally so vary it up.

SoulTrader

Transform wrote: »

what i mean is the guys and girls in the gym doing 30mins with a magazine or paper infront of them at a really comfortable pace (yes i do think there is a time for that but not every bloody session) or the people that just plod along for 30mins at the same pace every session.

30mins doing core work would be better spent doing 30mins of SOME core work plus some press ups, squats, lunges, pull ups, etc

Anything can get results when done initally so vary it up.

Thanks - that's what I thought you were getting at - people basically paying lip-service to their exercise routines, without ever breaking a sweat.

I've found that my cardio can get a bit too easy at times (using an exercise bike) so I've started going for runs some mornings instead. Other mornings I will just run up and down some steps near my house. I agree that it's much better to vary your routine, as you are also using different muscles.

Amaru KGB

Transform wrote: »

why?

my flapjacks that i can basically live off (peanut butter, oats, flaxseeds, butter, honey, rasins and dried figs in them today!!).

They sound delicious Transform, is there a recipe available or is it top secret information?

optimistic_

Sorry to go off topic, but Transform:

Whats the story with your flapjacks? Have you a link to a recipe or anything?

Much appreciated,

Opt.

d'Oracle

:pac:.....

He got the recipe from Pacman.

TommyKnocker

I believe he only discloses the recipe to folks who beat him at the Crossfit invitationals :D


M

brianthebard

MarcusFenix wrote: »

Ya I could try that so, well I rarely drink and don't eat chipper food, I eat what would be regarded as a normal diet but I have a huge appetite.

Also I live well out in the country side so running is a pain in the balls cos of all the hills close to where I live.

That's not a bad thing, it will force you to expend more energy. You can start by walking up the hill and down again, then move on to jogging up and walking down, then running up and walking down over the course of a few weeks. You can then increase the amount of runs and lower the rest periods as you get better at it.

MarcusFenix

Will do, thanks for that, I think I need people to tell me **** I already know! Funny isn't it!:rolleyes:

Transform

B-Builder wrote: »

I believe he only discloses the recipe to folks who beat him at the Crossfit invitationals :D


M

thats pretty much the rule yes.

That and direct clients that i have worked with so i can put them through their paces and they can earn them

Transform

MarcusFenix wrote: »

Will do, thanks for that, I think I need people to tell me **** I already know! Funny isn't it!:rolleyes:

everyone needs a kick in the backside once in a while to remind them of whats important and what is not worth doing

MarcusFenix

Ya, I'm always of the opinion that I need someone to advise on fitness!
Sound!

Transform

no worries and post up the progress

MarcusFenix

Will do, cheers!

Mellor

Transform wrote: »

what i mean is the guys and girls in the gym doing 30mins with a magazine or paper infront of them at a really comfortable pace (yes i do think there is a time for that but not every bloody session) or the people that just plod along for 30mins at the same pace every session.

That's one thing that irritates me in the gym big time. 45 minutes plus, low intensity steady state cardio.

I've switch back to cardio for a while, it consists of;
Warm-up,
Stretch/foamroll etc
HIIT 1 - Rower - 1min row (250m+), 1 min rest (x8)
interval weights - 50x Dead lifts @ 60% or 25 Dips or press-ups etc
HIIT 2 - Bike - 2 mins low/1 min high

After the two HIIT sessions I my legs are jelly, I'm pretty sure that those 30mins (inc rest) twice as much energy as somebody doing 30mins plus steady state

SoulTrader wrote: »

I've found that my cardio can get a bit too easy at times (using an exercise bike) so I've started going for runs some mornings instead. Other mornings I will just run up and down some steps near my house. I agree that it's much better to vary your routine, as you are also using different muscles.

Steady state is very boring. It just drags by.
Try a HIIT like above, if you do it right, as in almost max effort for the hard part, then believe me it will fly, and your minute or two rest won't last long enough

Transform

Mellor wrote: »

That's one thing that irritates me in the gym big time. 45 minutes plus, low intensity steady state cardio.

I've switch back to cardio for a while, it consists of;
Warm-up,
Stretch/foamroll etc
HIIT 1 - Rower - 1min row (250m+), 1 min rest (x8)
interval weights - 50x Dead lifts @ 60% or 25 Dips or press-ups etc
HIIT 2 - Bike - 2 mins low/1 min high

After the two HIIT sessions I my legs are jelly, I'm pretty sure that those 30mins (inc rest) twice as much energy as somebody doing 30mins plus steady state

Steady state is very boring. It just drags by.
Try a HIIT like above, if you do it right, as in almost max effort for the hard part, then believe me it will fly, and your minute or two rest won't last long enough

throw some weights into that mix and you have a perfect combo (and a metcon or two on other days).

MarcusFenix

Warm-up,
Stretch/foamroll etc
HIIT 1 - Rower - 1min row (250m+), 1 min rest (x8)
interval weights - 50x Dead lifts @ 60% or 25 Dips or press-ups etc
HIIT 2 - Bike - 2 mins low/1 min high

HIIT?????

How long do you do the bike for in total?

Would 100rpm be regarded as high for the bike?

Fr Dougal Mcguire

Transform wrote: »

your diet is not great as if it was you would not have a belly you want to get rid of - post it up in detail.

Do a full body weights workout - from home if you have to. Like this (its just an example) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8OqjXdpLC0

and yes do core work but its not going to make a big diffrence unless diet is right and you are doing the other weights exercises

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTvBNEDg_oM

Thanks for those vids transform
My diet used to be "ok", as in i ate healthy but would sometimes miss dinners or have the odd take away.

Basically my diet now for the last few weeks is

Breakfast - Weetabix with milk (sometimes throw in some banana or other fruit), brown bread toast and tea.

Around 11 o clock - Fruit salad and tea

Lunch - Brown bread sandwich with tuna, lettuce and butter, then have a banana,apple and orange.

Dinner - Usually chicken stirfry with fresh veg with brown pasta
Other nights i might have grilled chicken and veg, steak with veg, fresh fish with veg. Would nearly always have a pint of milk with my dinner.

Snack - peanut butter on ryvita or some dried fruit usually.

Id have two whey shakes aswell during the day also. one of those is straight after exercise

Transform

Fr Dougal Mcguire wrote: »

Thanks for those vids transform
My diet used to be "ok", as in i ate healthy but would sometimes miss dinners or have the odd take away.

Basically my diet now for the last few weeks is

Breakfast - Weetabix with milk (sometimes throw in some banana or other fruit), brown bread toast and tea.

Around 11 o clock - Fruit salad and tea

Lunch - Brown bread sandwich with tuna, lettuce and butter, then have a banana,apple and orange.

Dinner - Usually chicken stirfry with fresh veg with brown pasta
Other nights i might have grilled chicken and veg, steak with veg, fresh fish with veg. Would nearly always have a pint of milk with my dinner.

Snack - peanut butter on ryvita or some dried fruit usually.

Id have two whey shakes aswell during the day also. one of those is straight after exercise

i will leave it to others to have a look over your diet but overall it just needs some refining

showmetheway

hey transform

do you ever eat junk food or drink? or is thats something you have learned to live without

Transform

showmetheway wrote: »

hey transform

do you ever eat junk food or drink? or is thats something you have learned to live without

depends on what you mean as junk food?

Do i drink a beer or two at weekends - yes from time to time?

Do i eat chocolate - only 70%+ dark chocolate

Do i eat crisps, mars bars, biscuits, mcdonalds, lots of white bread, cornflakes etc - Never.

again as i have posted i am just way more consistent than most and quite possibly train harder and again more consistently than others.

Hope that helps

showmetheway

Transform wrote: »

depends on what you mean as junk food?

Do i drink a beer or two at weekends - yes from time to time?

Do i eat chocolate - only 70%+ dark chocolate

Do i eat crisps, mars bars, biscuits, mcdonalds, lots of white bread, cornflakes etc - Never.

again as i have posted i am just way more consistent than most and quite possibly train harder and again more consistently than others.

Hope that helps

The thing is though you don't have to use will power to do what you do, your workouts and eating are ingrained habbits,i would like to now how someone who has a crap diet and does little or no exercise makes it a lifestyle without having to use will power all the time, or does it simply just come down wanting it bad enough

Hanley

showmetheway wrote: »

The thing is though you don't have to use will power to do what you do, your workouts and eating are ingrained habbits,i would like to now how someone who has a crap diet and does little or no exercise makes it a lifestyle without having to use will power all the time, or does it simply just come down wanting it bad enough

One meal at a time, one day at a time and one week at a time.

Tell yourself you're just gonna get to the next meal without cheating.

Tell yourself you're going to get to the next day without cheating.

etc etc

Have planned cheat meals to get your thru, it's a reward and something to look forward to. Eventually you'll get on such a good roll that you don't want to take them because you'll feel like you're cheating yourself out of a good run.

Mellor

Transform, that was just my cardio day, my weight day was yesterday.
warm-up, dips, bench, squat, fly, tricep pull-down etc and finish with HIIT on the bike

MarcusFenix wrote: »

HIIT?????

How long do you do the bike for in total?

Would 100rpm be regarded as high for the bike?

HIIT=High Intensity Interval Training
The basic idea is that alternating periods of easy-hard periods is better than a steady medium pace. Juding by how wrecked you are afterwards, I have 100% faith that its true.

100rpm could be high, but might not. Depends on the fitness of the user, plus the resistance.

My Bike HIIT;
2mins easy, c.60rpm and resistance level 4 or 5 (out of 20 I think)
1 minute hard, c100-110rpm (I try never to let it drop below 100 here), resistance 12 or 13

Repeat times 5, 15 minutes total. For the final minute, I normally increase the resistance as I approached the end, start at 12 and finish the minute on 16

The thind is, resistance 12 on one bike, might not be the same as 12 on another. Choose a resistance where you can barely maintain above 100rpm for a minute, if its not a struggle, its too low


Rower
1 min flat out, 1 min rest, repeat times 8 (15 minutes also), or
500m, 2 minutes rest repeat times 8, around 15 minutes also

Transform

showmetheway wrote: »

The thing is though you don't have to use will power to do what you do, your workouts and eating are ingrained habbits,i would like to now how someone who has a crap diet and does little or no exercise makes it a lifestyle without having to use will power all the time, or does it simply just come down wanting it bad enough

man thats feckin life - will power, motivation, getting up off your behind and going for it. Training and diet are no different.

Successful people will do what failures wont and that is something that has to be renewed every single day.

You would never consider not going a few days without washing yourself would you?

well motivation is no different - needs to be done daily.

You sound like you are looking for that one special forum post that is going to get you up and out for life - sorry but it does not work that way it just gets easier with practice is all

Transform

Mellor wrote: »

Transform, that was just my cardio day, my weight day was yesterday.
warm-up, dips, bench, squat, fly, tricep pull-down etc and finish with HIIT on the bike


HIIT=High Intensity Interval Training
The basic idea is that alternating periods of easy-hard periods is better than a steady medium pace. Juding by how wrecked you are afterwards, I have 100% faith that its true.

100rpm could be high, but might not. Depends on the fitness of the user, plus the resistance.

My Bike HIIT;
2mins easy, c.60rpm and resistance level 4 or 5 (out of 20 I think)
1 minute hard, c100-110rpm (I try never to let it drop below 100 here), resistance 12 or 13

Repeat times 5, 15 minutes total. For the final minute, I normally increase the resistance as I approached the end, start at 12 and finish the minute on 16

The thind is, resistance 12 on one bike, might not be the same as 12 on another. Choose a resistance where you can barely maintain above 100rpm for a minute, if its not a struggle, its too low


Rower
1 min flat out, 1 min rest, repeat times 8 (15 minutes also), or
500m, 2 minutes rest repeat times 8, around 15 minutes also

fair play though i am not a fan of the chest/triceps days etc but everyone has a different take.

I would be well impressed if you are actually doing 8 x 500m with 2mins break in 15mins though.

Overall, intervals are great but there should still be IMO some steady state cardio done on an easy day as doing intervals all the time can be quite draining

ragg

showmetheway wrote: »

The thing is though you don't have to use will power to do what you do, your workouts and eating are ingrained habbits,i would like to now how someone who has a crap diet and does little or no exercise makes it a lifestyle without having to use will power all the time, or does it simply just come down wanting it bad enough

I say this over and over but, Learn to cook. you will be able to make healthy versions of almost all the bad stuff you like.

Mellor

I would be well impressed if you are actually doing 8 x 500m with 2mins break in 15mins though.

HaHa, I suppose most would be,
Was suppose to say x4 for the 500m

Did it today, times were roughly;
500m=2.05
2min rest
500m=2.09
2min rest
500m=2.11
2min rest
500m=2.15

Total=14.40

Transform

Mellor wrote: »

HaHa, I suppose most would be,
Was suppose to say x4 for the 500m

Did it today, times were roughly;
500m=2.05
2min rest
500m=2.09
2min rest
500m=2.11
2min rest
500m=2.15

Total=14.40

thought that!!

optimistic_

Mellor,

Your 2 mins rest, is this a recovery / easy period, or do you physically stop your rowing?

Cheers...I just ask cos i'm swapping my HIIT from xtrainer to rower today.

MarcusFenix

One more thing Transform, or anyone else, im starting out in the gym Monday, my eating is pretty much sorted now and I want to know how many days should I be in the gym? And should I do HIIT/steady cardio every session???

Transform

MarcusFenix wrote: »

One more thing Transform, or anyone else, im starting out in the gym Monday, my eating is pretty much sorted now and I want to know how many days should I be in the gym? And should I do HIIT/steady cardio every session???

i would recommend doing 2-3 days weights only (with metcons if you wish) one day intervals only and one day steady cardio. That should cover it but if you can only do 2 days per week it would be a mix of it all in each session