abs/chest/stomach advice

[msb3079]

ok so to continue on the "getting in shape thread"

i've been doing lots for my bi's/tri's and continue to notice improvements. now i'm not saying i am HUGE or anything... but definately a big difference in a short time. so i feel like i'm on the right track there... and i've been taking the protein (whey and cassein) and been watching more what i eat.


my question now.. i've been doing a few hundred crunches per day... but thats it besides my arms. at first my stomach or gut whatever was going down (i thought) but now i don't think i'm doing the right things...

i'm sure diet is BIGGEST with this. i'm sure i need to be running which i'm not doing. and i'm sure i need to be doing much more than standard crunches. i also want to work my "lovehandles" (do i do those "sideward" crunches for that?)

so i'm more interested in chest/stomach/gut.
i know i'm asking a lot here... but maybe for the ones that are in shape in these areas.. you could just tell me what you workouts you do/food you eat. or just give me a few basic clues/hints.

thanks guys/girls - the advice you gave before was very good.

[partyman66]

Doing a ton of crunches and ab workouts is not going to get rid of your love handles, unless you are able to find some way to do soo many that your ab workout burns like 700 calories.... in which case your stomach would probably be in immense pain from the workout.

You definitely need to start off with some running or other serious fat-burning cardio workout.

Why don't you start off by telling us what your diet is like and we can comment on what is wrong with it or what to change. If someone offers you an entirely new diet that is completely different from what you currently eat, it's unlikely that you'll be able to stick to it for a long period of time.

Just list off some samples of what a typical day is like for you in terms of breakfast, snacks throughout the day and other meals, etc and about what times you eat them.

[jl9618]

Personally, I believe in working your core and then fine tuning from there. I would be doing more complex excersizes like Bench press, squats, etc. It has been proven that working your lower half will help stimulate growth in the upper half and vice versa.

As for chest, I like to work them with my triceps since the excersizes use a lot of the same muscles.

1 sets warm up flat bench press
6 sets flat bench 6-10 reps or until failure (same for all excersizes)
3 sets flat dumbell press
6 sets incline or decline bench press- I like to alternate routines with these
3 sets incline or decline dumbell press
3 sets of "bear hug"- can't remember actual name dumbell stretches

4 sets skull crushers with funny bar
4 sets tricep kick backs
4 sets tricep pull downs with high cable

MWF are for lifting weights while TT and sometimes Saturday for cardio in the morning. During the week I focus on sticking to my nutrition as much as possible with Sunday leftover as a "free" day- Eat whatever I want and don't have to worry about excersizing. Hope this helps a bit.

[Lardoggy]

Well, one thing you need to understand is that you can't "spot" reduce fat by focusing your workouts on a specific muscle group. In other words, your body will burn fat off in its own way, the location from which it burns off cant be dicated be the nature of the excercises you do. The fat will burn off in many places (us guys just have a concentration of it right around our wasteline) not just in one location.

By doing a lot of crunches, you'll certainly build some muscle there but if may end up just being muscle hidden underneath some fat and, therefore, go unseen. Another thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of muscles in the "abdominal" area many of which don't get touched just be doing crunches. By working the lower abs (via leg lift type excercises), the obliques (twisting movements) and even the lower back (lumbar) will provide better muscular balance to the whole area.

As already suggested, kicking up the cardio will likely work better than just doing more crunches.

[superdude]

i actually did chest at the gym today and here was my workout---

One Arm Incline Press with DB's-3 sets of 6-8
Wide Grip bench- 2 Sets of 8
narrow grip bench- 2 Sets of 8
Pushups-3 sets of 15 w/weight added
Incline Flys-3 sets of 10
Decline Flys- 3 sets of 10

hits everything imaginable in ur chest

[Neftali]

A few Corona's & @ least 2 double shots of hennessy (but any cheap hooch'll work) per nite... & u'll turn in2 Atlus in no time!!

[ironrice]

Can't really comment on the fat burning because I haven't done too much research on it. I'm actually trying to gain weight. However, if you want to get bigger muscle mass for your chest here is my 2 cents. I've been reading that using a bar for bench press is the best excersize. So use standard presses like incline, decline, and straight, dumbell flys don't really do too much so you can save that for the end. Also, to build muscle you have to work it to failure every workout. You can do JL's routine to start but once you get your muscles fit somewhat from my research it's best to do 3-4 set of 8 rep of heavy weights to failure. Also, many pple do not press enough to start gaining muscles. Find your max press or curls or whatever and then at least start with 60% of that weight. I've been working out for about an year and my max press is at 315lbs and I weigh 150. So it does work, for me at least. It's also important to eat a high protein meal within 1.5 hrs after your workout. Your body will be starving for some nutrients to replenish your muscles. Also, it's good to switch up your routine. So do the 3-4 set one day and then do JL routine another day. For stomach the roman chair is pretty good. Also, what really works for me is using the big ball to do crunches. It doesn't use your leg muscle and it concentrates your abs. Also, like JL said it good to workout every part of your body not just your torso.

[jayelleseven]

Originally Posted by msb3079

i also want to work my "lovehandles" (do i do those "sideward" crunches for that?)

theres a quick answer to your luvhandle question, you really cant burn that shit off, Ive tried and AM STILL trying. Doing all the ab workouts, great or not, and plenty of em really wont help. I am however, doin much more runnin/cardio n still watching what i eat.

I have a comparison photo between my friend and I who barely works out his abs yet my luvhandles show up jus as well as his... =/ Dunno if i should put it up tho haha, perhaps 2 boldly state my point_

[msb3079]

Originally Posted by partyman66

Just list off some samples of what a typical day is like for you in terms of breakfast, snacks throughout the day and other meals, etc and about what times you eat them.

weekdays:

breakfast - usually just a 20 oz cup of coffee. sometimes i get a breakfast sandwich but barely. today i had cassein. (8am)

lunch- depends... sometimes some type of pizza? 2 slices. today i had an eggplant panini from Bertucci's. a lot of times i goto WaWa and normally get hoagies. but now i've been getting turkey and cheese on wheat bread. and now i cut out the cheetos and get baked lays or sun chips. (12pm)

i usually don't snack in the day.. if i do - lately its just been peanuts.
lately i've been drinking water all day in the office.

dinner- alot of times i dont even eat it. if i do it's some type of pasta. various... mac and cheese or maybe even alfredo sauce. but usually pasta. a lot of nights i dont even eat tho.

weekends:

really varies.. if i get up late i won't eat for a while. i find that i normally eat when i have a set time (lunch break at work) or if i'm going out to dinner or someone makes me dinner. lol

i really have cut down on the snacking and large portions. i don't eat the 2-3 cheesesteaks like i used to... unless in a bet - which i still can easily do, lol

also.. how bad is coffee for you? and is propel good or bad?


i'm open to suggestions for food. i really don't know what is good/bad... and i would be up to changing a lot off my diet, except for beer on party nights and coffee......

[Hexxum001]

^^^^What about all of the alchohol (i.e. beer) that you drink msb?? Did you forget that?? That is a big part of your diet too.

[Lardoggy]

Looks like there are a few opportunities with regards to your diet. Here's a link that gives a good overview of how to approach your diet given your goals:

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/7

[partyman66]

I don't really have time to comment too much in depth on anything at the moment because I need to go to a meeting at work...

But I will tell you that you need to cut way down on the pasta dinners. Pasta is one of the most fattening foods out there because of all the Carbs. Us runners stock up on carbs by eating lots of pasta and breads a day or 2 before a long(more than 6 miles) race so that we have enough stored energy to get us through the race without buning off muscle.

You might want to try eating 2 half-sized meals throughout the day and afternoon instead of one big dinner or lunch as well, so that the excess food that you consume at one helping doesn't get turned into body fat. This will require discipline though, as you'll probably want to fill up at each helping.

[uhohNumber2brb]

my gf told me she heard from Oprah that coffee is pretty fattening for you....I used to drink coffee every morning too, then i stop and didn't lose any weight, and i just got used to it and I rarely drink coffee now....

You might want to try and replace your coffee with green tea, its good for you and help burns fat.....

[superdude]

green tea taste pretty good too

[msb3079]

i could consider a switch to green tea... but if i put cream and sugar in it - is it really any better??

does anyone know technically how bad coffee is?