Stomach Muscles

[Henry123]

I've been working on my stomach muscles to death Ive been doing alot of sit ups. Is there a better way to build the 6 pack stomach?

[GrkScorp]

I've been working on my stomach muscles to death Ive been doing alot of sit ups. Is there a better way to build the 6 pack stomach?

Well.. it depends..

If you have alot of (chub) around your tummy.. you'll need to take off those pounds/kilos first! It's pointless trying to get a 6-pack or 8-pack if you still have chub there..

You can start working out your stomach when you have about a centimeter of fat around the tummy; just enough so you can feel exactly how your muscles feel under.

Start off with about 100 sit ups; EVERY DAY! Don't miss a single day. And you don't have to do them all at once. You can do 10, wait 1 min, do an other 10, and so on.

As time goes on; you will be able to do a full set of 50, and then, a full set of 100! Remember, results are not visual.. you can only FEEL the results.. at least until they start getting visual..

Now, you'll eventually start forming a 6 or 8-pack as you keep taking your work-out up one notch.. I have friends who can do 1000 sit-ups each day, every day.. (we all hate people like that; believe me, I know).. but you don't NEED to do 1000. After you have your 6 or 8-pack, you should try and make time for 200-400 sit-ups every day. On average, you want to be doing 200 sit-ups a day. So if you miss one day; make up for it during the weekend! But make up for it during that week; no question about that!

Getting it is the EASY part.. maintaining it is the HARD part.. Oh, and to answer your question more fully; NO, there's no "better" way to get a 6-pack than to just work out the old-fashioned way..

[bohemiandonut]

Sorry Scorp, but your advice is just flat out WRONG and I can only venture to guess that you are basically talking completely out of your ass here.

Henry, the ONLY way to develop an attractive stomach is to BURN MORE FAT THAN YOU ARE MAKING. Remember, carbs turn into sugar which turns into fat via the Krebs cycle, so cut down on easily digested carbohydrates and begin a high fiber, high protein diet, eating only NATURAL fats in moderation. (No trans!)

Along with your diet, you are going to need to do cardiovascular exercise, preferably at least 30 mins (jogging or swimming) every day. For the first 15 mins your body burns carbs, after that you begin to burn fat. The best time to do this is early morning, as your stomach has little carb energy and you can start burning fat sooner. Also, your metabolism will be jumpstarted.

With these steps, no matter how many situps you do you will:
1) Gain little muscle
2) The muscle you do gain will be covered up by a layer of fat!

So start eating vegetables and go get some running shoes. Your sex life will be glad you did.

[bohemiandonut]

P.S. - A good way to avoid turning your food into fat is to avoid making your body feel like it has to store energy reserves; i.e. DON'T STARVE YOURSELF. Eat light portions often throughout the day to keep your metabolism going.

[IndiReloaded]

Sorry Scorp, but your advice is just flat out WRONG and I can only venture to guess that you are basically talking completely out of your ass here.

Remember, carbs turn into sugar which turns into fat via the Krebs cycle, so cut down on easily digested carbohydrates and begin a high fiber, high protein diet, eating only NATURAL fats in moderation.

I was going to suggest asking Neo... he's a bodybuilder.

BUT, sorry to be a pedant BD, but what you told Henry isn't quite correct. Sugar doesn't turn into fat under normal circumstances. Carbs are carbs & fat is fat. The Krebs cycle can break down fat elements in the presence of carbs, but thats really it. There is some interchange that can happen under really weird biochemical situations (like gluconeogenesis/starvation) but even then you need to involve other things like protein breakdown.

Calories on the other hand, come from both (more from fat on a per gram basis), so you are right to tell him to reduce both so his muscle is more visible. Which is what I think you meant anyway.

Its all in Stryer if you want to look it up. FYI.

[Tiay]

check out [url]www.flat-stomach-exercises.com[/url], it's a free site dedicated to understanding everything about your body that's got to do with your tummy, basically. great site.

[NeoSeminole]

you're better off doing lots of cardio than working out your abs. I assure you they are there. It's just they're covered by a layer of fat.

[Henry123]

Thanks everyone for your input. Thanks Tiay for the link.
I was always a lean guy. Its just when I started to take protein powder because I started weight lifting again I started to get fat around my stomach. It never happen to me in the past (I dont think????).

I guess maybe I'm not doing enough cardio?

When should I drink protein powders? Should I drink it After or just During a weight lifting sesson?
Should I drink it just befor doing cardio???

[miSSleepy]

Sorry Scorp, but your advice is just flat out WRONG and I can only venture to guess that you are basically talking completely out of your ass here.

Henry, the ONLY way to develop an attractive stomach is to BURN MORE FAT THAN YOU ARE MAKING. Remember, carbs turn into sugar which turns into fat via the Krebs cycle, so cut down on easily digested carbohydrates and begin a high fiber, high protein diet, eating only NATURAL fats in moderation. (No trans!)

Along with your diet, you are going to need to do cardiovascular exercise, preferably at least 30 mins (jogging or swimming) every day. For the first 15 mins your body burns carbs, after that you begin to burn fat. The best time to do this is early morning, as your stomach has little carb energy and you can start burning fat sooner. Also, your metabolism will be jumpstarted.

With these steps, no matter how many situps you do you will:
1) Gain little muscle
2) The muscle you do gain will be covered up by a layer of fat!

So start eating vegetables and go get some running shoes. Your sex life will be glad you did.

Actually, Scorp is right to an extent, he just didn't mention what you just mentioned. What you're talking about above will let you lose weight, tone you up and generally make you more healthy.
However, defining the muscles in your abs, ie getting the 6-pack, requires more concentrated workout, as well as the routine you outlined. Now I don't know if the correct concentrated workout for the abs should be the old-fashioned sit up, but he will need something that specifically targets the ab muscles for a 6-pack.

[bohemiandonut]

BUT, sorry to be a pedant BD, but what you told Henry isn't quite correct. Sugar doesn't turn into fat under normal circumstances. Carbs are carbs & fat is fat. The Krebs cycle can break down fat elements in the presence of carbs, but thats really it. There is some interchange that can happen under really weird biochemical situations (like gluconeogenesis/starvation) but even then you need to involve other things like protein breakdown.

Calories on the other hand, come from both (more from fat on a per gram basis), so you are right to tell him to reduce both so his muscle is more visible. Which is what I think you meant anyway.

Its all in Stryer if you want to look it up. FYI.

Are you claiming that carbohydrates don't get turned into fat?

[miSSleepy]

It's not as simple as that. Carbs don't turn into fat...if they're used up. An excess of carbs and sugar that you don't burn up will be stored as fat.

[IndiReloaded]

Are you claiming that carbohydrates don't get turned into fat?

No, read my post again, I was quite specific.

Carbs *can* convert into fat, but the current research says this pathway doesn't play a significant role in human energy storage. The current dogma is that the fat you store comes from the fat you eat. Carbs get stored as glycogen in your liver & muscles.

Its been a while for me (I'm over a decade out of graduate biochem, lol), but I believe there is a liver enzyme called fatty acid synthase that can do this. But only in small amounts & only under unusual circumstances (certain high levels of hormones can induce it). Most nutrition experts and biochemists think this is a minor pathway, last I read anyway. I'm not aware of any studies that show humans can do this in appreciable amounts & I'm pretty current on the general scientific literature. That kind of result would be a big deal & wouldn't be buried in an obscure journal.

BTW, if you are a cow, then yes, you *can* convert carbs (i.e. grass) into fat. The pathway exists. They express larger quantities of the enzyme I mentioned. I think mice can also do it (at least the studies I remember were done in mice), but they may have been genetically engineered to express the enzyme, dunno. Also the enzyme gets expressed in the breast tissue of lactating women, FYI.

If you want to know the latest info, tho, consult a current version of "Biochemistry" by Stryer, or check Medline. You should be able to find articles about this.

[IndiReloaded]

It's not as simple as that. Carbs don't turn into fat...if they're used up. An excess of carbs and sugar that you don't burn up will be stored as fat.

Read my last post Missy. Carbs (which *are* sugar, BTW) get stored as glycogen, a form of starch. Biochemically distinct from fat. You guys are confusing apples w/oranges.

[bohemiandonut]

Read my last post Missy. Carbs (which *are* sugar, BTW) get stored as glycogen, a form of starch. Biochemically distinct from fat. You guys are confusing apples w/oranges.

Since we're being so pedantic here, figured I'd point out that carbs are not sugar per se, but rather sugar is a type of carb, along with starches and cellulose. Oooh ouch IR, an undergrad just pwnd you!

[GrkScorp]

Sorry Scorp, but your advice is just flat out WRONG and I can only venture to guess that you are basically talking completely out of your ass here.

Henry, the ONLY way to develop an attractive stomach is to BURN MORE FAT THAN YOU ARE MAKING. Remember, carbs turn into sugar which turns into fat via the Krebs cycle, so cut down on easily digested carbohydrates and begin a high fiber, high protein diet, eating only NATURAL fats in moderation. (No trans!)

Oh! How interesting, a Biology major with hopes of going to medical school..

No, i'm talking because I have a 6-pac; and that's how I got it..

Before I continue; i'd like to quote Newton "In theory; theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not."

Your textbook can tell you one thing, but people who have actually done something that works, are in a position to give insight on this topic.. as the old saying goes (don't trust a skinny chef)..

Anyway; I have no incentive to talk-out-of my ass as you put it; i'm way to busy for that; and it's pointless.. I'm glad to see that you've at least learned something about the Krebs cycle.. I think now you should be moving along to either Cellular Respiration or about Plants! Can't wait for your post on that one : )

So, when you have about a centimeter of fat, you're ready to work out. When you do; you're obviously going to be buring more fat relative to any muscle gain. That 1cm of fat will quickly disappear. The only reason I said to have 1cm of fat to begin with is because you should not diet to the point where you are expecting to have ZERO fat around ur stomach; that's pointless and inefficient. 1cm of fat is more than reasonable to start working towards a well-fit stomach..