am i the only person on here thats not that pushed to have abs?

Tonto86

as it says... seems everyone is looking for perfect abs and the way to get there the quickest...

why is everyone so pushed... keeping your bodyfat near or under 10% is a pain in the hole. im more focused on just being as strong as i can be

just my 1c :pac:

zenno

well all I can say for myself is...I have a 3-pac and I drink beer almost everyday and have done so for the last 27 years and even opening my halldoor and looking at the distance I have to walk to my car (which is 7 feet away) I do be saying MAN I hate walking that far. I never do excercise of any kind unless I have to walk to my car so I must have very strange genes or DNA that allows me to have a 3-pac what a life not having to do any strenuous excercise when I can keep my abs great by walking 7 feet a day.

TommyKnocker

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the perception that it's only members of the female sex that have unrealistic ideals of how they should look to be beautiful push on them by the media is no longer true and that it is starting to affect males now too.

I think it would mostly be young males who are behind the threads seeking the elusive six pack. They guys who see the like of Christiano Ronaldo, Gerrard Butler (in 300) The WWF wrestlers and UFC cage fighters etc as role models. Magazines for guys are full of guys with this type of physique and the media is full of stories of the sexual conquests of these guys or they read replies to these articles from women who rave about how "sexy" these guys are or maybe their girl friends rave about the physique of these guys. Now what hot blooded young (or old for that matter ) male doesn't want that? And it is no longer only young impressionable teenage girls who are under pressure from the media about their appearance.

Never mind that Ronaldo is a professional athlete whose training and diet are closely regulated or that Gerard Butler is a actor who also has personal trainers and nutritionists at hand to get him into shape, Young guys just want to know how to get into this shape as quickly as possible, so they can get the attention of the prettiest girls etc And it always the beach muscles they are interested in. Abs, Guns & Pecs. they are never interested in shoulders, back, legs, forearms

That's my 2 cents and opinion anyway.

Remmy

I want very strong abs but Im not too bothered If I can see them or not for a while at least.

d'Oracle

No.

You aren't.

The Guvnor

I think tbf and tbh most of like the idea of being leaner, the question really is what are we going to do about it?

IMO there is nothing wrong with being in great shape but by and large it takes a lot of consistent work which is where it becomes far too easy to slack a bit etc.

wersal gummage

i have a six pack (nothing like you'd see on a magazine) - haven't done a sit up in a couple of years now. disciplined training and diet are all you need i think. i do a good bit of core work mind you. but i think abs look after themselves. i agree that its mostly the young lads in the gym that spend half their time doing sit ups (and the other half doing bicep curls!!). thats natural enough though - i was the same when i was 18 - its only as you get older you get a bit more comfortable in yourself i think.

Kev M

By the time your top comes off, the deal is well sealed.

howtomake

Ditto. Actually really thinking about it, I don't find the 6 pack that attractive enough to even bother look for them on myself or anyone else. Although vertical lines on abs can be ok on the right body.

Now you have me thinking (which is never a good idea:P)...But give me a good set of legs and buns any day:pac::pac::pac:. Too many guys focus on their upper body. Also I'm not too pushed on biceps either, but a nice set of triceps go far. Maybe it is because I find developing my triceps harder than biceps, so I appreciate them more?

gigawatt

the thing I find sad about the whole abs thing is that the images being portrayed in the media are very unrealistic and people dont realise this.A lot of the time make up artists quite literally paint on muscles by shading the area especially for photoshoots and movies.

El Horseboxo

People love seeing visible results of work they put in. You can apply that to anything. The abs take up a large part of the body and they are possibly the most difficult to visibly develop. So when you do get to that stage they instantly remind you of the discipline and hard work you put in. Also factor in the hype of them in the media.

I don't need them and maybe once every few years i'll go on a buzz to get them and keep them for a while.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

I specifically say to gym instructors "I don't want a six/eight pack" :P

gymsoldier

Kev M wrote: »

By the time your top comes off, the deal is well sealed.

Unless you got the deal sealed by getting your kit off in the first place lol, controversial

deadlybuzzman

TommyKnocker wrote: »

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the perception that it's only members of the female sex that have unrealistic ideals of how they should look to be beautiful push on them by the media is no longer true and that it is starting to affect males now too.

I think it would mostly be young males who are behind the threads seeking the elusive six pack. They guys who see the like of Christiano Ronaldo, Gerrard Butler (in 300) The WWF wrestlers and UFC cage fighters etc as role models. Magazines for guys are full of guys with this type of physique and the media is full of stories of the sexual conquests of these guys or they read replies to these articles from women who rave about how "sexy" these guys are or maybe their girl friends rave about the physique of these guys. Now what hot blooded young (or old for that matter ) male doesn't want that? And it is no longer only young impressionable teenage girls who are under pressure from the media about their appearance.

Never mind that Ronaldo is a professional athlete whose training and diet are closely regulated or that Gerard Butler is a actor who also has personal trainers and nutritionists at hand to get him into shape, Young guys just want to know how to get into this shape as quickly as possible, so they can get the attention of the prettiest girls etc And it always the beach muscles they are interested in. Abs, Guns & Pecs. they are never interested in shoulders, back, legs, forearms

That's my 2 cents and opinion anyway.

BIGTIME!!
on top of that there has been a very slow but steady move towards ever more effiminate less male less potentialy threatening males that are held up as physical ideals (the bloke out of twilight being a perfect example), compare him to the guys from years ago like arnie, sly, dolph lundgren etc.
I know people of both sexs that have had anorexia so ive a major problem with the fact that skinnyness is now something that guys now worry about as well as women.
.....Anyway, yeah I dont give a toss about having a bellly during winter, come the summer its nice to not have your t shirt sitting on your stomach!

Cole

TommyKnocker wrote: »

I think it would mostly be young males who are behind the threads seeking the elusive six pack.

That's the way this whole six pack obsession seems to me.

I really notice it in the gym nowadays, particularly when I was training in TF Sandyford. I'd see all these young guys late teens/20's checking themselves out in the mirrors at every opportunity and their training seemed to be based around achieving this kind of magazine cover type physique, rather than just training to be fit, strong or just for the enjoyment of it.....not them all btw, but a lot.

It's probably generational. This whole thing came up in conversation between myself and another guy....both hurtling towards 40:eek:....and we both commented on how different it was in our younger days. Lifting weights was acceptable, but going to a fancy gym and 'working out' would have been perceived as a bit effeminate....we just played sport. I don't even think I knew what a six pack was when I first started lifting weights and even though I did the likes of sit ups, it was part of a fitness routine, not to develop perfect abs.

It's all got a bit metrosexual for me, what's with all the fake tans and creams/moisturers/ gels etc. etc?? I've seen this with fellas around my own age aswell. To be fair, TF Sandyford was in a league of it's own in this regard.

TommyKnocker

TommyKnocker wrote: »

Young guys just want to know how to get into this shape as quickly as possible, so they can get the attention of the prettiest girls etc And it always the beach muscles they are interested in. Abs, Guns & Pecs. they are never interested in shoulders, back, legs, forearms

If it makes the guys here feel any better, a lot of these are misconceptions that come from the telly and men's magazines. I love a good pair of shoulders or a strong looking back (would never notice a guys legs unless they were really skinny), but I'm really really really turned off by pecs. I think they're a bit scary! I'm a 34C but I know some guys whose pecs look bigger than my boobs. Give me a pair of moobs any day, but I'm really not gone on big pecs, especially when guys seem to feel the need to show them off in hilariously tight t-shirts. Most of my female friends are of the same opinion. I think a lot of young girls get excited over pecs and 6-packs because they haven't really developed a taste in guys and just look for what they see on telly.

I much prefer guys who are fit and into getting outdoors for exercise rather than those who don't want to go for lunch because their diet plan only allows for protein shakes. Whenever I'm in the gym I'm pretty sure the difference is clear between guys who are working out as opposed to guys who are meticulously trying to sculpt their body into an imitation of .

Also I'm not sure if it counts since I'm female, but I'm certainly happy with my abs the way they are!

Dathai

Gonna go out on a limb here and say that it's because a guy with a six pack, low body fat and big arms is seen as a fit, strong, dominant person. Some people want to look big, fit and strong to impress and get attention. Nobody will notice their skinny legs or super impressive calf muscles until they've already got their trousers off.

I'd much prefer a low body fat with muscle than a gut that's making my shirts stretch :pac:

Cole

Dathai wrote: »

I'd much prefer a low body fat with muscle than a gut that's making my shirts stretch :pac:

Me too, but trying to achieve the 'ripped' six pack that the likes of the ladyboy pictured above has....that's just ridiculously vain, imo.

grimloch

Cole wrote: »

Me too, but trying to achieve the 'ripped' six pack that the likes of the ladyboy pictured above has....that's just ridiculously vain, imo.

Grow up.

If you're happy sauntering around with a gut thats fine and dandy, but stop calling people names because they have the audacity and cheek to actually work towards an aesthetic goal.

G86

TommyKnocker wrote: »

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the perception that it's only members of the female sex that have unrealistic ideals of how they should look to be beautiful push on them by the media is no longer true and that it is starting to affect males now too.

I think it would mostly be young males who are behind the threads seeking the elusive six pack. They guys who see the like of Christiano Ronaldo, Gerrard Butler (in 300) The WWF wrestlers and UFC cage fighters etc as role models. Magazines for guys are full of guys with this type of physique and the media is full of stories of the sexual conquests of these guys or they read replies to these articles from women who rave about how "sexy" these guys are or maybe their girl friends rave about the physique of these guys. Now what hot blooded young (or old for that matter ) male doesn't want that? And it is no longer only young impressionable teenage girls who are under pressure from the media about their appearance.

Never mind that Ronaldo is a professional athlete whose training and diet are closely regulated or that Gerard Butler is a actor who also has personal trainers and nutritionists at hand to get him into shape, Young guys just want to know how to get into this shape as quickly as possible, so they can get the attention of the prettiest girls etc And it always the beach muscles they are interested in. Abs, Guns & Pecs. they are never interested in shoulders, back, legs, forearms

That's my 2 cents and opinion anyway.

A female POV here...

I think you're right, guys definitely do have a lot more pressure on them to be in shape now, with regards to the media etc., but I also think that their ideals of what women find attractive can be somewhat skewed.

I mean, look at your example of Gerard Butler, yes he was hot as hell in 300, BUT I saw a photo of him on a beach recently avec beer belly, and I still found him attractive regardless. Yes, a good physique is nice, but not everyone can have everything - and a balance is just as important.

As for women raving about how 'sexy' these guys are - I hold my hands up. My Facebook page is constantly updated with my objectification of the male form..and oh my, what a great form it is;) Truth be told, I can be a bit of an abs whore, but the reason for that is because of the things that come with the abs - not because that specific feature will make me want to jump his bones! If a guy had abs and nothing else then it would do nothing for me; whereas if a guy has strong forearms, muscular quads, and broad shoulders, I wouldn't give a sh!te if the only 6 pack he had was on a Sat night! And as for the upper body malarky, I'm definitely not one for the bicep curling fairies with skinnier legs than me, and I know plenty of girls the same, so throw that misconception out the window whilst you're at it

As for the objectification thing, the main point is that's purely for the craic, it's not real. It's the same thing as guys perving over girls on the cover of Nuts, you like the idea of it, but would you really want to bring Miss Plastic Fantastic back to Mammy? Sure I saw a guy on FB recently posing away with the oul abs etc., and thought 'phoarr', then I saw him in real life a while later and he didn't even register with me til he was pointed out. Admiring someones physique and actually being attracted to them are two very different things for women, which might be hard for guys to understand:p

So, to sum it up - a physique on someone who looks like they train properly is attractive. Abs are attractive, as are forearms, quads, shoulders etc. But does that mean a guy has to have all of those things to look attractive? Nope.