Help, Serious issue, I'm frustrated.

[HONGOGRIMES]

I know I've had posts that have not liked, but this is a real problem that I have since I started the gym. Since I started until today I never had all the abs visible, it should be remembered that I had obesity in my childhood and I have in case the skin a thicker tone than what a skinny boy has. This summer I go down from 85 to 74kg, clearly I lose a lot of fat but I always have the same problem, I define all the parts of my body however the belly turns flat but the abs look like soft and retained, I could never have cracked them. The problem is that I searched until I was skinny and I managed to be lean but the abdomen without consistency or hardness. Will it be because I train them a little? (I hate abs exercises) or should I just get used to being a skinny for life? my idea is to go up slowly now but to go up, I have lost mass and I need to earn it. I know that maybe I need to lower the fat even more but I have already tried it and I lose mass and strength.

 

[pesty4077]

Posting a picture would help, but some people have genetically bad abs. Not everyone with a flat waist has a deep 6 pack or chiseled abs.

 

[thethinker48]

Some of you guys have stupid easy lives if this is a "serious" issue.

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[NEMSZ]

If you “hate” training abs then that could be part of the issue.. I can tell you I trained my abs when I was young probably more than anything else because I was in martial arts for a number of year and even when I got into lifting weights at 17ish I would workout abs a lot, so even when I’ve gotten to higher bodyfat like 14-15% my abs still show just not as deep..

Contrary to the popular fad of “abs are made in the kitchen” that’s such bullshit.. You need to train your core just as much as every other muscle or it will be underdeveloped...

Take a guy who’s lets say 240lbs and 20-25ish% bodyfat @ 5’9, is he supposed to look like Frank Zane just because he gets down to 185lbs but doesn’t stimulate his muscles? Nooooo...

You’re asking the same thing from your abs....

 

[Elvia1023]

Some of you guys have stupid easy lives if this is a "serious" issue.

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I thought he may have injured himself but no surprises

OP you need to post a pic.

Although the fact you hate training your abs tells a lot. They get hit during various movements so if you have good ab genetics you don't need to train them directly to look great (everyone should still train them). An example of someone with great ab genetics is Dexter Jackson and he doesn't train abs (well he said that in a recent video). However I strongly recommend you train them hard. They need to grow so when you diet down they are revealed. You want them to "pop". Many don't like heavy ab exercises but I do. I recommend a mixture of bodyweight and resistance training for abs (mostly bodyweight stuff). Lot's of leg/knee raises, planks but I also like some heavy crunches (or similar).

I think I have fairly decent ab genetics (one of the only things I do have) but I train them brutally hard. When I was a kid I would do stupid things like 1000-3000 sit ups everynight. Then I used to lift/crunch massive weight when I was about 16-23. I have had breaks from training them but I try to hit them twice weekly now. Come to think of it maybe I don't have good ab genetics In all seriousness start training them if you want them to improve.

 

[pickapeck]

Thinking ousted the box here. Many sports train the whole body especially core. If you never did organized sports chances are you have not developed the core musculature. Might want to try hitting the heavy bag. Even better yet, o some jujitsu or judo couple times a week on and of for a few years.

 

[johnjuanb1]

Start training abdominals before each workout.
Do them first. Get them over with first.
What built my abs was doing rope crunches.
Get on your knees and bend your arms with the rope handles on the side of your head. Do 4 giant sets consisting of 15 crunches slightly to the left focusing on the left abdominals, 15 reps slightly to the right focusing on the right side abdominals, and 15 rep forward working the entire midsection. This is 1 set of 45 reps. Do 4 total sets. You’ll develop very good abs quickly.

 

[lif22]

Definitely have to train them. Most people use body weight or light weight for abs yet they train every other muscle with heavy weight. Use heavy weights to train abs. They are just like every other muscle.

 

[LK3]

ill be honest in that my mid section largely looked like shit until my early/mid 30s.

i had gained and lost 100lbs more then once and the skin on my lower stomach is a bit loose and stretchmarky but leaning out dose clean things up.

patience/work/diet

now even when "fat" or at my worst my stomach probably looks better then my best 10-15 years ago.

 

[HONGOGRIMES]

Thank you very much to all, I have worked hard today and I was able to train one hour only. I will upload a photo soon so you can see. The thinker, maybe I exaggerated, they just did not want to take it as a nonsense since it may seem insignificant to talk about abs but honestly, with what I like bodybuilding, training and striving I have never achieved this and believe me it is sad

 

[maldorf]

Genetics

A lot of it is genetics, like some others have said, but everyone can build abs that show. The genetics are what determine the shape and symmetry of the muscle.

Juliette Bergmann had great abs and I remember reading an interview with her. She said that she really never trained her abs or calves for that matter, at least not much. Those are two of her strongest parts too. I still remember reading that and thinking "damn"!

 

[alfresco]

my opinion . . .

Let’s establish two very important points at the start.

Abdominal shape is largely determined by genetics.
And where you store fat (i.e., ab visibility) is largely
genetic.

The ability to build the musculature of abdominal
wall through progressive resistance training is some-
thing that we all possess but what they will eventually
look like is genetics and diet.

Am not going to delve into all the people who have
great abs with zero training (plenty of examples) as
that would serve no purpose for you own right now,
would only serve to confuse.

Personally, if I were to weight train them, I would
approach them like any other body part (why not, a
muscle is a muscle is a muscle); train them with pro-
gressive resistance with a variety of exercises over
time, with ample time off to recover.

Somebody here once said that a skinny guy with abs
is like a fat girl with tits . . . it doesn’t count. Am not
sure I agree with that in its entirety but most anybody
can get ‘decent’ abs with proper training and diet.

I can think of only one ‘exception,’ right now, a National
and Olympia level competitor who despite his best
efforts never had good abs; a tight waist yes, a six
pack no, no matter how had he tried, and I’m sure he
tried about everything, was Boyer Coe. World class
calves and arms but strange, barely visible abs, never
a traditional six pack.


Lastly . . . posting a foto of your abs would help this
discussion.

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Sorry OP, I feel like I've "given it to ya straight" before and im going to give it to you straight again.

Couple things from your post. You dieted from 184 to 162...im assuming this means you aren't carrying a TON of muscle anyways. AND from your comment, you are saying that everywhere is lean except your stomach. This is probably the most common thing I hear from random ass guys in the gym. "Man I was leaaannn but I think its my genetics, I can get like crazy abs."

No, it has nothing to do with your "genetics," you just weren't THAT LEAN. I have a feeling that if you showed us your picture at that 162 weight you'd still be around 10% bf

 

[Elvia1023]

Start training abdominals before each workout.
Do them first. Get them over with first.
What built my abs was doing rope crunches.
Get on your knees and bend your arms with the rope handles on the side of your head. Do 4 giant sets consisting of 15 crunches slightly to the left focusing on the left abdominals, 15 reps slightly to the right focusing on the right side abdominals, and 15 rep forward working the entire midsection. This is 1 set of 45 reps. Do 4 total sets. You’ll develop very good abs quickly.

This is what I often do. I don't go too heavy. Although sometimes I will literally go light (still 1/4-1/3 of the rack) and do 20-25 reps on the right then left then centre so 75 reps total. Many times I have even carried on the sequence with no rest between 3 or so supersets (225 reps). Obviously that is only possible with lighter weight but it works for abs. Literally 10 mins and abs are destroyed.

The key like any body part is mind-muscle connection and feeling it. I can do sit ups were I am barely moving and the burn is incredible because the connection is there. As many have stated though play about with rep ranges and do some very heavy sets for lower reps (no less than 8). I also recommend a variety of planks for many reasons.

 

[HONGOGRIMES]

I'm clearly not too much lean, but a normal person is already starting to see their abs with a certain percentage of fat, I feel that if I keep going down I'm a child who never plays a dumbbell because I lost too much weight.

Sorry OP, I feel like I've "given it to ya straight" before and im going to give it to you straight again.

Couple things from your post. You dieted from 184 to 162...im assuming this means you aren't carrying a TON of muscle anyways. AND from your comment, you are saying that everywhere is lean except your stomach. This is probably the most common thing I hear from random ass guys in the gym. "Man I was leaaannn but I think its my genetics, I can get like crazy abs."

No, it has nothing to do with your "genetics," you just weren't THAT LEAN. I have a feeling that if you showed us your picture at that 162 weight you'd still be around 10% bf

 

[HONGOGRIMES]

https://ibb.co/jVQ3NG9
https://ibb.co/w4h1FsC
the one that I'm fatter is current, 1 month of change

Sorry OP, I feel like I've "given it to ya straight" before and im going to give it to you straight again.

Couple things from your post. You dieted from 184 to 162...im assuming this means you aren't carrying a TON of muscle anyways. AND from your comment, you are saying that everywhere is lean except your stomach. This is probably the most common thing I hear from random ass guys in the gym. "Man I was leaaannn but I think its my genetics, I can get like crazy abs."

No, it has nothing to do with your "genetics," you just weren't THAT LEAN. I have a feeling that if you showed us your picture at that 162 weight you'd still be around 10% bf

 

[Elvia1023]

https://ibb.co/jVQ3NG9
https://ibb.co/w4h1FsC
the one that I'm fatter is current, 1 month of change

I was expecting worse. You have a good base to work from. I wouldn't put yourself down. 19 year old natural you are fine just keep at it and stay consistent. Just stick to a basic but progressive routine. Start training your abs hard. Once you build more muscle if you lose some body fat they will look much better. Over time if you build a lot of muscle and work your abs hard they will look much better even when you are not as lean. I believe you mentioned the gyno is from puberty once and it obviously needs to be fixed.

 

[joos23]

You guys doing weighted abs for the lower portion or real nice and slow hanging leg raises?

 

[jeroendebleser]

I prefer machine crunches hard and heavy, like you'd train any other muscle group really. OP you don't have an issue, you're simply not lean enough to see your six-pack. But you have one just like all of us have one underneath the blubber, so no worries. I'd say at your current development level, don't worry too much about the abs for now. Like you say, if you diet down now there'll be nothing left. I'd focus on putting some quality weight on and only when you have done that would I start thinking about dieting down for the sixpack.

 

[pesty4077]

Not bad structure, but you just have to work more on your abs. You also could be even leaner to be more define, which I don't see the point right now if your are trying to put on more size.