skinny chest, bloated abs

[cabbie151]

I often think I am the most genetically unblessed man on this planet. I have a completely flat chest (no definition whatsoever, though there is some decent muscle around the armpit area) and have NEVER had a sixpack, feel bloated all the time and have ribs that stick out way too far (though if I flex my abs are hard as diamonds). I have the shape of a titless pregnant lady.

My father had the same chest (you can almost see his breastbone), though he did have a normal stomach. I do not have a ton of body fat (more than a pinch, less than a handful) and it is ALL centered around my waist. I have been killing my abs every workout session (five times a week. I do a good set of abs in between lifts) and alternate sessions between chest and back. I dont eat ridiculously well (I still want to enjoy life) but I do eat small portions, no fried food, minimal sweets, and protein supplements.

So, a few questions. One; is it even possible for me to develop a defined chest and a six pack? Two; I want to take more protein supplements but worry that they will ruin any chance I have of getting the flat stomach sixpack. Am I wrong? Three (and this is related to two); I am already gaining muscle in the rib area and obliques, but this is ruining any definition due to the flat chest. wtf? Four; I have been at it for three months with little results. How much longer will I have to wait. Thank you in advance

[draybin]

Hey man. Don't worry brother, you are not alone. First off Your abdominal muscles are all about your body fat. If you have poor genetics however, I believe it takes a little bit lower of a body fat for it to show. Secondly, I do believe you can develope a defined chest and a six pack. This is coming from someone who does not have it quite yet, if you check my progress threads you will see that I have terrible genetics as well with strong skinny fatness. But yes, I believe it will come in time. But you also seem like your tripping to much about the six pack. Don't just think about that. Work on getting your WHOLE body defined. big arms, legs, etc. It really takes a long time and people make you think it is so easy.

[jasondoinwork]

your routine and diet probably suck.

if you want to get rid of the fat on your stomach, do a cut. release your calorie intake and do some cardio if possible. doing a ****load of ab workouts isn't going to get rid of the fat on your abs, there's no such thing as "spot reducing" - you can't remove fat from a certain area just by doing a bunch of exercises that work out that area. when you lose fat, you lose fat from your entire body.

and all you are working on are ur abs, chest, and back? what about your back, shoulders, and legs?

i'd suggest you find a routine and stick to it. go look at all_pro's beginner routine, stickied in this section

[cabbie151]

I should clarify about my stomach. It's not so much a fat problem as it is my abdominal muscles refuse to stay taut. It's not that I have muscles under the fat and need to loose fat to show them, there is simply no muscle.

I also work out my shoulders. I am really not concerned about legs and arms (huge arms with no upper body would be silly I think).

[jasondoinwork]

and huge shoulders/chest without big arms would look equally retarded.

and you aren't concerned about legs? are you serious? i hate people who neglect legs in their workouts. they have a nice upper body with these twig legs holding them up. do NOT neglect legs.

and working out abs 5 times a week is kinda overdoing it. your abs are muscles too and you need to give your muscles rest before working them out again. i'd do it every other day at the MOST (so 3 days on some weeks, 4 days on other weeks).

and again, there's no point in working out just abs, back, and chest and neglecting everything else because you will look retarded either way. you need to work out all the muscles in your body to get a nice physique. no one ever said to do 20 sets of bicep curls, but you need to do some arm work and leg work. legs and back are the biggest muscles in your body, so you would work those out the most, followed by chest/abs/shoulders/arms.

[guest89]

I should clarify about my stomach. It's not so much a fat problem as it is my abdominal muscles refuse to stay taut. It's not that I have muscles under the fat and need to loose fat to show them, there is simply no muscle.

I also work out my shoulders. I am really not concerned about legs and arms (huge arms with no upper body would be silly I think).

The problem is you are trying to target certain areas and are ignoring the rest. Which isn't going to work.


First of all, I don't care how many ab exercises you do, you aren't going to get a six pack.
ssentially I think you are wasting your time working abs 5x per week. To get abs you need a combination of things.

-Proper diet = lowering bodyfat and increasing muscle mass.
-Proper cardio = reducing fat and increasing over all health.
-Proper lifting routine = increasing muscle mass so that once you lose fat you'll actually have something rather then flabby skin and bones.


You need to get stronger and increase your muscle mass EVERYWHERE. Your skin needs to be stretched tight and larger muscles is how that is done. Even if you lost your gut chances are your abs would look terrible. You should be working on getting a balanced physique rather then being concerned about your chest and abs. They'll come with time.