Bulking body up

R-evans · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:00

Not sure if a PC forum is the best place to ask this, but I want to get rid of my gut and swap it for a nice six pack

I am not fat at all as I cycle to work everyday and I have quite broad shoulders and big arms, but probably due to the food and beer I consume, my gut is a bit flabby (really not noticible if you saw me) but not nice for my slim girlfriend to see all the time in private or when I am on holiday with my shirt off

What's the best way to bulk up your mid-rift? I have a slight back problem which causes a bit of discomfort if I do sit-ups, but I can do a few. Are there any other good way to tone that area up?

Wyrdo · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:00

Check the sports sub forum

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=13

R-evans · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:01

Probably doesn't help that I am drinking beer and eating dorritos while watching lord of the rings right now.

Guest2 · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:07

By not eating crap and drinking loads. Also doing lots of cardio and situps

Says me who is currently on my 5th glass or Red whilst sat on my ass

Begbie · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:08

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online...ing_performance/core_training_for_smart_folks

But really, you want to hit all of your body.

So get squatting!

And, situps are useless.

wedgie · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:11

LoTR is scientifically proven to make people obese within 6 months of viewing.

R-evans · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:18

wedgie said:
LoTR is scientifically proven to make people obese within 6 months of viewing.

Haha, it's on channel 4 and I am not paying attention, I didn't choose to watch it.

Does that still count?

delta0 · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:19

If situps are useless then you have too much fat around the waist. They give you awesome abs. Similar are raised leg situp and crunch. Also good for the lower oblique abs, V muscle.

Saytan · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:24

delta0 said:
If situps are useless then you have too much fat around the waist. They give you awesome abs. Similar are raised leg situp and crunch. Also good for the lower oblique abs, V muscle.

Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.

TheCenturion · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:29

R-evans said:
Not sure if a PC forum is the best place to ask this, but I want to get rid of my gut and swap it for a nice six pack

I am not fat at all as I cycle to work everyday and I have quite broad shoulders and big arms, but probably due to the food and beer I consume, my gut is a bit flabby (really not noticible if you saw me) but not nice for my slim girlfriend to see all the time in private or when I am on holiday with my shirt off

What's the best way to bulk up your mid-rift? I have a slight back problem which causes a bit of discomfort if I do sit-ups, but I can do a few. Are there any other good way to tone that area up?

First of all, you need to decide what your goals are. Your post indicates you have a few misconceptions.

Do you want to bulk up, or lose fat? Bulking up means eating more calories than you burn, which when coupled with a weight training program leads to more muscle and inevitably some more fat.

But from your post, it seems you want a six pack. In which case, you'll be wanting to lose fat. In order to be able to see your abdominal muscles, you need to lose fat.

In order to lose fat, you need to burn more calories each day than you eat.

Doing situps will do very little towards achieving your goals (I'm assuming your goal is to get a six pack). It's a pretty poor exercise for working out your abs, and won't do anything for anyone ever. Situps won't add any mass to your abs, and won't help you burn many calories either.

What you need to do is eat less (cutting out junk food and beer is a good start).

In a nutshell, if you burn more calories than you eat each day, you will reach your goal. It will likely take weeks or months though, and won't happen overnight.

Saytan said:
Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.

Listen to this man!

icecold · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:30

delta0 said:
If situps are useless then you have too much fat around the waist. They give you awesome abs. Similar are raised leg situp and crunch. Also good for the lower oblique abs, V muscle.

Is this a serious post?

Sit ups are terrible.

OP, it sounds like you need to drop a lot of body fat. Sort your diet out.

If you want to add some muscle, start a weights routine and sort your diet out.

Paul11 · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:32

Saytan said:
Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.

this !

delta0 · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:35

Saytan said:
Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.

Absolutely. You need to be lean for the situps to show. They are also one of the many core exercises. I used to do a lot of sit ups when I was playing rugby and had an awesome six pack and V muscle at the time. Later I was involved heavily in martial arts and it was very good for improving balance. Now I don't do as many as I used to but have leaned back down again and situps have certainly helped enhance their appearance. I'm not lean enough for the v muscle yet (Christmas does not help!!!!). Diet is the number one thing to help abs show through. Bulging abs and v muscle you need to work on.

TheCenturion · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:36

delta0 said:
I used to do a lot of sit ups when I was playing rugby and had an awesome six pack and V muscle at the time. .

Your abs would have looked the same with or without situps.

R-evans · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:38

Well, I guess I want to lose fat. I am not really bothered about a six pack.

I eat very healthy usually (not xmas time) as my girlfriend is a bit of a health freak so my calorie intake isn't very high (besides booze) and I cycle a lot and play football.

I guess I have a beer belly (although I read recently that this does not exist)

So if I eat healthy and do a lot physical exercise, my belly will go? I can't see it just dropping away without some sort of concentration on the area.

delta0 · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:41

TheCenturion said:
Your abs would have looked the same with or without situps.

They were distinctly stronger as a result of the situps. I was very lean before (100m sprinter) i started the rugby and when I finished (university taking up too much time) the abs were much bigger.

For interest, I like Muhammad Ali's quote: "I don’t count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting. When I feel pain, that’s when I start counting, because that’s when it really counts."

TheCenturion · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:44

R-evans said:
I can't see it just dropping away without some sort of concentration on the area.

Ask yourself, what is body fat? If you've studied science, you'll know body fat is a store of energy. If you haven't studied science, well then I'm telling you that body fat is a store of energy.

When you eat too much food, the excess is stored as fat. So when you cut the calories in your diet, your body needs to get the rest of the energy from somewhere right? Well it gets it from your fat cells. Ie: it has NOTHING to do with concentration on the area

R-evans · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:47

How big a cut are we talking? I am a big lad (height not wide), but I probably usually eat about 1500 calories a day.

I have cut bread from my diet too.

Begbie · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:48

R-evans said:
Well, I guess I want to lose fat. I am not really bothered about a six pack.

I eat very healthy usually (not xmas time) as my girlfriend is a bit of a health freak so my calorie intake isn't very high (besides booze) and I cycle a lot and play football.

I guess I have a beer belly (although I read recently that this does not exist)

So if I eat healthy and do a lot physical exercise, my belly will go? I can't see it just dropping away without some sort of concentration on the area.

You can't concentrate fat loss on one area.

You can add mass, and muscle to your body all over.

It may not seem what you want, but have a look at Riptoes Starting Strength or even the sticky in here for a good place to start.

TheCenturion · 29 Dec 2012 at 21:48

delta0 said:
They were distinctly stronger as a result of the situps. I was very lean before (100m sprinter) i started the rugby and when I finished (university taking up too much time) the abs were much bigger.

That's because you played rugby. I can't imagine it had anything to do with situps.

Correlation =/= causation.