i want to get a 6-pack

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Cardio is the type of exercises/activities that bring the heart rate/breathing rate up quite a bit. Lifting weights, doing crunches, push-ups, etc. may make your muscles tired, but they don't elevate your heart rate - they simply target a certain muscle/group of muscles. Cardio involves the exercises/activities that I mentioned before, such as jogging (outside or treadmill), stair climbing, cycling (real or spinning type activities). Cardio helps most people slim down. A person who does a ton of abdomen exercises may have a lot of muscle in the stomach area, but it may not be noticed because if you have extra weight that muscle may be covered with a layer of fat (little or lot). Shed the extra weight and it'll become more visable/defined looking. Keep in mind that everyone has a different build though. Some people are just more naturally lean, while others have a heavier build. That has a lot to do with genetics... My son is very lean/wiry built, so it shows quickly when he works out. My brother's son is thicker/heavier built, so he doesn't really show definition. That same kid (17) is an excellent pianist. So while physical fitness is important (in my opinion), focus and build on your personal strengths

 

[Royd]

Some of us, have so much muscle, that the six pack grooves are filled with muscle, and it's perfectly flat....Seriously, at 57, I'm hard as a rock, and I have never had a definable sixpack. I guess the skin is just not taut enough.
Just find out what you like to do, in the form of exercise, and enjoy it, for the exercise sake. Having goals are nice, but can disappoint, in the end. Wouldn't it be a disappointment, if in the end, all you got out of the deal is "Nice sixpack."?

 

[Randy]

The quick and easy way to get a six pack and it will always be with you even when you quit exercising.

 

[ChickenWisperer]

Quote:
To be honest (just really honest) I agree with Chickerdoodle. I would much rather have a guy with a great personality than a 'great' body. And attraction is all a matter of personal preference - I have a friend that thinks her larger husband is the most gorgeous man on the face of the earth. I promise you, 190 is NOT bad by any means. I'm much larger than you, and while I would love to be fit I'm fairly sure that I would not be the person I am today if I had never been heavy - and I am trying to get healthy, but medical problems are complicated it.

I agree with others, the best way to get in shape is cardio. Walking, jogging, swimming, and other activities are great. But do know that being "fit" isn't about having lots of muscle mass

Just be sure not to get caught up in drugs or eating disorders. I tell that to anyone with low self confidence who is trying to loose weight, because I have seen too many people, young and old, do it.

 

[Ohne-Fehler]

First I am not a professional, I just have a fair amount of experience in this area as I was both a High School and College athlete as well as having taken several classes on the subject (required).

You also have to remember that not everyone is capable of obtaining those perfectly defined 6 pack abdominal muscles. We can all build muscle and create definition but we all do this differently. Each of our body’s is different so you may not ultimately end up with the same body as another guy who works out too. Getting fit is always a very good endeavor as it is part of a healthy life.

As far as working out goes, you should vary your workouts. Not only between aerobic and anaerobic exercises but within each category. Just doing sit-ups isn’t going to cut it, spend some time researching various abdominal workouts and learning how to do them properly and safely. I use a very varied abdominal workout that works the various muscle groups in the abdominal region. Remember not to over look the importance of stretching too, you should always stretch weather you are doing aerobic or anaerobic exercise.

Jogging is an excellent aerobic workout and is readily accessible as other than a pair of shorts and shoes no real equipment is necessary. If you vary your runs a little too you will benefit more from them.

As always remember to do everything safely and don’t bite of more than you can chew. If you push yourself to hard right off you can injure yourself. Change will be slow to appear so don’t expect to notice any major noticeable physical change right away. Just because you can’t notice it doesn’t mean that it is not there.

Good luck with your workout plans!!

(Side note: noticing what others look like is not abnormal at all!)

 

[discodannio]

It's tough. It's not just about exercise, but about your percentage of body fat. Ie, everyone HAS intercostal muscles - it's just hard to see them. So by a combination of strengthening/defining your abdominals, and lowering your overall body fat percentage, you'll actually be able to SEE your '6-pack'. Men have to get below 10% (I think it is), and women a little higher - women natrually have more body fat, and so it's not actually particularly healthy to taim for a chiseled pack.

See, when I was a teen, people would always say: "Ooo... so and so has a 6pack", and I'd be, like, 'Um... So do I. What's the big deal?!" And they wouldn't believe me, because I had no muscle to speak of at all. However, I was a runner, and a bean pole, and SUPER skinny, with pretty much no body fat, so I had one 'naturally', as it were. I never did situps, but always had a pack... but I wanted bigger arms!

Having just surpassed the grand old age of 30 last year, I wanted to get back into shape, and a six pack was also my goal. Not so much luck! Things were going well until I got my wisdom teeth out and couldn't move, let along run, exercise, etc., for 2 weeks. Then the business of life and children took over and I never got back into it.

But I was doing (at one point) 150-200 pushups and 200+ situps per night, using various 'programs'. I realized it's not quantity, but VARIETY, that makes the difference. Interval training - ie, fewer reps, harder versions, less resting. There are some simple programs on youtube, like "8 minute sit up routine" or "5 minute press up blast" that I'd do a couple times each. HARD, b/c there's no resting. I felt like I wasn't doing that great, but then my fifteen year old 'stud' brother in law visited, and he couldn't keep up to me, so I felt pretty good!

Long story short - 6pack doesn't mean strength - it means visibility, b/c of both strong intercostals and LOW BODY FAT. That's where the diet comes in.

Have fun. I never ended up getting the huge arms I wanted, and my six pack eventually deteriorated when I got into my 20's and my metabolism began to slow down. But I did still get a wife and now 2 children, and the state of my stomach had precious little to do with either!

DD

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

6 pack? Ha, I'm way beyond that! I'm up to a keg!

 

[SillyChicken]

I used to work out at a gym for years. Still would if I could afford the time and money.

We worked 6 days a week and each day we varied bicepts/back, tricepts/stomach, legs, calvs/neck/cardio

Each time we worked a muscle group we'd use different equipment to develop the overall muscle. For the stomach we'd do crunches which worked the upper section of the stomach (only lift the shoulders slightly off the matt) one time, then hanging leglifts the next which worked the lower abs. If you can get this book, she will go over bare essentials for body building... “Naked Weightlifting, The Bare Essentials of Weight-Training.” (no there's nothing naked about it). It's written by my friend who I used to work out with till she moved.

http://www.bodybysteph.com/book.htm

 

[PineappleMama]

As the others have said Be Sensible. Adjust your diet to something healthful and start exercising slowly.
30 minutes walking a day to start wouldn't be bad... slowly build up and before you know it you're jogging/running an hour a day.
Maybe throw in 10 sit ups/crunches and/or pushups a day... before you know it you're doing 50 without hurting yourself.

The key to burning fat that's already in place is your heartrate. You gotta get it up and keep it up.
But if you go straight to full out running when you aren't fit you'll just end up with a stitch and hyperventilation.
Start slow... you'll be burning the calories you eat, preventing fat gain... THEN as you adjust you'll start burning fat.

If you alter your diet drastically your body will revolt and you'll be back to the same ol' stuff quick. Binge and Purge cycles are not good for you.
Likewise with the exercise, if you go hard core when your body isn't used to it you'll get sick of it quick, and possibly injure yourself which again leads to quitting.

You can visit the CDC at the link below to find out what your current BMI is, and what it should be.
It'll also tell you what the normal weight range for your height/age is... mine is 115-154, being 5'6" female adult.
It's not a tiny little 10lb range, it's a near 40lb range because there are a lot of variables... but it'll give you some idea of what would be healthy for you to aim for.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/

Also the American Heart Association has a chart for caloric intake...
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3040366
The youngest age shown is 19 on that chart, but sake of argument let's say that's your age...
Sedentary, meaning no exercise at all, you shouldn't be eating more than 2400 per day.
Some Exercise, aka Moderately Active, you should be getting between 2400-2600 calories.
Daily Exercise, aka Active, 2800-3000 calories will keep you healthy.

To quote Michael Pollan... Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.
Eat Food... if you're reading the label and your great gran wouldn't recognize it as food, don't buy it. More than 5 ingredients, don't buy it. Can't pronounce them, don't buy it.
Not Too Much... see calorie info, but also remember it takes like 10 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain it's full... eat slow and give yourself time to register you're full or you'll end up hurting.
Mostly Plants... not just salads, though those are great, but fruits and (whole) grains too. Not too much meat, get the 4oz steak instead of the 12oz.
Also, Water is great, but don't over do it. Drink when you're thirsty, don't drink just because you think you should. Same as food. Eat when hungry, don't eat when you're not.

So says the overweight housewife so take that all with a grain of salt.... hmmm... salt... makes me think of pretzals.

Best of luck in your journey!!

 

[rancher hicks]

Look kid this is what ya gotta do.

Ignore the unhelpful comments. If your in school go and talk to the counselor or the coach and just say what you want to do.

Your 190 but how tall?

Know this, your going to have to fight for it. Nothing is easy. It just looks easy.

Go to the bookstore or public library and read a mens fitness magazine.

You won't get a six pack over night.

Work both your mind and your bod at the same time so your even on both ends.

You can do this, I believe in you. Concentrate on those that believe in you and are encouraging. In life there always will be those who don't believe. These not the ones who accomplish anything. Sometimes the ones we want to believe in us don't, this is normal. Just move on.

Don't lose your focus.

Rancher

If necessary print the encouraging things here and read them over and over til you know it by heart.