low fb but can't see six-pack

[mips92]

Hi!

I've been cutting for a few months now and am at about 9+%bf in that pic and at 118lbs.
I'm about 5"7.

I'm only 2lbs away from being underweight. I cannot really cut anymore. I've been doing 1K Calorie days (carnivore diet) and am am not sleeping well (going to bed hungry). I'm sick of not eating and feel like **** (cranky and always hungry).

I can kinda see 6pack, but it's not like what I expected at this low bf. Not like the pics online of what you should look like sub 10%.

2nd pic is after doing 150 crunches and so you can see it more defined.

What's going on here? thanks

[xsquid99]

What's going on here? thanks

Whats going on here is you need more muscle on your body. You can't just cut yourself to a nice ripped physique unless you've spent years building that physique up in a calorie surplus coupled with a consistent strength training program.

Reverse course, start building. In 2-3 years try again.

[Luclin999]

You don't have the muscle base required to have visible "abs" no matter how low a BF percentage you go.

The number of people who think that all they have to do is "get skinny" and they will suddenly looked "ripped" amazes me.

"Abs" are abdominal muscles and like any other muscles they need to be built up (usually with hard work over time) in order to look defined when rested and relaxed.

You wouldn't expect to have "huge defined biceps" from simply losing weight, so why did you expect to have ripped, defined abs from doing so?

[mips92]

You don't have the muscle base required to have visible "abs" no matter how low a BF percentage you go.

The number of people who think that all they have to do is "get skinny" and they will suddenly looked "ripped" amazes me.

"Abs" are abdominal muscles and like any other muscles they need to be built up (usually with hard work over time) in order to look defined when rested and relaxed.

You wouldn't expect to have "huge defined biceps" from simply losing weight, so why did you expect to have ripped, defined abs from doing so?

That makes perfect sense, thanks. Like lot of ppl, I was misled, bc it seems like legit every article on the internet says something like, "forget crunches..all you need to do is get your bf low enough to see abs". Hardly ever do these articles say you need the muscle first.

Seems like common sense now. But what do you recommend I do now? Bulk and eat and forget about any fat I accrue again? I'd like to not lose some of the "leanness" I've gotten and get a belly again.

[Bigdumogre]

That makes perfect sense, thanks. Like lot of ppl, I was misled, bc it seems like legit every article on the internet says something like, "forget crunches..all you need to do is get your bf low enough to see abs". Hardly ever do these articles say you need the muscle first.

Seems like common sense now. But what do you recommend I do now? Bulk and eat and forget about any fat I accrue again? I'd like to not lose some of the "leanness" I've gotten and get a belly again.

Eat at a small surplus and lift heavy. Gonna be a few years before you get to where you want

[xsquid99]

But what do you recommend I do now? Bulk and eat and forget about any fat I accrue again? I'd like to not lose some of the "leanness" I've gotten and get a belly again.

You don't have to bulk at such a rate that you get a belly, but you will have to accept "some" fat gain with bulking, its just part of the process. At your size I wouldn't aim for anything over 1-1.5 lbs per month of gain, otherwise you'll just end up putting on a lot of fat. Ensure you're following a structured program with a focus on progressive overload.

[Tommy W.]

The "abs are made in the kitchen" theory is way off. Do you just diet down to see your biceps? Pecs? Lats? No, you build them up then diet down to expose the muscle. For some reason people think abs live in an alternate universe where the basic rules don't apply.

Build abs like any other muscle, slight caloric surplus and lots of direct ab work. The "Just do compounds" applies to very few lifters. Those are the guys with a great natural ab structure and that isn't the norm for most people.

[brit-iron]

All muscle is made in the kitchen, but first you have to break the muscle down.

[Tommy W.]

All muscle is made in the kitchen, but first you have to break the muscle down.

No, you need to build the muscle up.

[XinXom]

No, you need to build the muscle up.

I think he just meant the actual process of weight lilting breaks muscle down so that future meals can build them back up

[SuffolkPunch]

I think he just meant the actual process of weight lilting breaks muscle down so that future meals can build them back up

That is kind of a myth. It used to be believed that muscle damage (microtrauma) was a cause of muscle growth. It's not, it's more of a coinciding effect - too much has actually been shown to harm results.

[Tommy W.]

I think he just meant the actual process of weight lilting breaks muscle down so that future meals can build them back up

Well that's STILL wrong.

[AdamWW]

So, you're following a horrible diet, massively undereating, and you feel like crap?

Yeah, that'll happen.

Also i'm not sure how you're assessing your BF% but it's not 9%

You haven't even mentioned training, etc...

Basically all you're doing is starving yourself and apparently not training in any real capacity... that's why you are where you are.

[AlexSays]

For a start everything mentioned above ^^ you do not have the mass to have great abs at any BF

Secondly you are nowhere near 9% bodyfat. Ignore all bodyfat scales, they are wildly inaccurate. You would be able to see your abs at 9% bodyfat, they would just be very underdeveloped and not look at all how you want them to. You would also be a twig

Work on building for a while