Why I Can't Get Abs

Discuss how to get ripped abs here.

Moderators: cassiegose, Boss Man

Post Reply
jackman
STARTING OUT
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 3:56 pm

Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by jackman »

I am sorry in advance for the length of the message but I need a definite answer.

For the longest time (almost 4 years) I have been working out and improving diet. I went from fat to thin to a little bit of definition. But I want a six pack. Not a joke one, not a four pack, not one where you have to flex to see abs. Real and definite six pack. (like this guy: http://instagram.com/nick__bateman" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).

Now I am willing to do everything to get that six pack! Even if it means that I have to only eat tuna for ever (Not kidding).

measurements:

I am 5'8 and 145 pounds.

Right now this is daily diet (I eat the exact same thing everyday - I like it and I believe it might get me there):

Morning - One medium potato, One can of tuna in water, A tomato, a bit of mustard
Snack - 3 Pears
*Workout In between*
Lunch-Evening meal - 400 grams of ground beef (made into hamburgers and cooked in a George foreman grill), and about a sixth of a watermelon.
Night - (only when I'm hungry) - A can of tuna, A tomato, and a cucumber.

Notes:
- I haven't had chocolate or any type of candy or cake or ice cream for the last 33 days (I count)
- I don't eat bread (except once a week)
- One day a week I eat out, that meal replaces the Lunch-Evening meal and I do not go overboard with the food.
- One day a week I eat a some bread with hummus
- I only drink water and green tea

Workout:
I workout 5 days a week, 4 times doing the Insanity workout and once P90X yoga (I can't lift weights right now, but I doubt workout is the problem because it is really tough). I also add twice a week of P90X ab ripper X workout, for the abs.

Frankly, I believe I am doing more than the average working out person. I do not believe that because I am short or genetics a fucked up that I will never be able to get abs. But I cant figure out what I am doing wrong. I do not eat anything horribly wrong, I get enough exercise, and I have a good diet with plenty of protein.

I will say that I keep improving, that currently I have some definition, and that in reality most people will think I went very far, but as I said I want to have a six pack. a legitimate one. In addition, this current diet is a constant improvement, so about a month ago I was a bit worse than this, but not significantly.

So why can't I get a six pack? Am I doing everything right? Am I missing something? Is it just a matter of time and being patient? Is it impossible to get a six pack without lifting weights?
User avatar
Boss Man
SITE ADMIN
Posts: 15457
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:27 pm

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by Boss Man »

Hi Jackman, good to talk to you.

If you say you are improving then maybe you will keep improving and maybe you just need to be more patient and see how things currently work out, because if you think you're not getting results that might actually be ongoing, you might make changes that become counterproductive, then you'll be going backwards on this.
jackman
STARTING OUT
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 3:56 pm

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by jackman »

It might be about being patient, but it might also be something that i'm doing or not going.

So I want to know if there is anything that I am wrong on?
User avatar
Boss Man
SITE ADMIN
Posts: 15457
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:27 pm

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by Boss Man »

Well the diet on reflection could be altered somewhat.

I would avoid tuna everyday, certain 2 cans a day as well, as tuna is recommended at 3 portions a week due to the metal content.

So you could substitute some of the tuna with things like beef, ham, turkey and chicken.

You can also add snacks in between the main meals. There's plenty of options like

Microwave soup, baked beans and rice meals, bread, sandwiches, nuts, peanuts, low fat cheese, oat granolas, pre-boiled eggs, low sugar yoghurts, vegetables including pineapple, raw carrot and celery sticks, fruits including tomato and cucumber, beef, chicken, ham and turkey from a packet and flax seeds.

Some of those are whole snacks and some make up part of a snack, but you'll work those out I'm sure :).

It may well be the case that your diet is causing you to stall, because the calories are a it low, so adding a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack and maybe a mid-evening one as well might help.
traininghomeandaway
STARTING OUT
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by traininghomeandaway »

Hello jackman

To be honest I just wrote an eBook about that subject...The main thing you have to do to get a six pack abs is to lower your body fat percentage. To do that you need to great calorie deficit. But at the same time you should not concentrate so much on eating tuna, your body needs all: proteins, carbs but also fats.

So how to you lower your body fat percentage...Well like I told you will great need to great a calorie deficit. That does not mean that you will start to starve yourself but just you start to write everything down what you eat and then start to consume less calories than your body needs. But remeber you still have to eat and eat plenty because your body need energy. Also when you start with the calorie deficit then follow your results with body fat percentage clippers because the scale might not be the most accurate thing. The thing is that you might loose some body fat but at the same time gain some muscle mass so the scale would show you no changes.

Another thing about getting really nice abs is to do proper core training not just abs exercises. So exercises like mountain climbers, knee ducks from plank, squat with arms up, atomic push ups, pendulum, rolling get ups with kettlebell and many more. With some of them you do not need any equipment, with some of them you might need some resistance bands like TRX and then some cases you need kettlebells or dumbbells...the main thing is that you can do those exercises everywhere so you do not need a gym for that.

But still the main thing to get six back abs is what you eat. So start with that and you will see the results.

Take care
jackman
STARTING OUT
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 3:56 pm

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by jackman »

I know that I have to be at a calorie deficit, and I am pretty educated as to what I can eat and shouldn't eat. Problem is that I believe I am as near perfection as possibly human. I do not know anyone who eats as little as I do, works out as much as me, and tries and obsesses over these stuff.

So I wrote down what I eat to find out if food habits are wrong in some way? not a health way (because frankly I don't care) but a fitness way. If I need more veggies, i'll try to eat more. If i'm not getting enough protein, i'll eat more. Right now I am at around 1500 calories a day (its tough to say exactly because not everything has got nutrition on it where i'm from) and getting around 180-200 protein a day. So I figured i'm great, but still no abs, so whats the problem?
User avatar
Boss Man
SITE ADMIN
Posts: 15457
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:27 pm

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by Boss Man »

1,500 calories is too low bud, you need more. The body could be in starvation mode, where it assumes it's being starved and won't shed fat.

Also if you're not getting enough of some or all of the micronutrients directly or indirectly associated with skeletal health, you could be thinning the bones and bones that become too thin could represent an elevated fracture risk in relation to exercise impact.

So you'd be wise to eat more. I'd focus mainly on healthy fat and protein, with a little more carbs

So I'd aim for around another 1,000 a day, so if you're eating 6 times a day, that would be around 166 calories more per meal.

I think you could try and see if you could get 40% protein, 20% carbs and 40% fat from the added calories, so that would be 400 more calories of protein per day, 400 more fat and 200 more carbs, but with each meal it's around 64 protein, (16g), 64 fat, (7g), 32 carbs, (8g), roughly.

You might possibly gain a little weight as the body adjusts to the new intake, as it's not a subtle increase, but that should taper off within a few weeks.

The alternative would be to halve all those amounts and add them to your eating, then a week or two later when your body should be adjusted to it, add the other half in, so you'd be getting 2,000 calories a day for 7-14 days and then stepping up to 2,500 after that, just in case you find the idea of eating another 1,000 a day immediately, tricky to manage or plan, or a bit daunting, as then you'd be able to have a half way house scenario for 1-2 weeks instead if you wanted.
traininghomeandaway
STARTING OUT
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by traininghomeandaway »

Hello jackman

Like Boss Man śaid then 1500 is way too low...I addition to what he said I would like to add that another of the dangers of simply trying to eat less than your ‘maintenance level’ is that you can lose muscle. Less muscle means fewer burned calories, but will also affect the look, and performance, of your six-pack.

So try not to worry so much about how much you are eating but focus more on the type and quality of foods you are eating.

Protein:

-Organic grass fed beef/bison
-Organic chicken/poultry
-Fatty fish such as salmon,
Tuna, sardines, mackerel and trout
-Low mercury seafood such as anchovies, catfish, crab, oysters, Pollock, scallops, tilapia, halibut, etc.
-Organic dairy products including pastured eggs, Greek yogurt
-Whey protein isolate (not concentrate)

Carbohydrates:

-Whole grains such as quinoa, barley, whole oats
-Whole wheat and multigrain breads
-Kidney beans
-Black beans
-Navy beans
-Garbanzo beans, etc.
-Yams/sweet potatoes
-Greens such as kale, mustard greens, spinach, etc.
-All types of vegetables including broccoli, green beans, carrots, celery, squash, cauliflower, peppers, onions, etc.
-Fresh fruit

Fats:

-Raw almonds
-Macadamia nuts
-Unsalted mixed nuts
-Coconut oil
-Olive oil
-Avocado
-Organic dairy products
-Fatty fish (see proteins)
-Sunflower seeds
-Pumpkin seeds
-Chia seeds

Let me know your weight, height and how old you are...I would tell you what I think is your daily calorie need approximately.

Take care
Alinshop
REGULAR
Posts: 529
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 1:14 am

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by Alinshop »

traininghomeandaway wrote:Hello jackman

Like Boss Man śaid then 1500 is way too low...I addition to what he said I would like to add that another of the dangers of simply trying to eat less than your ‘maintenance level’ is that you can lose muscle. Less muscle means fewer burned calories, but will also affect the look, and performance, of your six-pack.

So try not to worry so much about how much you are eating but focus more on the type and quality of foods you are eating.

Protein:

-Organic grass fed beef/bison
-Organic chicken/poultry
-Fatty fish such as salmon,
Tuna, sardines, mackerel and trout
-Low mercury seafood such as anchovies, catfish, crab, oysters, Pollock, scallops, tilapia, halibut, etc.
-Organic dairy products including pastured eggs, Greek yogurt
-Whey protein isolate (not concentrate)

Carbohydrates:

-Whole grains such as quinoa, barley, whole oats
-Whole wheat and multigrain breads
-Kidney beans
-Black beans
-Navy beans
-Garbanzo beans, etc.
-Yams/sweet potatoes
-Greens such as kale, mustard greens, spinach, etc.
-All types of vegetables including broccoli, green beans, carrots, celery, squash, cauliflower, peppers, onions, etc.
-Fresh fruit

Fats:

-Raw almonds
-Macadamia nuts
-Unsalted mixed nuts
-Coconut oil
-Olive oil
-Avocado
-Organic dairy products
-Fatty fish (see proteins)
-Sunflower seeds
-Pumpkin seeds
-Chia seeds

Let me know your weight, height and how old you are...I would tell you what I think is your daily calorie need approximately.

Take care
I like your advice. The foods you are suggesting are a much healthier alternative to what he is currently eating. Healthy fats are extremely important in any diet.
traininghomeandaway
STARTING OUT
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by traininghomeandaway »

Thank you Alinshop...

...and to jackman I would just like to specify about last message that when I said "So try not to worry so much about how much you are eating but focus more on the type and quality of foods you are eating"...and in the first message I told that "you need to great calorie deficit"...then I still mean that to reveal your six pack you should great a calorie deficit...but just what I wanted to say is that you should first pay attention where you get your proteins, carbs and fats and then start to eat less calories than your maintenance level.

Take care
Kettlebelling
STARTING OUT
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 9:18 am

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by Kettlebelling »

This may sound strange but one exercise that helped me with ABS is Kettlebelling. If you do it correct you have to strength your ABS at least I did mine. Also you must watch what you eat.

Kettlebelling
Alinshop
REGULAR
Posts: 529
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 1:14 am

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by Alinshop »

Any updates, Jackman?
Kettlebelling
STARTING OUT
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 9:18 am

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by Kettlebelling »

How are you doing with getting those Abs???
fredpty
STARTING OUT
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 7:19 pm

Re: Why I Can't Get Abs

Post by fredpty »

Well abs like I always say is about 70% nutrition and 30% workout....no kidding!! now in order for you to get great abs it takes time to see the results step by step.(3 OR 4 MONTH)..The thing is this...you cant stop eating cause you NEED proteins to feed the body and you cant eat too much cause you need to burn fat so its a matter of keeping a balance to get the abs...
1.whatever exercice you do for abs...do it until you feel PAIN
2.DO NOT ..I repeat DO NOT eat sugar after 3:00pm..PERIOD!!
3.if you do 30 min cardio and 30 min abs results will maximize much faster!! climb hills and stuff like that., or swimming ...ohhh yeahhhh!!!

So you Need to force your body to get that kind of results cause it demands more sacrifice but at the end of the day ITS WORTH IT!!

http://www.mi40xgainingweightfast.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; :thumb:
Post Reply