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Hi guys,

before I get into my question I'll just give you a bit of background of myself.

I'm 6'2/188cm 79kg/174pounds.

I've been going to the gym for about 3-4 years now, when I first started I was a around a measly 63kg, pretty skinny. I'm still slim, but put on quite a bit of weight over the last few years.

I eat quite a lot of food each day, I have a pretty fast metabolism, try and eat at regular intervals.

My question is - even when i was skinny i never really had a tight stomach, or a good 6pack. Although I'm quite slim still, I feel as though I have fat on my stomach, or that its a bit bloated. Its just not really flat or tight. I know that the way to a good stomach is not to just do a shitload of crunches or something, and to put in some cardio time.

Last year I was doing weights 2-3 times a week as well as cardio 2-3 times a week. I had done this for probably about 12 months, and I didnt really see any difference in my stomach, also I wasnt putting on huge amounts of weight, however I wasnt eating as much.

I've read quite a lot of things saying that too much cardio can conflict with muscle building, opinions on this? Also Being slim, do I need to just bulk up first as much as I want, and then tone away the fat? I've stayed away from cardio for about 6 months, and been going harder at weights, maybe 4 times a week. Given that I'm fairly slim, do you think doing abdominal exercises really is all I need for my abs? Do I just need to pop them out?

any info you guys can give me will be appreciated, or if you have any further questions let me know.

peace.

plenty of good core exercises out there...work them abs hard

what is your routine looking like?

You said you were on the same routine for 12 months? Many times, I've found increasing intensity by changing to a different workout or very challenging physical sport has "shocked" my whole body into adapting, the side effect being those abs you're talking about.
First off, you shied away from cardio, so of course it would be more difficult to get those "abs" you want.
Second, an example of an increased intensity would be doing interval training, sprints, all-court basketball, swimming, high volume lifting, 5x5 program, etc.
Just find a new challenge for yourself.

__________________
"The iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The iron will always kick you the real deal. The iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends come and go, but 200 pounds is always 200 pounds."

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This is a typical week for me.

Monday:

Chest
Bench Press 3x8-12
Incline Bench 3x8-12
Decline Bench 3x8-12

Back
Lat PullDowns 3x8-12
Seated Row 3x8-12
Chin ups 3x-8-12

Wednesday
Shoulders
Shoulder Press 3x8-12
Seated Shoulder Bench 3x-8-12
Shoulder Raises 3x8-12

Biceps
Curls 3x8-12
Seated E-Z bar curls 3x8-12
Bicep Chin ups 3x8-12

Triceps
Tricep Dips 3x8-12
Tricep Pushdowns 3x8-12
Dumbbell behind head lifts 3x8-12

Friday - Back to Chest/Back

Sunday
Legs
Squats 3x8-12
Leg Press 3x8-12
Lunges 3x8-12
Calf Raises 3x8-12

Abs
Crunches with ball 3x as many as possible
Laying Down Leg Lifts 3x as many as possible
and one more exercise.

This is just an example of a week for me, I will mix up different exercises on a regular basis, but I usually try for 3 separate exercises for each muscle group with 3 sets for each exercise.

I've been doing the constant 4 days a week for about 3months, last 4-5 weeks I have been building quite a bit of weight. As of last week I decided to allocate a 5th day purely for ab exercises, spent about an hour doing all sorts of exercises. Should I keep that up though?

When people say 'you can get abs by doing sit ups, you need to do cardio' - is this really targeting overweight people, or does it still apply to everyone? I dont know if big abs would make the bit of fat on my stomach disappear, I'll keep at it.

Hmm nah mate, not the same routine, I just meant that I had been keeping up the cardio for a solid 12 months. Every 2-3 months I try and change my weight routines quite a lot, and yah, I do notice a shock to the body hehe. I've always believed that cardio is cardio, if you're buggered at the end you've done well.

I actually use to go running out near these cliffs, they have this huge set of steep stairs that go from the top to the bottom, probably 100 steps. I'd do about 10 sets of these, including stuff like hopping with both feet up each step, bloody tough!

Not sure if my first post really came out enough with what I was meaning. I guess I am just worried that if i concentrate too much on trying to improve my abs, that I am going to slow the progress of gaining overall muscle (because of burning fat/energy).

so.. any further comments? Comments on my workout routine would also be appreciated ;D

diet is usually where you get your abs to show....gotta eat clean and lower bodyfat %.

as for ab exercises....look up these.

-all variations of planks
-L pullups
-suitcase deads
-anti rotation barbell
-overhead db side bends
-ab roller/bar rollouts
-heavy walkouts


courtesy of eric3237:

-rotational movements like cable woodchops or russian twists, barbell russian twists, side bends like Saxon side bends, anti-rotation like Pallof press, AR barbell, for flexion (minor) ab-pulldowns and Janda situps will be a better choice.

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