StoneSkin Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 Everyone has abs everyone has a six pack undernieth the fat. My question is how nessisary is it to visually have a six pack ? Well deffined chisseld abs look nice but a person can still have a flat stomach with extremely hard abs. The less bodyfat you have determines how much of your abs start to show generally for men you can start to see abdominal deffiniton when you are under 10% bodyfat. Most athletic men usually range between 8-14% body fat. I myself am athletic I have a flat stomach and extremly hard abdominal muscles I use to have a really low body fat percentage when i was younger about 3%. I had incredible abs then the problem with being so deffined and ripped was the dieting very few carbs... so little energy. In my opinion anything below 8% body fat starts to become unhealthy.
Tibby Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 You will be glad to know that Health experts all over the world agree with you, 8% body fat is unhealth. about 10-15 is minimum for males, and you can still see abs with that amount. Any less then that, your either sick or dead. Now, many body builders do this, drop to 3% body fat, stop drinking water, and do many other unhealthy things to look cut for shows. If you could go back stage and see the body builders leaning against the wall between rounds, you would see how unhealth and uncomfortable it is. You had 3% body fat? Did you go to have it tested? Or is that just a guess? When Pro Body builders, whose job it is to look cut, and whoi take drugs to keep body fat down, can't keep that body fat percentage that low for very long, you had it at 3%? Man, what was your secret? Cut and defined muscles are a sign that you have large muscles build up under little fat, and no one NEEDS them.
StoneSkin Posted July 1, 2003 Author Posted July 1, 2003 I wanted to compete in a bodybuilding competiton when I was 16. Getting that low of body fat was hard to do. I never did end up competeing. I did lots of high rep exercises and lots of cardio. However for dieting all ate was eggs for 6 weeks and drank water, I also took multivitamins. I did have my body fat percentage tested and it was at aproximently 3%. I looked great but felt like crap. I never dehydrated myself though. I dieted that way for 6 weeks but I started to have blackouts. Id be lying down then id stand up and not be able to see for 20 seconds or so, after that I decided not to compete and rather just stay in shape. Other bad symptoms include you sweat alot and because of this you can develop lots of pimples your face becoems really thin looking etc. I was just looking through my grade 10 year book the other day and i was like damn i was ripped. My girlfriend was shocked to believe it was me and said my face looked totally differnt.
telsun Posted July 1, 2003 Posted July 1, 2003 My question is how nessisary is it to visually have a six pack ?Depends how vain you are I do not know many karateka with visible abs and all my seniors seem to have a bit of a podge! I keep asking God what I'm for and he tells me........."gee I'm not sure!"
StoneSkin Posted July 1, 2003 Author Posted July 1, 2003 forgo to mention the other problem I had was sleeping. Because i got no carbs all i did was sleep. id wake up at 7 in the mornign go jogging then go to school. Had gym class first thing in the morning then after school id go to the gym and workout then id coem home and jogginf again then id go home and crash at 7pm. Id sleep for 12 hours and still be crazy tired. On the weekends I didnt work out but usally slept for 17 hours. That kind of training is too nuts for your body. And who wants to sleep half there life away.
BladeLee Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 First off I would like to say that whoever thinks 8% bodyfat is unhealthy is crazy. 8% isn't bad at all, hell even 6% is alright if your eating properly and you KNOW what your doing. I weight 168 and im at about 8-9% bodyfat, and I feel great. I have absolutely too much energy, and I eat properly everyday. I do not deprive myself of carbs in anyway, infact i get about 500grams+ a day, and about 280g of protein, 80g fat. You just need to know what is right for you. Stoneskin - Because i got no carbs all i did was sleep Why were you on a NO carb diet? That is completely unhealthy to begin with. What you want to eat if your trying to diet is alot of Protein, alot of EFA's, and as for carbs, they are fine, just make sure they are low GI and try not to get many carbs a few hours before you are going to sleep. ~BladeLee~
Tibby Posted July 4, 2003 Posted July 4, 2003 6-8%, uh? Man, you people are all amazing, keeping the kind of shape most PROFETIONAL athletes would kill for! Where did you check you % at? Did you read Stoneskins full post before asking that!?!!?! lol, He was a BODY BUILDER in pre-contest phase. Low carb diets are all part of the game. That is how they get to that 6% and lower body fat. It isn’t done year-round, just pre-contest.
StoneSkin Posted July 4, 2003 Author Posted July 4, 2003 When I was at 6-8% I had more energy. You never read all of my post BladeLee. At my Pre-contest stage when I was at 3% thats when I was tired all the time. Also 6-8% is good you do have energy but not as much if you had 10%. Thats what bodybuilders do befor contest they ingest like no carbs or very little. Yes it is unhealthy thats why I never did enter I ended up getting blackouts and stuff thats when I started to eat normal again. Right amount of carbs,protein and fats. We did my body fat percentage using calipers. They are pretty accurate. Next to dunking yourself in a big tank of water but thats pretty unpractical.
MMouse Posted July 5, 2003 Posted July 5, 2003 A visible sixpack is not important. The muscle is there underneath of the fat, whatever percentage you have. I would be more concerned with the strength and endurance of the midsection.But........... Of course having less body fat means less weight, and being a little quicker , but less weight is also less bodyweight with which to strike. Don't worry so much about the visible abs. Focus instead on finding your comfort zone for fighting. Some are confortable sporting extra pounds, others need to keep their weight to a minimal level.
G95champ Posted July 5, 2003 Posted July 5, 2003 Yeah its not about doing crunches and set up's as it is about body fat. Unless you want a job in a rap video or on baywatch its not a big deal. (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."
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