Exercises for getting abs?

[nickjw2137]

Hey guys i need some help and advice for getting better looking and stronger abs. I know most people say the key to getting abs is to lose weight and have a low body fat percentage, but I am already really skinny. My problem isnt that i have fat covering my abs it is just that i dont have much muscle. Im skinny so they still show a little but i want to get them to be stronger and show more. Ive doing various types of crunches, planks, and leg lifts but what else can I do to make more progress?

[Kvothe Gainskiller]

Heavy lifts will do more to make your abs look strong than any number of crunches. Pull ups, dips, front squats, and deadlifts, all with proper form, will give you powerful-looking abs. Those, with proper diet, will also make you less skinny. One thing I've found too is that people who say that they are "skinny" generally have a high body fat in relation to their muscle mass. So, gain muscle and your body fat percentage will drop.

 

Focus on getting stronger with various free weight and bodyweight exercises, and the abs will follow. It's inevitable. And, once you've done all those, finish with these:

. 

 

Good luck.

[nickjw2137]

Heavy lifts will do more to make your abs look strong than any number of crunches. Pull ups, dips, front squats, and deadlifts, all with proper form, will give you powerful-looking abs. Those, with proper diet, will also make you less skinny. One thing I've found too is that people who say that they are "skinny" generally have a high body fat in relation to their muscle mass. So, gain muscle and your body fat percentage will drop.

 

Focus on getting stronger with various free weight and bodyweight exercises, and the abs will follow. It's inevitable. And, once you've done all those, finish with these:

. 

 

Good luck.

Thanks man, what would you recommend as a proper diet? I know thats super important but Its extremely hard for me to consistently eat 4000-5000 thousand calories a day because of time, money, and just it being hard to eat that much. Is there any thing that will slow down my metabolism? 

[Kvothe Gainskiller]

For diet, I'd recommend that you start with GOMAD. I find it's useful for getting enough calories in the very beginning, but you should transition to solid foods as you get to know what 5000 kcal feels like. But for the majority of your food, go with the basics: whole foods, meats, nuts, lots of fruit and veg, and if you still aren't getting enough calories, look at rice and tubers. Unfortunately, there isn't much that will slow down your metabolism, so you just have to eat. A lot.

[nickjw2137]

Alright thank you. If I was to work out consistently and do bench presses, pull ups, rows, and deadlifts but only eat my regular 2000 calories, would i get stronger but not bigger or will not eating alot make it hard to get any stronger

[Kvothe Gainskiller]

It really depends on where you are. If you're just starting, you will get stronger because your nervous system is learning how to be strong. Once it's learned the movements and the most efficient ways to do them, you will need to increase the amount of myofibril in your muscles in order to get stronger. This is called myofibrillar hypertrophy, and it requires caloric excess and it will result in bigger muscles. Here's the wikipedia article on muscular hypertrophy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_hypertrophy . And here's the link to strength training: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_training. I hope this helps.

[nickjw2137]

yeah ive been working out for over a year now, so I guess i gotta go with eating more. THank you

[CJTW]

I would also add push-ups and variations...one leg etc.....and kettlebell clean & press, and kettlebell snatches (some kettlebell exercises can be done with dumbbells..I just have never tried it). It's the exercise moves that require good core stabilization that help with the abs:-) ....and I totally agree with the other advice:-)

[jayandrade22]

There is a ton of great information in this topic. The biggest problem with skinny people trying to put on weight is that their metabolism eats away all the excess calories necessary for muscle growth. As Rich Piana puts it, " You gotta eat big to get Big!"

 

Check out his video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc7uJ-22bwQ

 

I know his video is very extreme and almost comical for the everyday person but the theme holds true, eat big to get big. Now, this doesn't mean eat whatever you want. Try to make sure your muscles are getting the proper excess nutrition to build muscle, i.e. tons of lean protein. Once you maximize your diet for putting on muscle it is then up to you to match it with high intensity lifts or maneuvers to stimulate muscle hypertrophy. Good Luck 

[Kvothe Gainskiller]

i.e. tons of lean protein.

 

Well, once you get 2g protein per kg bodyweight, it all comes down to rote calories. A significant surplus of protein isn't going to give you an advantage over getting those calories from fat or complex carbs.

[nickjw2137]

Hey guys, so up to this point I still haven't gotten into the habit of eating enough to put on muscle mostly just because I have not really had the money to be eating 5000 calories a day (I am a college student). But I've got some extra money now and I'm trying to plan out what I'll eat everyday so I have a routine to stick to and make sure I am eating enough everyday. Im going for as cheap and healthy as possible. I was thinking something like this:

 

Breakfast: 2 cups of oatmeal with brown sugar and a scoop of whey protein and two cups of milk: 1050 calories

Snack: A banana and a cup of almonds: 700 calories

Lunch: three cups of chicken, two cups of rice, a cup of black beans and two cups of milk: 1520 calories

snack: shake with a banana, two cups of milk, a cup of strawberries, a cup of yogurt, and half a cup of vanilla ice cream: 750

Dinner: three eggs with a baked potato, two slices of toast with jelly, a cup of corn, and two glasses of milk: 1000

= about 5,020 calories.

Id probably switch it up a little and maybe have spaghetti for dinner or something sometimes, but I just wanted to know what you guys think of this, if you guys have suggestions of other foods that are high in calories that would be great, I think this diet is gonna get pretty old but I couldnt think of other good foods to eat that are high in calories. 

[I-Jo]

If you like it and it gets you protein and carbs and ultimately you hit your minimum calorie goal then it's perfect.

 

that looks awful to me because I don't like any of those things, or the order in which they are put together- so FOR ME- that wouldn't work.

Plus I see no oreos. I need oreos.

And pizza

and beer.

 

 

But if you like those things- and it's hitting your 5000 calorie goal- then IT"S PERFECT.

 

When bulking- calories are king.

Having perfect macro's are nice- but you can hit the most balanced perfect idea for your macro's for days on end but if you aren't in surplus- it' means nothing.

Eat big

lift big

be fabulous.

[Kidney bean]

So I think I might be in a similar position- I have been lifting for nearly 6 months (and have made all the beginner gains I am going to make), quite lean generally but no real definition around the ab area, just a bit of flab.

I don't get if I should be cutting or bulking if I wanted see more definition, or if I would develop a better core from supplementary core exercises. Is it a case of developing more muscle mass or losing fat?

[I-Jo]

if you're still lean go for a bulk.  

[nickjw2137]

If it's really all about the amount of calories then I'll gladly substitute oatmeal in the morning with cereal instead haha, I was told oatmeal is better to eat if your trying to gain muscle but I much rather eat a big bowl of lucky charms.

[I-Jo]

If it's really all about the amount of calories then I'll gladly substitute oatmeal in the morning with cereal instead haha, I was told oatmeal is better to eat if your trying to gain muscle but I much rather eat a big bowl of lucky charms.

you can eat all the oat meal you want but if you aren't in a surplus it won't matter.

 

Eat the lucky charms if it gets you above your goals.

[Tanuki]

5000 cals...

 

I thought bulking was best done at a few hundred surplus, to reduce big fat gains alongside the muscle? 5000 seems so high... plus we don't know the OP's height/weight/gender etc. If they're my size, 5000 could kill 'em dead. Mm. I'd love to eat 5000 cals and test that theory though.

 

Maybe they're not that skinny (I was "I'm too skinny to lose weight!" when I started out a few months ago, but 9lbs weight loss later and - no, I wasn't too skinny after all. My husband is convinced he's at minimum bodyfat because he's slender - "I couldn't possibly lose an ounce, and I think my muscles are showing!" - but honestly he's a 20-22%er.)

[TheCrimsonFist]

Yeah, 5000 calories seems a bit excessive, even for a 'hardgainer'. I would recommend a more gradual increase to see where your threshold for growth is. Throwing on that much additional food out of nowhere is a quick way to overwhelm yourself and would make a good majority of people give up in short time. Increase your intake and train hard. If you're still not growing, increase the intake some more until you start growing. 

 

I'd say this is especially true since your point of starting this thread is wanting to see your abs. Eating way above your threshold is going to help your muscles grow, but there is likely to also be a lot of leftover calories that will deposit themselves back on your body in an unwanted way (fat). You can always diet it off, of course, but a more reasonable bulk will lead to a lot less cutting needed in the future.

[Machete]

I went 4'000 a day and had to say goodbye to my abs.