# I shall have abs of steel by Valentines day(2009)!



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

ok, this is a follow up to my "get abs of steel by june" thread
so I learned alot about fitness from the last thread, so this time i shall give myself more time and learn from the past mistakes. I set 2 weeks to adjust my body to a rigorous training schedule, then 12 weeks of intense fitness, then one week of rest, and 12 more weeks of intense training

each 12 week session shall have one break day, and 3 days of weights and 3 days of cardio(body-for-life plan)

i begin August 3rd 2008, when i get home from my vacation and finish febuary 14th 2009


last time i had this goal, my two main problems were motivation and reason to continue.

motivation will come from seeing my future self as super fit and super sexy. whenever i am in pain or too tired to work out, i will remember that picture and endure the pain for the dream!

as for reason, it seems foolish to get fit with social anxiety, since I dont interact with people anyway, so how will it change my life?? 
to solve this, i will do the following:
1)I will realize it will change my life, cause Im doing this more for myself, this time, than for others 
2)I will be doing lots and lots of CBT as of september to keep up my hope that I can overcome SA enough


----------



## kikachuck (Nov 10, 2003)

Be sure to keep posting here about your progress. Keep you honest :lol


----------



## Gerard (Feb 3, 2004)

Good luck, Ajay!

I hope you accomplish it.

Best wishes,
Gerard


----------



## ezpk (Feb 11, 2008)

good luck. what program?


----------



## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

wish you luck i had success on the abs diet which doesnt let u lose focus and motivation


----------



## barodamike (Jul 27, 2008)

try ab ripper x


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

ok, training and prep week is complete
Ive begun my first week of the program
before pics have been taken. my first workout yesterday went quite well


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

MavenMI6Agent009 said:


> wish you luck i had success on the abs diet which doesnt let u lose focus and motivation


thanks, i signed up for it. Body for life doesnt go into much detail for abs, so this is perfect :banana



barodamike said:


> try ab ripper x


looks good, i may give this a try for my 2nd 12 weeks


----------



## Jumper1989 (Aug 24, 2007)

Good luck man.


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

week one completed with great success! 
11 more to go


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

week two completed well, cardio and nutrition and weight lifting is going great!
however my ab muscles seem to keep spasming when i do sit ups! this isnt good!
I dont think its a hernia cause theres no lump, so im assuming the muscle just isnt used to excersize. I know ive always had this problem with just ab excersizes, so Im gona have to take it slow. but the main components of this plan are going great, so thats great! yay


----------



## ardrum (May 13, 2007)

You'll have more visible abs with reducing body fat percentage alone. A lot of people with visible abs don't go too crazy with ab workouts. 

Keep it up though! I like hearing about these exercise plans and knocking them down. I also like that you're doing this for yourself and nobody else!


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

thanks everyone, appriciate all the encouragement, its all very helpful

and week 3 is done, and your right, abs are about body fat %
so ive purchaced a body fat % measuring scale so i dont have to pay for an assessment everytime i wanna know how fat i am

and Ive gone down to 17% from 20% in these last 3 weeks. they say you get the 6-pac abs at 10%, so this is good! Im losing a percent every week 

my waist measurements are down too, yay! 

all excersizes are going good and are being done, proper warmup, stretches, cooldown and stretches are being done for every workout. Ive added more variety to my excersizes to prevent injury further. and yoga is being done as well, to make chance of injury nothing. And most important of all, nutrition is going perfect, i havent cheated once.


----------



## ardrum (May 13, 2007)

Awesome, AJ!

I also recently ordered a body fat/scale device. Reducing body fat percentage is my main exercise goal.

I've started a total body pilates program that involves a hybridized yoga program as well. I'm also running, doing pushups, and using dumbbells. 

Where did you hear about the 10% for 6-pack abs? Just curious.

In my experience, it's the initial consistency in exercise that is most difficult. Once I'm a month or more in, it's a lot easier for me to maintain an exercise routine.

I think the lowest my body fat percentage ever got though was maybe 15% or possibly a few tenths lower (I was measured at a gym at 15% during my marathon training). I can't imagine hitting 10%, but I'm going for solidly sub 15% as my main goal.


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

ardrum said:


> Awesome, AJ!
> 
> I also recently ordered a body fat/scale device. Reducing body fat percentage is my main exercise goal.
> 
> ...


hey, I do the hybridized pilate yoga class at my gym all the time! its quite nice
I actually ask the personal trainer who does my fitness assessment everytime on how to get 6-pac abs, and they always say get the body fat% to 8-10.

the lowest i ever got was 14%, and that was in 2006. I wish i had become more serious back then and kept going at it, but i went lazy and depressed about SA and stopped excersizing and eating right.

so i gotta undo the damage I guess, oh well. Im just glad im doing something about this and am serious this time and using better techniques to stay motivated 

15% is a good goal, they always told me thats a nice healthy percentage to have.


----------



## ardrum (May 13, 2007)

I just dug my body fat analyzer thing out that I used back when I paid more attention to the percentage.

I'm not sure about it's accuracy, since it can vary a lot. I tested myself a bunch of times just now though, and the range was 13.9% to 14.6%.

I have a scale/body fat measurer coming soon, so it will be interesting to compare the results to each other. Who knows though, I might be at 15% right now (or lower given this test's results).


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

yeah, you gotta have a good one

my old one says i was 23% when the fitness assessment said i was 20%


----------



## julie cooper (Jul 3, 2008)

~AJ~ said:


> ok, this is a follow up to my "get abs of steel by june" thread
> so I learned alot about fitness from the last thread, so this time i shall give myself more time and learn from the past mistakes. I set 2 weeks to adjust my body to a rigorous training schedule, then 12 weeks of intense fitness, then one week of rest, and 12 more weeks of intense training
> 
> each 12 week session shall have one break day, and 3 days of weights and 3 days of cardio(body-for-life plan)
> ...


body for life is amazing and by the way if you follow body for life then you'll have abbs of steel in 12 weeks never mind doing a second 12 weeks


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

julie cooper said:


> body for life is amazing and by the way if you follow body for life then you'll have abbs of steel in 12 weeks never mind doing a second 12 weeks


 I hope so!! whatever, ill do it twice just to be sure 

but daa, my body fat seems to be stuck at 17%. my excersize hasnt changed, so i must be eating too much. I hereby declare all meals to be cut in half! with the execption of breakfast


----------



## Solitario (Aug 28, 2008)

But will you have a woman to see those abs of steel?


----------



## ardrum (May 13, 2007)

There are rich benefits to being fit that don't rely upon others' approval.


----------



## Solitario (Aug 28, 2008)

ardrum said:


> There are rich benefits to being fit that don't rely upon others' approval.


Nah. No rich benefit to having abs of steel besides women, unless you're gonna be doing some MMA.


----------



## ardrum (May 13, 2007)

OK.


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

psssh, ill just go to the beach and prance around, i dont need any girlfriend


----------



## ardrum (May 13, 2007)

Silly AJ! You're not allowed to experience benefits of your exercise that don't involve women's approval (apparently). :lol


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

ok, 6 weeks in, 6 weeks to go
Body fat% is at 15.8%, yay
when i started, i was 20%, so i guess that aint bad

thats about 9 lbs of fat lost in 6 weeks

I also have gained about 2lbs of muscle, and 0.2 lbs of bone mass in the last 3 weeks

so everything seems to be going good 

I hope i can make it to 10% body fat in the 6 weeks left


----------



## ardrum (May 13, 2007)

6 weeks left?


----------



## deonvan (Oct 7, 2008)

How is you social anxiety since you start exercising does it help tremendously or a little bit only? Thanks.


----------



## 4_relief (Aug 17, 2008)

jus take roids then u shall have anb of steel in days lol


----------



## 4_relief (Aug 17, 2008)

straight up forget anxiety and just become a beasst..no more fear


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

deonvan said:


> How is you social anxiety since you start exercising does it help tremendously or a little bit only? Thanks.


just a little bit, i wouldnt call it the cure for SA by any means


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

4_relief said:


> jus take roids then u shall have anb of steel in days lol


hahaha, no


----------



## ~AJ~ (Jan 23, 2008)

oh man
15.0 % Body fat today
half way there, 5% to go
its getting harder to lose fat, the lower I go

4 weeks left of the 12-week challenge. I dont think im gona make 10%, but I will make it there before 2009

so its all good


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

damnit, im stuck at 15.0%!!! gaaaaa

everything is perfect, nutrition, excersize

but everday, same thing, 15.0%!!


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

aah, i had to take last week off from excersizing
I lost my super human energy for some odd reason.
Maybe after 9 weeks of regular excersize i just got pooped
or maybe being stuck at 15% BF is making me lose motivation

I slipped to 15.8%, so im still trapped in the 15th percentile

but im back, energized and ready again, Im gona try new stratgies now to lose fat. Its real hard now to lose any fat, I just dont have much left to lose, haha


----------



## sanspants08 (Oct 21, 2008)

I'm inspired. Lost touch with the whole fitness thing a few months ago, have to catch up. More sedentary job=badness if I don't get active. But yeah, must have abs of steel! Will, by New Year's.


----------



## Meee (Oct 24, 2005)

Good luck! I exercise regularly as well but my bodyfat % is prob quite high at the moment.. i was on some medication that had excessive hunger as a side effect so i was eating way too much food. Kind of annoying, really.

This is kind of a random question but what do you usually eat for breakfast? I need to change a few things in my diet i think. Although the fact that i no longer crave biscuits and chocolate is gonna make a huge difference.. stupid meds.

Also, what's your workout schedule? I'm doing 3 sessions of 1hr weight lifting (though usually i end up doing more.. i don't know if that's good or bad) and 1-3 of cardio. How long are your cardio sessions?

I don't know if i'll ever have 'abs of steel' but tbh i'm quite happy where i am at the moment.. i look a hell of a lot better than i used to.


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

Meee said:


> Good luck! I exercise regularly as well but my bodyfat % is prob quite high at the moment.. i was on some medication that had excessive hunger as a side effect so i was eating way too much food. Kind of annoying, really.
> 
> This is kind of a random question but what do you usually eat for breakfast? I need to change a few things in my diet i think. Although the fact that i no longer crave biscuits and chocolate is gonna make a huge difference.. stupid meds.
> 
> ...


for breakfast I usually have eggwhite and fiber1 cereal, or eggwhite sandwich(whole wheat bread), or oatmeal and eggwhite. oh ya, and veggies. so basically, a fist sized portion of protein, fist sized portion of high fiber good carb, and fist size portion of vegitables

I do 3 sessions of weights per week too that are about an hour. and 3 sessions of cardio. I do weights one day, and cardio the next, and then weights, etc
so i workout 6 days of the week and relax on one day.


----------



## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

If it weren't for Paxil fat, I'd be trim, too. I normally run 5.75mil/~9.25km four times a week. Just missing one outing two weeks in a row, and I feel like a blimp/dirigible/zeppelin - break out the fatpants. Going back to the fourth time out and it's like the fat gain never happened. 

AJ - even if you don't lose any more fat, you are still worth getting to know.


----------



## shyguy246 (Apr 27, 2006)

What do you do for cardio? Ever try High Intensity Interval Training?
Don't get too down about not being where you want to be yet. I mean, even if you got to 10% body fat by your goal date, would you just stop exercising or working out because you reached your goal? Of course not. Just keep going, try new things but don't give up because then you'll go back to where you started. Going from 20% bodyfat to 15% bodyfat is amazing. That's 50% of your goal.


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

millenniumman75 said:


> If it weren't for Paxil fat, I'd be trim, too. I normally run 5.75mil/~9.25km four times a week. Just missing one outing two weeks in a row, and I feel like a blimp/dirigible/zeppelin - break out the fatpants. Going back to the fourth time out and it's like the fat gain never happened.
> 
> AJ - even if you don't lose any more fat, you are still worth getting to know.


thats some good running! excellent! if you can do that while eating well, you'll get real fit.
ya, i am worth getting to know, I provide excellent body guard services as well as comic relief 



shyguy246 said:


> What do you do for cardio? Ever try High Intensity Interval Training?
> Don't get too down about not being where you want to be yet. I mean, even if you got to 10% body fat by your goal date, would you just stop exercising or working out because you reached your goal? Of course not. Just keep going, try new things but don't give up because then you'll go back to where you started. Going from 20% bodyfat to 15% bodyfat is amazing. That's 50% of your goal.


yeah HIIT cardio is my main thing, of course it is quite intense and can get a little risky for high impact excersizes like running, if your not used to it.

so im gona get into swimming now, since its like impossible to get injured doin that, and keep up the HIIT. and ill do cycling, eliptical and boxing too. Im gona tuffen up my legs with walking first, before I get back into running and stair climbing for HIIT, i just dont feel safe

yeah, 50% is done, but that next 50% is like 10 times harder..yay

once i reach 10%, I wont stop at all, no no, ill simply set a new goal. I might turn my attention towards other activities that Im now in good enough shape to do, like gymnastics, boxing, kickboxing, martial arts, breakdancing, sports, marathon etc

there will never stop being goals, theres always new challenges to conquer in life


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

alright, so im somewhere between 14-15% Body fat
Im getting a proper Body composition tomorrow, so ill know for sure

time for the next 12 week session

It actually already started on sunday, and it ends on valentines day, which is the end date for this goal thread

time to go back at it, hardcore!


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

well this planned went down the drain
morale is at an all time low

Im giving up on life


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

alright alright, so i went from 20% to 15%

time for round two
9 weeks till valentines day

not enough time!! aaah
ill just cut my calories and workout like a nutcase!!
thats what ill do!


----------



## DaveM (May 29, 2008)

_AJ_ said:


> alright alright, so i went from 20% to 15%
> 
> time for round two
> 9 weeks till valentines day
> ...


Not only is that unhealthy, but your weight will shoot back up once you return to eating normally. Don't cut calories under any circumstance. The goal here is to eat healthier supplies of foods, such as lean meats, plenty of vegetables, and tons of water.

As for cardio, don't bother running far for long periods of time- You're using the same amount of energy to burn less and less fat.

Let me ask you this; who yields the lowest bodyfat levels amongst the following olympians?

Sprinters or marathon runners?

If you said sprinters, you are correct. Why is that? It's simple biology. Your body adjusts to the amount of cardio you do, and despite spending long periods of time running, you'll only burn the same amount of fat. So, what do you do now? Run like a sprinter would. Warm up for 6-7 minute, and go on a pattern of running 2 minutes at 70-80% heartrate, followed by 1 minutes of 90-100% heartrate. Repeat the pattern for 20 minutes and cool down for 3-4 minutes. What does this do? Besides giving you a strong workout for your lungs and heart, as well as clear arteries, it also puts your metabolism into high gear for 48 hours after you last ran!

Do this 3-4 times a week, as well as eat healthy and you'll have abs of steel by Valentines day(2009). I want to give you one final word though- This does take dedication; if you start doing it on and off, you'll only have crappy results and you'll end up giving up on the whole.

As always, I suggest you look up what I suggested to get some more information (seeing as how I am not a doctor, although I did have success this way). Look up HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training. Good luck.

-Dave


----------



## yakubu (Nov 4, 2008)

_AJ_ said:


> alright alright, so i went from 20% to 15%
> 
> time for round two
> 9 weeks till valentines day
> ...


swimming is poor for cardio. no good for fat loss.

for fat loss try taking cla (tonalin) and lecithin granules but stear clear of fat burners

dont cut your meals in half. stick to 1 portion of carbs and protein per meal (fist sized portions). do not cut out carbs. your body uses carbs for energy. if no carbs are present it burns protein instead which means no protein for your muscles. no protein for muscles mean no muscle growth. muscle growth actually encourages fat loss as the more muscle you have the more calories your body needs therefore you lose weight cos your body needs more calories than u are consuming.

if your goal is fat loss and not really muscle gain then try myplex diet. this preserves muscle tissue whilst you lose weight also. you wont gain muscle but you will keep what you already have.

make sure you are not losing more than 2pound per week, any more than this is not fat you are losing , its muscle. it may sound good on the scale but it wont look good in the mirror.

example meal plan :

breki - 1 carb and 1 protein
snack -myplex diet 
dinner -1 carb and 1 protein
snack -myplex diet
tea- 1 carb amnd 1 protein 
before bed -1 carb and 1 protein or myplex diet

do NOT do extra cardio. not even an extra 5 or 10 mins and especially not an extra day or extra session

tip for body for life. ive done it in the past and had no much success due to a few mistakes. the high point - its the most important part. you absolutely must reach a level 9 and 10 in the high point. muscles grow when you tear them. level 9 and 10 is what tears them. level 5, 6, 7, 8 does nothing in regards to tearing them. the book advises that for the 5th set you decrease weight to about the same as your 3rd set but i found that in order to reach a level 9 i had to increase the weight more than the 4th set e.g

12 reps 5kg
10 reps 6kg
8 reps 7kg
6 reps 8kg
12 reps 10kg (according to the book this set should have been about 7kg. however 7kg simply did not produce a level 9 for me)

make sure you switch up exercises every 4-6 weeks. if youve been doing squat and leg extension for quads for 4-6 weeks then change it to leg press and leg extension instead

make sure you frequently increase wieghts. aim for a weekly increase or at least every 2 sessions. never go more than 2 sessions without increasing the weight. only increase by a tiny bit. sometimes i just increase by 0.5kg


----------



## Classified (Dec 7, 2004)

Monitor your sodium intake. Eating too much sodium can have issues as well as having not enough.


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

ok, lets try this again


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

****, its hard to lose anymore fat after 15%


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

Ok, behold:








the goal is set, I can see it and I want it bad!! I will see this poster everyday when i wake up and last thing before i sleep!

it shall be done


----------



## Cypress (Dec 17, 2008)

:lol


----------



## nightwalker (Nov 20, 2008)

Go ay jay!! <3


----------



## ImAboutToEXPLODE (Nov 20, 2007)

i shall have nads of steel by new years


----------



## StPatrick317 (Dec 4, 2008)

Yes, out of all the programs for beginners, Body For Life is the best bar none. The only tiny flaw is the owner pushes his own brand of supplements, its better just to buy your own that are the same thing, but cheaper brand.


Ive been exercising for about 9 years, and it really helped my self confidence alot. Its not fantastic, but it went from super low, to ranging from low-average.

As far as Abs of Steel, the main thing is actually diet. Almost everybody including women have a 6 pack, their is just a layer of visceral fat(around the organs) and fat over them. The fat comes off the same way it goes on, so if your stomach was the first thing to get fat, it will be the last thing to get burnt off. High protein, compound exercises is really the key.

If you actually build really strong abdominals from exercises, they will get larger. The underwear model look with really small torso means they are probably pretty weak, if you have a strong core you will get much thicker and almost seem like you have a gut. So its appearence vs. actual strength I go for the 2nd.


----------



## yakubu (Nov 4, 2008)

StPatrick317 said:


> Yes, out of all the programs for beginners, Body For Life is the best bar none. The only tiny flaw is the owner pushes his own brand of supplements, its better just to buy your own that are the same thing, but cheaper brand.
> 
> Ive been exercising for about 9 years, and it really helped my self confidence alot. Its not fantastic, but it went from super low, to ranging from low-average.
> 
> ...


thats not true. bill phillips only mentions myplex (his own brand of supplements ) once in his book. ive read the book over and over many times and myplex is only mention on one page and is never pushed on anyone.

bill says that you must eat 6 meals per day . then he says its hard to eat 6 whole food meals per day (which is very true) and the best thing to overcome this problem is to supplement 2 or 3 meals. then he say that myplex is a grat option. thats it. what is he going to say ? is he going to say ''maximuscle companys protein tub is a great option '' ? no , of course he is gonna mention his own brand

he just mentions it thats all. and he even goes onto to say that using supplements isnt neccesary . he says u can get great results with just whole foods if you can actually managae to get 6 full meals down your neck

i'd love you to write word for word what bill said that casued you to beleive he was pushing his products on people cos ive never seen it.

you are talking absolute nonsense


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf (Oct 16, 2008)

StPatrick317 said:


> If you actually build really strong abdominals from exercises, they will get larger. The underwear model look with really small torso means they are probably pretty weak, if you have a strong core you will get much thicker and almost seem like you have a gut. So its appearence vs. actual strength I go for the 2nd.


That's absolutely not true. You think Bruce Lee didn't have strong abs? It depends on what you do. There's many ways to strength the abs.

If you use an iso like that damn ab cruncher machine at gyms, yeah your stomach will get bigger. It doesn't mean your abs are necessarily stronger, you are just stronger at using the machine.

The best indicator for the strength of your abs is to do a handstand. If you can do it and hold it, your abs are in excellent strength. Working towards doing a hand-stand is the best way to build up abs.

Anything like yoga, martial arts training, pilates, pylotechnic training, these are the best ab builders. Sit-ups are a waste of time, mess up your back and make you appear shorter.

If you really want them to display, you gotta cut. Only way, but cutting sucks, it's absolutely not worth a six-pack IMO.


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

appriciate the advice 

I think i got this, it might take a little longer than valentines day

ill probably go till my birthday May 15. it will be best birthday present ever

but i got this down


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf (Oct 16, 2008)

Sounds good, keep your focus. 

To ask yourself, how many hours do you sleep at night? Try to go for 8-10 hours if you can.


----------



## StPatrick317 (Dec 4, 2008)

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> That's absolutely not true. You think Bruce Lee didn't have strong abs? It depends on what you do. There's many ways to strength the abs.
> 
> If you use an iso like that damn ab cruncher machine at gyms, yeah your stomach will get bigger. It doesn't mean your abs are necessarily stronger, you are just stronger at using the machine.
> 
> ...


Brother, Bruce Lee was 135 lbs, he had strong abs for a 135 lb man. You ever see Mike Tyson??? He looks like he has a gut when he is shredded.

Apparently you didn't read the damn post. It says Abs get stronger through exercises? Thats a pretty ****in broad range of things to do.

"Working on doing a handstand is the best way to build up abs". That is some very bad advice. Lets get real and try to contribute real advice. If this were the case then all the athletes, powerlifters and bodybuilders would be doing handstand training. Guess what??? They aren't. Ask one of them, ask a professional I dont know where you get this crazy stuff


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf (Oct 16, 2008)

StPatrick317 said:


> Brother, Bruce Lee was 135 lbs, he had strong abs for a 135 lb man. You ever see Mike Tyson??? He looks like he has a gut when he is shredded.
> 
> Apparently you didn't read the damn post. It says Abs get stronger through exercises? Thats a pretty ****in broad range of things to do.
> 
> "Working on doing a handstand is the best way to build up abs". That is some very bad advice. Lets get real and try to contribute real advice. If this were the case then all the athletes, powerlifters and bodybuilders would be doing handstand training. Guess what??? They aren't. Ask one of them, ask a professional I dont know where you get this crazy stuff


Listen dude, just because you got some complex doesn't mean my advice isn't real. If anything gets bigger, it's because of what you eat and how to eat, how you sleep, your body shape etc.. How big you are has absolutely nothing to do with how strong you are.

If my advice is so damn bad, try out a handstand. If you can do it (which I seriously doubt from your ignorance), then try to walk on your hands on that hand-stand. Hand-stand hit your core, because after all, what else holds up your body in that position? Your abs....

I don't need to ask a professional. Bodybuilders and Powerlifters goals are to get big or lift a lot of weight. They aren't going to do handstand training because it has little use at what they do. Athlete is also a general term because that could composed of a basketball player to a gymnast and there training is different. The most athletic hands down are capoeiraistas and the reason is because of the training. Because you have to be strong, fast, and can't possess a lot of bulk, otherwise you couldn't do flips, or suspend your body and the crazy aerobic **** they do.


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

Round 1
FIGHT!


----------



## yakubu (Nov 4, 2008)

got to add my 2 cents to this :

doing a handstand doesnt sound like its gonna do anything for your abbs plus its highly impractical


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf (Oct 16, 2008)

yakubu said:


> got to add my 2 cents to this :
> 
> doing a handstand doesnt sound like its gonna do anything for your abbs plus its highly impractical


I'd like to know what muscles you think handstands hit. I also think it's practical because after all, you are using your bodyweight.

As I stated before try it for yourself before you knock it. If your abs are strong, you'll be able to suspend your body weight. A common variation of the headstand is the handstand push-up, I'm sure you seen someone at the gym do them before.

Check out this video of Capoeira.


----------



## yakubu (Nov 4, 2008)

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> I'd like to know what muscles you think handstands hit. I also think it's practical because after all, you are using your bodyweight.
> 
> As I stated before try it for yourself before you knock it. If your abs are strong, you'll be able to suspend your body weight. A common variation of the headstand is the handstand push-up, I'm sure you seen someone at the gym do them before.
> 
> Check out this video of Capoeira.


i dont think its hits any muscles to be honest with you.

i could get on the leg press machine and press it up and hold it in that position for a minute or whatever . it would seem that this would hit the quads but would it really ? is just holding it in that position really doing anything for the quads ?

to work a muscle takes repetitions. i dont see how holding yourself in a position is going to work a muscle

maybe a handsatnd does hit the abbs, i dont know , but what good is just holding yourself in that position going to do for the abbs. it certainly isnt going to produce hytrophy in the abbs


----------



## Prodigal Son (Dec 11, 2005)

It works the muscle but you don't get a shortening of the muscle belly. Isometric or static strength depending on what you want to call it and it can effective, especially for the core.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf (Oct 16, 2008)

yakubu said:


> i dont think its hits any muscles to be honest with you.
> 
> i could get on the leg press machine and press it up and hold it in that position for a minute or whatever . it would seem that this would hit the quads but would it really ? is just holding it in that position really doing anything for the quads ?
> 
> ...


It's not quite the same thing. With the leg press, you simply push in one direction and force comes back in one direction, plus you are seated, which doesn't do jack for your abs. But take a squat. The repetitions doesn't hit the abs directly, rather the abs serve as a base, holding your upper body steady while you squat. If you put too much weight on the barbell and someones tries to squat, they just fall and hurt themselves. Doing a hand-stand you have to hold your body in position against all directions of gravity forcing you down. So instead of tipping down, in reality your abs are pulsing when you are trying to hold them up.

Hand-stands hits your shoulders, triceps, traps, back, forearms, abs, and glutes. It's not as one-dimensional as you think and repetitions can be added through variations. As I stated, hand-stand push-ups To actually perform free-standing is extremely difficult. Most people do a hand-stand push-up against a wall because their abs are simply not strong enough to hold the body in place. You can also do a bridge to a head-stand where you go from a bridge and lift yourself into a hand-stand with your abs. Walking on your hands, doing a swan, dropping each leg drop in opposite directions.

As I said, try it out and you'll find out quick that the mechanics are different than utilizing a leg press machine. If it's so easy and doesn't utilize any muscle group, everybody could do it. It's one of the most physically demanding body-weight exercises. I agree, it's certainly not the ideal method to grow big, but it's the ideal way to get strong abs.


----------



## StPatrick317 (Dec 4, 2008)

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Listen dude, just because you got some complex doesn't mean my advice isn't real. If anything gets bigger, it's because of what you eat and how to eat, how you sleep, your body shape etc.. How big you are has absolutely nothing to do with how strong you are.
> 
> If my advice is so damn bad, try out a handstand. If you can do it (which I seriously doubt from your ignorance), then try to walk on your hands on that hand-stand. Hand-stand hit your core, because after all, what else holds up your body in that position? Your abs....
> 
> I don't need to ask a professional. Bodybuilders and Powerlifters goals are to get big or lift a lot of weight. They aren't going to do handstand training because it has little use at what they do. Athlete is also a general term because that could composed of a basketball player to a gymnast and there training is different. The most athletic hands down are capoeiraistas and the reason is because of the training. Because you have to be strong, fast, and can't possess a lot of bulk, otherwise you couldn't do flips, or suspend your body and the crazy aerobic **** they do.


Complex?

Clearly, the 2 of us have 2 different definitions of strength.

Lets look at the source of your miseducation:

How is it that there aren't any 130lbers in the Worlds *Strongest* Man contest?? Size matters. If you think your the strongest in your genders regional weightclass's dance-off, it doesnt mean anything. There is still only 1 top dog who is the strongest and they aren't some little dude.

Why is a Silverback Gorilla stronger than a Chimp, even when chimps are much better in their ability to move own body? The Gorilla will still wreck the weaker chimp. Why are huge fighters and wrestlers like Tito Ortiz or Brock Lesnar not even allowed to fight Lightweight opponents?? Because they would run the risk of killing them with sheer power.

Strength is strength. Not how strong you are for your size, or your category, or your gender. Its Strength period. Simple enough?

Maybe it needs to get nerdy for you:

"PHYSICAL STRENGTH
*The magnitude of physical strength, often referred to as just strength, determines the ability of a person or animal to exert force on physical objects using muscles"*

http://www.123exp-biology.com/t/01174289856/

"Physical strength is the ability of a person or animal to exert force on physical objects using muscles"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_strength

If you don't wanna spend time doing research, my advice about Ab training isn't very complex: Talk to a Professional, with legitimate education, certification and experience.


----------



## yakubu (Nov 4, 2008)

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> It's not quite the same thing. With the leg press, you simply push in one direction and force comes back in one direction, plus you are seated, which doesn't do jack for your abs. But take a squat. The repetitions doesn't hit the abs directly, rather the abs serve as a base, holding your upper body steady while you squat. If you put too much weight on the barbell and someones tries to squat, they just fall and hurt themselves. Doing a hand-stand you have to hold your body in position against all directions of gravity forcing you down. So instead of tipping down, in reality your abs are pulsing when you are trying to hold them up.
> 
> Hand-stands hits your shoulders, triceps, traps, back, forearms, abs, and glutes. It's not as one-dimensional as you think and repetitions can be added through variations. As I stated, hand-stand push-ups To actually perform free-standing is extremely difficult. Most people do a hand-stand push-up against a wall because their abs are simply not strong enough to hold the body in place. You can also do a bridge to a head-stand where you go from a bridge and lift yourself into a hand-stand with your abs. Walking on your hands, doing a swan, dropping each leg drop in opposite directions.
> 
> As I said, try it out and you'll find out quick that the mechanics are different than utilizing a leg press machine. If it's so easy and doesn't utilize any muscle group, everybody could do it. It's one of the most physically demanding body-weight exercises. I agree, it's certainly not the ideal method to grow big, but it's the ideal way to get strong abs.


well ill take your word for it then but id much rather stick with my crunches and leg raises


----------



## yakubu (Nov 4, 2008)

StPatrick317 said:


> Complex?
> 
> Clearly, the 2 of us have 2 different definitions of strength.
> 
> ...


an ant is not stronger than a human in the sense that i could easily pick up a 5kg plate but an ant could never achieve this but an ant IS strnger than a human being . an ant can carry many other ants. id be lucky to carry 1 human being

strengh all comes down to POUND FOR POUND. yes mike tyson has a harder punch than manny paqcuaio because of his size but who has the stronger punch pound for pound

its ignorant to say that tyson is stronger than pacquaoi becaseu until its measured pound for pound you cant be sure its true

someone who can squat 200kg isnt nessecarily stronger than somebody that can bench 150kg. i know that sounds silly cos in a sense they are obviously stronger if they can squat more but pound for pound must always enter the equation

the person who can squat 200kg may whey 20 stone and the person who can squat 150kg may weigh 10 stone . who is stronger ? in this example you have to say the 10 stone guy

anyway you have your views and the other guy has his veiws. im never gonna do handstands for my abbs but if he likes doing handstands then thats up to him and he might be right about what he says , i dotn know , ive nver tried it and ive never looked into it but its just not for me


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf (Oct 16, 2008)

StPatrick317 said:


> Complex?
> 
> Clearly, the 2 of us have 2 different definitions of strength.
> 
> ...


I know over hundreds of different abs exercises that I learned from a variety of practices including Martial Arts, Weight Training, Pilates, Yoga, Pylos. My knowledge of ab training is extensive and all have been taught to me by professionals through classes. Attempting to master the technique is some of the most strenuous, challenging exercises I encountered, some of them which took me years to get to the point of performing them. It doesn't mean I solely do hand-stands, it's only one area of ab training I do.

Also my philosophy on training is different. I see no point in getting big if you can't utilize it, if you can't move it, if you aren't agile, if there is no power. I prefer trying to maximize all components of fitness in my workouts. I'm not training to pull a truck, I train to be big, strong, yet fast and agile.


----------



## StPatrick317 (Dec 4, 2008)

yakubu said:


> an ant is not stronger than a human in the sense that i could easily pick up a 5kg plate but an ant could never achieve this but an ant IS strnger than a human being . an ant can carry many other ants. id be lucky to carry 1 human being
> 
> strengh all comes down to POUND FOR POUND. yes mike tyson has a harder punch than manny paqcuaio because of his size but who has the stronger punch pound for pound
> 
> ...


Yes, its clear we have different definitions. 2 opinions can be different, and both can still be right, in the context of the situation. My context is physical strength, yours looks like who is strongest at a certain bodyweight or bodyweight range. Handstands are obviously going to be good for something, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater and saying they are the best both is ignorant and arrogant.

I hear the pound-for-pound argument going on forever since I'm interested in MMA like you might be in Boxing. The equivalent to Tyson and Paqcuiao is like when Martial Artists compare Fedor Emelienenko and Anderson Silva asking who is better?

It comes down to which one beats eachother in a fight, not which one is good for their weightclass. You must acknowledge that Mike Tyson was physically stronger than Manny. The reason people say "pound for pound" is because they have to clarify it, otherwise saying a Lightweight Champion is stronger than the Heavyweight or All-weight Champion looks ridiculous.

and to..Brightpaper, I agree that having strength is meaningless unless you can use it. But guess what? People do use it. Brock Lesnar is a perfect example of an extremely strong guy who learned who to use his strength. He would destroy even the strongest pound for pound Lightweight on the planet and possibly kill them, even if the smaller man was more agile, faster and had better technique.

You can even look at Bob Sapp, a guy who trained like a bodybuilder, had very little cardio, Martial Arts style of "Football". He was absolutely crushing some of the top athletes in both K1 like Ernesto Hoost(probably one of top 3 greatest standup fighters/technicians of all-time) and Martial Arts until Mirko Crocop threw a straight left into his orbital bone.

It has been acknowledged that the good Big man beats the good little man in Martial Arts. Lets get real here. I'm not going to start handstand training for abdominals either. The most effective exercise *so far* has been hanging leg raises, and they have helped the core get physically stronger.

But just because of this, I will not say they are the best or that everyone should do them. I'm not their advisor, they will get a feel for what works the best themselves by trying out different things. The results are what counts, not the method. I'm presuming AJ is looking for results. If his goal was becoming a Capeoira champion, then that advice would be much more applicable. Capeoira is great and fun to watch.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf (Oct 16, 2008)

StPatrick317 said:


> Yes, its clear we have different definitions. 2 opinions can be different, and both can still be right, in the context of the situation. My context is physical strength, yours looks like who is strongest at a certain bodyweight or bodyweight range. Handstands are obviously going to be good for something, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater and saying they are the best both is ignorant and arrogant.
> 
> I hear the pound-for-pound argument going on forever since I'm interested in MMA like you might be in Boxing. The equivalent to Tyson and Paqcuiao is like when Martial Artists compare Fedor Emelienenko and Anderson Silva asking who is better?
> 
> ...


I'll agree that I should have reworded it better than to say "the best" because the best is subjective and it depends on your training goals. However, just because something isn't traditional doesn't mean it isn't effective.

Brock Lesnar is actually a perfect example of what I speak of. I'm not standing he uses hand-standing training, but his training methods are known to be unorthodox. He isn't just focusing on solely strength. He's focusing on power, cardio, muscle endurance and flexibility. as you can in this video, much of what he credits is body-weight exercises. And this dude is huge with no gut. Getting big isn't so much about what you do in the gym, it's what you do after the gym.






Also, never did I say that given equal fighting skills, a little guy could beat a big guy. All I said is Bruce Lee didn't have a gut. Having a little body doesn't mean you don't have strong abs. It depends on your body composition, type and fat % that determines whether you will have a gut when you develop your abs. But somehow you interpreted this as a little guy could kick a big guys ***. I'm just saying Bruce Lee was one strong dude for his size, even you should acknowledge this.

But to call my advice "really bad" is uncalled for, ignorant and arrogant as well. Doing hand-stand exercises properly will get you results regardless if you want to become Capoeira champion or not. Many of these ab exercises were adapted from these various techniques and used commonly in the gym. Regardless, they all give you strength it's some are more effective than others. Seriously tho, I'm not training to become a fighting champion, or a capoeira champion, an Olympic goal medalist. Exercise for me is like a drug, it makes me wonderful while I do it, and makes me feel wonderful after I do it. Doesn't mean I don't give 110% effort, but my goals are realistic.

And frankly I don't care whether anyone here does hand-stands or not, it's merely a suggestion and didn't mean it any hostile form whatsoever. Your approval or application is not needed because it's not an idea or concept that belongs to me, it's only knowledge that I pass on that I received from others. Doesn't change that people utilize it in various forms, from capoeira to yoga to gymnastics to break-dancing. Everyone has their own way to exercise. Perhaps some people don't like to hit the gym and lift weights all day and want to something more creative. I'm certainly not here to dictate what people should do because I believe in the freedom to do anything you want.


----------



## _AJ_ (Jan 23, 2008)

daa, its Vday and im at 14% BF

12 more weeks of this and I should get it down to 10%

Im in the best shape of my life right now, so its time to work out even harder!! raar


----------



## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

good job man.


----------



## Jinnix (Jul 6, 2006)

I tried working out but my life stayed the same. Wasnt worth it for me. I don't see the point.


----------



## sanspants08 (Oct 21, 2008)

Jinnix said:


> I tried working out but my life stayed the same. Wasnt worth it for me. I don't see the point.


If you eat well and continue to work out, you will see and feel the improvements. If your body stayed the same, you obviously weren't working at it long enough.


----------



## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Jinnix said:


> I tried working out but my life stayed the same. Wasnt worth it for me. I don't see the point.


Me too. All I can say is your health will be better in general but I cant make myself happy.


----------

