Do u guys have a 6 pack all year round?

[kris2pe]

I'm just curious cause far as my research goes in order to save a really well define six pack you will need to be at least 10% and below bodyfat right?
So at that point your body more or less will scrounging for fat right? That would make u more fat after that right? Cause sometimes at that level its probably too low especially at around 6-5% so do you guys maintain that 6 pack all year round?

Is it possible?

[doinmiabs]

YEP!!!!!! Once you got it, you don't want to let it go....

[highiso]

YEP!!!!!! Once you got it, you don't want to let it go....

^ nail on the head. Although ill only have a four pack til next summer though because of a bulk.

[kris2pe]

YEP!!!!!! Once you got it, you don't want to let it go....

So pretty much given up on sugars and stuff?
How do you do it?

[jmborr]

I'm just curious cause far as my research goes in order to save a really well define six pack you will need to be at least 10% and below bodyfat right?
So at that point your body more or less will scrounging for fat right? That would make u more fat after that right? Cause sometimes at that level its probably too low especially at around 6-5% so do you guys maintain that 6 pack all year round?

Is it possible?

In my personal experience, it is impossible to have a six pack while trying to gain muscle. Maybe it'll be different in five or ten years after I achieve a decent weight.

[John Prophet]

ive got one, I just dont happen to have it handy


actually I misplaced mine about 20yrs ago

[doinmiabs]

So pretty much given up on sugars and stuff?
How do you do it?

Yeah, that was the tough part. I knew I couldn't just "cut down" on junk, I had to get rid of it from my life or I'd never hit my goals. I'll use some honey in my cottage cheese (just cause that stuff makes me throw up in my mouth alittle because of it's consistency, LOL!), but no more Twizzlers for me. Or soda. Or Ice Cream. Or beer. Damn dude, you're making me depressed over all the stuff I gave up! I kid! Really, once you start it's not so much of a struggle to give the stuff up on a regular basis. This way, if I really really REALLY want something sweet, I'll have it and be done with it. The toughest: no sugar or sweetner in my coffee. Plus, the 6 pack at ... 51 years old (shhhh) ... is kinda-sorta cool!

[kris2pe]

Yeah, that was the tough part. I knew I couldn't just "cut down" on junk, I had to get rid of it from my life or I'd never hit my goals. I'll use some honey in my cottage cheese (just cause that stuff makes me throw up in my mouth alittle because of it's consistency, LOL!), but no more Twizzlers for me. Or soda. Or Ice Cream. Or beer. Damn dude, you're making me depressed over all the stuff I gave up! I kid! Really, once you start it's not so much of a struggle to give the stuff up on a regular basis. This way, if I really really REALLY want something sweet, I'll have it and be done with it. The toughest: no sugar or sweetner in my coffee. Plus, the 6 pack at ... 51 years old (shhhh) ... is kinda-sorta cool!

Its been two years since I touched a soda bottle and help me "maintain" my weight! Best part is that I don't miss it! Years back I could never imagine a life without it oh yeah I cut off on white rice as well! But I seirously can't cut out my other carbs sigh!
UR 51? WOW! NO skin sag!!! SERIOUSLY! What about fruits?

[socket]

Nope.

I have a 4 pack all year, but the lower two require an eating regime that I don't really enjoy
Besides, my wife doesn't love me any more or less with or without a six pack

[DoubleTapThat]

In my personal experience, it is impossible to have a six pack while trying to gain muscle. Maybe it'll be different in five or ten years after I achieve a decent weight.

clean bulk son

[Brackneyc]

So pretty much given up on sugars and stuff?
How do you do it?

For me it was easy-----> Diabetes will help you give up sugary foods...if you want to be off meds and live a while.

Not suggesting this is the best way to get motivated, but you work with what is.

Edit: Never had a six pack. Still working on it.

[highiso]

clean bulk son

This & the more developed you are the higher your body fat can be while still having visible abs.

[doinmiabs]

Its been two years since I touched a soda bottle and help me "maintain" my weight! Best part is that I don't miss it! Years back I could never imagine a life without it oh yeah I cut off on white rice as well! But I seirously can't cut out my other carbs sigh!
UR 51? WOW! NO skin sag!!! SERIOUSLY! What about fruits?

Seriously, but I don't mention it much because I don't want that "u look good for YOUR AGE B/S". I just want to hold up against the youngsters that are in here without my age being a factor. Yeah, fruits are fine, berries the best. I do eat a banana a day, although they are not your best choice when on the quest for abs! Plus, I will have red wine on the weekends (I'm Italian, what can I say?). Truthfully, once you cut the sugar you will realize that certain protein bars will satisfy you sweet tooth just fine (PB&J from Supreme Protein are fantastic !). Stay with it man...it's worth it!

[jmborr]

clean bulk son

I am on a clean bulk, but no clean bulk can fix my past.

I was a fat as a kid, which is the worst time to be fat because that's the time in life when adipose cells reproduce like crazy if you're fat. Once you're done with your kiddie years you're basically stuck with whatever number of adipose cells you've got. If you later loose weight then you merely reduce the size of the fat cells, but you don't kill them. Now I'm bulking and all those hungry fat cells are having a swell of a time.

Extract from http://www.ehow.com/about_6660437_de...fat-cell_.html :

"The theory that the number of fat cells in the human body increased in persons who gained excess weight is now obsolete as the result of research conducted at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Using carbon-14 dating, Dr. Bruce Buchholz and colleagues have discovered that fat cell development ceases when you become a teenager. Conditions that cause weight gain or obesity increase the size and volume of your fat cells, but their number remains unchanged. The same is true for weight loss---the size of fat cells decreases, not their number."

[kris2pe]

Seriously, but I don't mention it much because I don't want that "u look good for YOUR AGE B/S". I just want to hold up against the youngsters that are in here without my age being a factor. Yeah, fruits are fine, berries the best. I do eat a banana a day, although they are not your best choice when on the quest for abs! Plus, I will have red wine on the weekends (I'm Italian, what can I say?). Truthfully, once you cut the sugar you will realize that certain protein bars will satisfy you sweet tooth just fine (PB&J from Supreme Protein are fantastic !). Stay with it man...it's worth it!

Geez I wanna be like you when I get to 50 lol! Seriously NO skin sag very impressive do you put moisturizers or sunscreen just curious. But don't you need carbs to increase nutrient transport? I'm an ecto if you can see my profile...? and squint hard you can kinda see some abdominal definition and I don't diet lol! I'm actually try SUPER HARD TO BULK! lol!

Have been working out consistently all those years? Is because of hard work out that keep you young?

[doinmiabs]

Geez I wanna be like you when I get to 50 lol! Seriously NO skin sag very impressive do you put moisturizers or sunscreen just curious. But don't you need carbs to increase nutrient transport? I'm an ecto if you can see my profile...? and squint hard you can kinda see some abdominal definition and I don't diet lol! I'm actually try SUPER HARD TO BULK! lol!

Have been working out consistently all those years? Is because of hard work out that keep you young?

LOL. Nobody wants to be like me, trust me on that ! I'm a meso, so I'm a "lucky" one. I never had any weight issues when I was a kid, tended to be more on the lean side. Looked at your pic. Yeah...I see some definition in the abs but to make them pop, you will need a super clean diet and some weighted exercises. If your bulking, you will probably have to wait for your cut next spring. I get plenty of carbs throughout the day so yeah, you need them. Just make sure they are complex carb. As for sagging skin, brother: I'm 51, not 81! LOL! And I've been known to hit the gym from time to time over the past 20 years. I had a few "off" years...but much better over the last 2 years. IMO, better than I was when I was younger.
Good luck man!!! I'm off to take my metamucil and make it to the early bird special at the diner down the road. LOL!

[induced_drag]

So pretty much given up on sugars and stuff?
How do you do it?

I dont get this......I just dont believe how many buy into this idea of 'clean' eating.

For me the primary factor is macros.
That said, the majority of my foods come from whole, unprocessed sources. Staples for my carbs are short grain brown rice, milk, and oats.

When I cut, I still eat icecream, pizza....heck even a soda or two (if it fits in my macros). Guess what....I still lose weight the same. In fact, I eat icecream three times a week.... (it is part of my pwo shake...even when cutting)

While I am not the most ripped guy ever....I recently cut to the 10% range and have stayed there.....yep...eating chicken wings and sausage too! (on a day where my fat intake was low and I need to catch up a little)

Dont take it from me.....take it from Timberwolf.

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/timberwolf/

Dont get me wrong....I used to feel the same way...that dieting meant that you had to give up anything that was treat like. What I have learned is you just have to control the portions. And if at the end of the day there is room...by all means indulge. Just dont base the majority of your diet around empty calories...

NOTE: When trying to diet to extreme levels of low bodyfat, eg contest prep 4-5%, at a certain point simple carbs do matter....but not in holding 8-10%.

[2nd_chance]

Yeah TW told me once that he eats at a junk food place (e.g., Burger King, Pizza Hut) about 3 times a week.

[Dave1958]

currently I have a 1 pack and Im struggling for 3-5 more. Its hard for me because wife buys junk for kids and it sets on the table. Bad part is kids are grown, and are althetic, active and dont have weight issues, but if its in the house makes it harder. Other issue is i think my metabolism has slowed as I have aged, and its harder to lose weight. Now that I have my excuses in place and off my chest I can throw them away. Thanks!

[MontyMagpie]

I don't have a 6 pack at any time of the year. I've given up sugar and alcohol but not 'stuff'. I still eat a lot.

[Brackneyc]

I dont get this......I just dont believe how many buy into this idea of 'clean' eating.

Well, it isn't too hard really. It is a term which simply means (for most) eating healthy. For some it means eating healthy "overall." I say overall because yes, you can eat junk food all the time and still be under your daily limits. If you do it all the time, you will look like crap in most cases. Using TW as the benchmark for being able to eat crap food doesn't disprove the rule, it proves it. In most cases, folks who eat a "cleaner" diet look better. Hence the term, "eating clean."

[AFChief]

I keep a 4 pack.

[induced_drag]

Well, it isn't too hard really. It is a term which simply means (for most) eating healthy. For some it means eating healthy "overall." I say overall because yes, you can eat junk food all the time and still be under your daily limits. If you do it all the time, you will look like crap in most cases. Using TW as the benchmark for being able to eat crap food doesn't disprove the rule, it proves it. In most cases, folks who eat a "cleaner" diet look better. Hence the term, "eating clean."

I am not understanding you. What I am talking about is people who think that they cant eat pizza or icecream....or soda and get lean. As I said, the majority of foods should come from whole, unprocessed sources....but that does not rule out food items I mentioned earlier. How about pizza...or one of my staples....chicken wings... are those foods 'clean'. How about sausage? I eat all those...even when cutting.

How does Timberwolfs diet disprove what I said, as 2ndchance said, he eats Burgerking Whoppers and other 'junk' type foods regularly?.....but fits it in his macros. Are you saying his physique has suffered from this over some one who at clean over this same time period?

What then exactly is your definition of 'clean' food? I am getting to the point where 'clean food' is a word like 'tone up'. ...it bugs the sh*t out of me as there is no such thing.

[MontyMagpie]

What I am talking about is people who think that they cant eat pizza or icecream....or soda and get lean. .

I didn't know one of the toppings for pizza was sugar? When people talk about cutting out sugar then mean putting a load of it on your cereal or putting it in your tea. They don't mean sugar that naturally is in food. I find I can cut sugar out of my tea and put more milk in for sweetness. I personally never drink soda fizzy pop or anything like that. I don't have ice cream either. I do have a pizza though now and again.

Here is the nutritional value of sugar.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5592/2

but Molasses have vitamins and minerals.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5573/2

[Brackneyc]

I am not understanding you. What I am talking about is people who think that they cant eat pizza or icecream....or soda and get lean. As I said, the majority of foods should come from whole, unprocessed sources....but that does not rule out food items I mentioned earlier. How about pizza...or one of my staples....chicken wings... are those foods 'clean'. How about sausage? I eat all those...even when cutting.

How does Timberwolfs diet disprove what I said, as 2ndchance said, he eats Burgerking Whoppers and other 'junk' type foods regularly?.....but fits it in his macros. Are you saying his physique has suffered from this over some one who at clean over this same time period?

What then exactly is your definition of 'clean' food? I am getting to the point where 'clean food' is a word like 'tone up'. ...it bugs the sh*t out of me as there is no such thing.

Well, for the record, I have no problem with folks who want to tone up either. It basically boils down to semantics. If it gets a guy closer to his goals, then why would I care what he calls it? I used to eat specifically junk food sht, including pizza and burgers...all of the time. THAT is not clean eating, even by the standards of guys who eat those things in moderation. I now eat mostly lean meats, and high proteins items. When I eat carbs, they do not come from processed garbage. I do not eat (or in very limited quantitates) saturated fats.

If a guy says he is eating clean, most just assume he is eating in such a way that eliminates, or restricts such foods as fast food, processed food and sugary foods, etc. Sure, you can eat anything you want, and still hit your goals. Most guys find it easier to eat foods which are known to make that easier. Ice cream and Whoppers as a rule are not on that list (for everyday consumption).

FWIW, most guys I see who eat whatever they like, and as much as they like, look the part.

I will continue to refer to my eating habits as clean, as long as I know what it means for me.

[SteveR40]

yep, trying to keep mine year round. I lost it once and I chased it down, dang thing was evasive.

[2nd_chance]

I have big ab muscles so I can see them in the right light even with extra bodyfat... like now

Brb... getting ripped

[StressMonkey]

I have a 4 pack all year, but the lower two require an eating regime that I don't really enjoy
Besides, my wife doesn't love me any more or less with or without a six pack

Hell yeah. 4 pack 4 life.

[Kraken]

You can have a 6 pack at 12%, just not well defined without flexing. Honestly, 12% still looks damn good, and I will never go above it again if I can help it. 10% and lower looks awesome, but with the right diet, you can make great gains at 12% and still have abs.

I know it was a phase here on the boards, but I am a firm believer in intermittent fasting now. It's the only diet I have ever used that I enjoy, have succeeded with and believe I can make it a lifestyle to stay lean indefinitely.

Leangains.com for more info

[highiso]

You can have a 6 pack at 12%, just not well defined without flexing. Honestly, 12% still looks damn good, and I will never go above it again if I can help it. 10% and lower looks awesome, but with the right diet, you can make great gains at 12% and still have abs.

I know it was a phase here on the boards, but I am a firm believer in intermittent fasting now. It's the only diet I have ever used that I enjoy, have succeeded with and believe I can make it a lifestyle to stay lean indefinitely.

Leangains.com for more info

IF guy checkn in. The absolute best way to get below 10% bar none. Just within the last week ive started bulking and am taking a break from IF, starting to have a breakfast now every morning. But i have to say im finding it very difficult to force myself to eat more than 2500 calories a day since for almost 2 years i stuck between 1700-2100. Being a former fattie and eating healthy almost 2 years ive worked myself into a habit of having a calorie deficit every day. Its crazy, i use to eat so much all the time and not think a thing of it, now i have to force myself to bulk. Weird what this bb lifestyle does to you.