What ladies here have 6-pack abs all year round???(within reason)

[ahez1991]

Anyone?
and ladies that do, how do you do it?
ive been trying so hard to get abs for so long, and it sucks because im so close (look at my most recent progress pic) but they just dont want to show up. and its getting really frustrating. i eat clean, lift and do cardio...ugh

help anyone?

[freebirdmac]

Honestly, you looked better in Jan. I don't think your problem is body fat. It's not having enough muscle. Right now you're looking pretty skeletal as opposed to fit with soon to appear abs.

[ahez1991]

Honestly, you looked better in Jan. I don't think your problem is body fat. It's not having enough muscle. Right now you're looking pretty skeletal as opposed to fit with soon to appear abs.

ive gained ALOT of muscle, but im still eating at 1800cal so looking more skeletal might be just attributed to that photo??? doesnt make sense. everyone i know has been commenting in my arms muscles showing up alot and my quads,calves and hams. im really frustrated with my midsection, should i do more ab excercises?

[Beefcupcake]

I'm sorry but I have to agree with Freebirdmac. That photo doesn't do you justice if you truly have muscles. All I see is bones Can you retake another photo? Can you show a whole body photo? All you have is abs photos. There is more to building a nice body than just abs.

[Suzash]

A lot of women have trouble gaining a 6-pack because they have too much fat carried around their midsection. Judging by your picture this is NOT the case with you.

For you, the fat is not hiding the muscle, instead the muscle is just not developed enough. Focus on specific sections of the abs and conduct controlled movements which focus on contracting the specific muscles being worked. Add resistance with medicine ball and/or weights. Too many people attempt to get ripped abs by endless amounts of crunches...this is not the most effective method. Added resistance with less reps and fewer sets will ultimately be much more effective in muscular development. Abs are just like every other muscle in the body and should be worked out with resistance but not be targeted every day. Last but not least, make sure you are eating clean but also eating enough....no matter how hard you train you will not develop muscles without fueling the body sufficiently. Good luck!

[freebirdmac]

It could also be that in losing body fat your muscles simply show more thus look bigger. I doubt it's just the photo or the lighting. Up your cals more and change up your lifting routine. If you're doing more than 1 hour of cardio a week stop. Allow yourself a good 4 months of focusing on muscle building. And don't forget, squats are the best ab exercise.

This really does take time and patience.

[ahez1991]

sorry my camera phone doesnt zoom and my normal camera isnt working right now. and all the mirrors in my bathroom are kinda awkwardly placed.

yeah i know its not all about abs, but ive always wanted a flat stomache and its the biggest problem area i have as far as fat. everywhere else has been shaping up nicely.

[ahez1991]

A lot of women have trouble gaining a 6-pack because they have too much fat carried around their midsection. Judging by your picture this is NOT the case with you.

For you, the fat is not hiding the muscle, instead the muscle is just not developed enough. Focus on specific sections of the abs and conduct controlled movements which focus on contracting the specific muscles being worked. Add resistance with medicine ball and/or weights. Too many people attempt to get ripped abs by endless amounts of crunches...this is not the most effective method. Added resistance with less reps and fewer sets will ultimately be much more effective in muscular development. Abs are just like every other muscle in the body and should be worked out with resistance but not be targeted every day. Last but not least, make sure you are eating clean but also eating enough....no matter how hard you train you will not develop muscles without fueling the body sufficiently. Good luck!

okay, ill add some weighted ab excercises. thank you

[ahez1991]

It could also be that in losing body fat your muscles simply show more thus look bigger. I doubt it's just the photo or the lighting. Up your cals more and change up your lifting routine. If you're doing more than 1 hour of cardio a week stop. Allow yourself a good 4 months of focusing on muscle building. And don't forget, squats are the best ab exercise.

This really does take time and patience.

i just changed up my lifting routine, but ill up the cals and do more squats :P (even though i despise them more than anything else) thanks freebirdmac!

[freebirdmac]

You do have some nice muscle development but your body fat is getting too low. Thus the skeletal look.

Your tummy looked fine in Jan. The little pooch you're worried about is "baby fat". A consequence of your age and genetics. I had that too and it wasn't until my early twenties that my body decided it could go. Trying to get rid of it now is leaving you looking worse overall. It may not be fair but it's a part of your body you just need to ignore for now. If you really build up the upper abs it won't be as noticeable. But mind you, you are about the only person who thinks your tummy isn't flat already. Filling in body fat as you were in Jan with added muscle will make you look killer.

[freebirdmac]

i just changed up my lifting routine, but ill up the cals and do more squats :P (even though i despise them more than anything else) thanks freebirdmac!

Great! I still don't work abs directly. Not that it's a bad idea, I just loathe them. And you really do get a great ab workout doing squats and all of the other big moves.

[Suzash]

You do have some nice muscle development but your body fat is getting too low. Thus the skeletal look.

Your tummy looked fine in Jan. The little pooch you're worried about is "baby fat". A consequence of your age and genetics. I had that too and it wasn't until my early twenties that my body decided it could go. Trying to get rid of it now is leaving you looking worse overall. It may not be fair but it's a part of your body you just need to ignore for now. If you really build up the upper abs it won't be as noticeable. But mind you, you are about the only person who thinks your tummy isn't flat already. Filling in body fat as you were in Jan with added muscle will make you look killer.

Agreed with that!
Take care of yourself OP

[BuffedWildCat]

I agree with what the others have said. I think you're too skinny, even with what muscle you have. If I were you I'd focus on gaining muscle instead of losing fat. I'm your height and outweigh you by 20 lbs. It's much easier to get a six pack if you have some thick muscle mass on ya, like I do, my abs are really thick. In my most current progress pics I'm weighing 146.5 lbs at 22% bodyfat and you can still see some good ab definition on me. The more muscle mass you have the easier it is to get good definition. I weigh 25 lbs more than I did when I graduated HS! In my avatar pic, just to give you an idea, I was 137 lbs at 17.6% bodyfat. I lifted for a year before I even worried about my diet and getting a six pack (just wasn't that concerned at the time). So I built some decent muscle mass before I ever dieted down to show the abs. It's a process you have to go thru that takes lots of TIME, and patience, obviously, heh. Good luck!

[SophieM]

I'll echo what has already been said. You look very,very thin. I can see the outline of your hips, not just the bone sticking out in the front, but the outline. That's not good.

I definitely agree about gaining more muscle. Definition isn't just about low body fat, but the muscle underneath the body fat. A lot of really skinny people have low body fat, but they don't have definition because they don't have enough muscle.

Take care of yourself. You're worryingly thin in your latest progress pic.

[kimm4]

Right now you're eating below maintenance. If you continue to do this you will end up losing what little muscle you have. Get your calories up and keep on lifting heavy. You need more overall mass to achieve what you're looking for. I'm not sure how much cardio you're doing...but not a good idea at this point.

[heidismommy]

I have to echo what everyone else has said. In your case the problem isn't that you're carrying too much fat, but rather not enough muscle. Your body fat is very low as is evident from the photos. I'd suggest bumping up your calories to at least 2000, really aim towards gaining some more muscle.

[Mindi912]

Honestly, you looked better in Jan. I don't think your problem is body fat. It's not having enough muscle. Right now you're looking pretty skeletal as opposed to fit with soon to appear abs.

gonna have to agree with this...

[ahez1991]

You do have some nice muscle development but your body fat is getting too low. Thus the skeletal look.

Your tummy looked fine in Jan. The little pooch you're worried about is "baby fat". A consequence of your age and genetics. I had that too and it wasn't until my early twenties that my body decided it could go. Trying to get rid of it now is leaving you looking worse overall. It may not be fair but it's a part of your body you just need to ignore for now. If you really build up the upper abs it won't be as noticeable. But mind you, you are about the only person who thinks your tummy isn't flat already. Filling in body fat as you were in Jan with added muscle will make you look killer.

thank you for all the advice. so you basically think trying to get rid of the pooch is a mute point at this point in my life?

thank you to all the posters with the advice and encouragement

[freebirdmac]

thank you for all the advice. so you basically think trying to get rid of the pooch is a mute point at this point in my life?

thank you to all the posters with the advice and encouragement

Yes. It's the wrong goal for you at this time. Once you put more mass on you probably won't think it pokes out as much as you think it does now. Ignore it. Up the cals, lift heavy, and put some body fat back on. Enjoy the break from obsessing about body fat and cals

[fitlover]

I keep my abs. I'm off my cut and they're still here, and I have no intention of having them hide away!!

It just takes a keen eye on your diet and good exercise to make and keep a great physique year-round.

[DistinctChoice]

You need more muscle mass.

Is there an echo in here?

[eriplex]

I agree, you are way too small. I would focus on upping the cals and dropping the cardio, like everyone seems to have said. I want my abs to poke out more too, but with additional muscle mass it will look better. Any extra fat put on can go away with diet later =)

[BuffedStuff]

abs can take a while, eating as clean as possible helps me. I wish you the best.

[ahez1991]

I agree, you are way too small. I would focus on upping the cals and dropping the cardio, like everyone seems to have said. I want my abs to poke out more too, but with additional muscle mass it will look better. Any extra fat put on can go away with diet later =)

I understand thats whats needed, but i have a phobia of gaining weight. because i was obese from 8 years old until 17. and i worked so hard to get where im at now, and ive always wanted a flat stomache and its just exceedingly difficult to be so close to my goal and not quite be their and not know how to get there.

thats why i am afraid of upping the calories because i dont know im ever going to be able to lose the belly fat, which really sucks. but maybe being at 2000cal a day for a few months will help my body be able to cut more effeciently when i do again.

[ToraAdams]

up your calories slowly by a 100 when you feel more comfortable ease into another 100 don't get too carried away with what other people say just do whats right for you. I think you have a great body.I don't think your too small. Your body is still growing and maturing . It takes time for abs to get very defined. I found consistent clean eating stuff like push ups and pull ups really helped. Easing back on intense cardio helps putting on some body fat so you can build a bit more.

Its a progression sometimes the pendulum swings higher on one side your just evening things out right now.

go slow and steady and be as consistent as you can. Most importantly have fun!!!!

[ahez1991]

up your calories slowly by a 100 when you feel more comfortable ease into another 100 don't get too carried away with what other people say just do whats right for you. I think you have a great body.I don't think your too small. Your body is still growing and maturing . It takes time for abs to get very defined. I found consistent clean eating stuff like push ups and pull ups really helped. Easing back on intense cardio helps putting on some body fat so you can build a bit more.

Its a progression sometimes the pendulum swings higher on one side your just evening things out right now.

go slow and steady and be as consistent as you can. Most importantly have fun!!!!

Thank you!!!!
What you said means alot, and i am going to try and lighten up a bit about it
maybe even bring a friend to the gym sometime lol