Need advice on abs

[mufc1234]

I am confused a bit, how does one get abs? I know for all other muscles it's the saying of "eat big, lift big and get big". Is this the same for abs? Or is it something different?

Currently I am 141-142lbs (bulking at the moment), 17 years old and a height off 5"10/11. My body fat is pretty high maybe 16-18. Okay so obviously I want to get bigger and have abs. So what is the requirement or good routine/needs for it? Do you get it on a calorie surplus, deficit or something else? Yes I am this ****ing confused lol, neg me all you want. Just looking for a clear cut answer.

[amar654]

Abs are built in a surplus like any other muscle. Abs become visible though by the work you do in the kitchen.

[mufc1234]

Oh okay, is it essential to have a body fat very low?

[amar654]

Oh okay, is it essential to have a body fat very low?

If your abs are properly built you should be able to see them 10-12% BF. Single digits will give you super defined abs. Depends on how good you want them to look.

[mufc1234]

Thank you for you're input. One last final question (sorry for tormenting you, btw repped). I use myfitnesspal to track my kcal and I eat 2700/day in a calorie surplus of 500. It tells me to get this:

354g carbs
94g fat
142g protein
106g sugar

If I can't hit my macros some days and I eat "quick kcals" such as a chocolate bar. Is that bad (at the moment, I am bulking. Just gaining mass, not wanting abs atm. Need muscle mass).

Is this where the term IIFYM comes into place? I always tend to go over my fats and sugars by 40g at the worst times.

[ErikTheElectric]

You already have "abs".


With your current situation, you likely lack core strength/muscle. (Just like any other muscle, you need to train them, progressively overload, and then worry about revealing them later)



And you're not 16-18 % Body fat at that weight.

[amar654]

Thank you for you're input. One last final question (sorry for tormenting you, btw repped). I use myfitnesspal to track my kcal and I eat 2700/day in a calorie surplus of 500. It tells me to get this:

354g carbs
94g fat
142g protein
106g sugar

If I can't hit my macros some days and I eat "quick kcals" such as a chocolate bar. Is that bad (at the moment, I am bulking. Just gaining mass, not wanting abs atm. Need muscle mass).

Is this where the term IIFYM comes into place? I always tend to go over my fats and sugars by 40g at the worst times.

Its fine to eat whatever you want every once in a while, after all there is more to life than abs, just dont do it every single day. Try eating more nutritionally dense food like peanut butter and I have noticed red meats have more cals than chicken, so eat those as well. I personaly dont count macros exept protien, but each person has his own way of approaching things, so if counting macros works for you, then stick with it.

[ErikTheElectric]

Its fine to eat whatever you want every once in a while, after all there is more to life than abs, just dont do it every single day. Try eating more nutritionally dense food like peanut butter and I have noticed red meats have more cals than chicken, so eat those as well. I personaly dont count macros exept protien, but each person has his own way of approaching things, so if counting macros works for you, then stick with it.

*Protein


And I don't understand this, if you're going to track... why not track the other two macronutrients? Are they not important enough for you?

[amar654]

*Protein


And I don't understand this, if you're going to track... why not track the other two macronutrients? Are they not important enough for you?

I have noticed with my general eating habits that if I get enough protein I tend to get enough carbs/fat as well for my goals. It was a trend I noticed from 3 years of daily tracking that overall it tends to remain in the same ballpark and my gains are still the same, so I just cut out counting the other macros to save some time.

[HStudio00]

I am confused a bit, how does one get abs? I know for all other muscles it's the saying of "eat big, lift big and get big". Is this the same for abs? Or is it something different?

Currently I am 141-142lbs (bulking at the moment), 17 years old and a height off 5"10/11. My body fat is pretty high maybe 16-18. Okay so obviously I want to get bigger and have abs. So what is the requirement or good routine/needs for it? Do you get it on a calorie surplus, deficit or something else? Yes I am this ****ing confused lol, neg me all you want. Just looking for a clear cut answer.

If you have strong abs, then you'll be able to see them at about 10% BF. Abs are all about low BF%. Getting your BF down to 8% will make them look really good. Do lots of ab exercises, create a calorie deficit, and get most of your calories from protein. Don't eat a lot of carbs at all.