Six pack - how long

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Newbie8784

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Hey guys, pretty new to all this, so you'll probably see a lot of my questions around, sorry if they're a bit low brow :D

Anyway, I'm 18 years old, and looking to get a 6 pack. I joined a gym a couple of weeks ago, and they measured my body fat (11.6%). Curious as to how long people think it'll take me to get a 6 pack? Also as to what exercises to do - at the moment I do about 200 crunches a day, and while my chest has started to feel better, it hasn't improved visibly. I know I have to aim to lose a lot of fat, but at the same time I'm trying to build my arms and upper chest, so are there any exercises that will burn fat but not muscle?

Cheers
 
I am wondering what the correlation is between doing crunches and making your chest feel better? If you want a six back you need to eat incredibly clean and burn more calories than you take in so you can lose the fat covering your abs.

And you need to do exercises for your whole body. Not just chest, arms and abs, or you are going to screw yourself up. You need to work upper and lower body and both pushing and pulling muscles. And don't forget about your core.
 
Sorry - not too clear there. By better I mean firmer and stronger, and able to do more reps. I'm doing exercises for the whole body, but really am only worried about visible results with the upper body (although obviously being able to stand up at the end is also in the list of goals :D ).

Any ideas how to lose the fat? I used to do a lot of running, but have been told that burns muscle as well, which seems slightly counter productive?

Cheers
 
Building muscle and losing fat at the same time is pretty much the Holy Grail of fitness. Nearly impossible to do. Typically you need to choose your priority. I'd say start a bulking phase. When you've put on the mass you want, then start a cutting phase.
 
Ah OK - so bulk till I'm happy with my pecs, then cut until I'm happy with my abs?

Also, will I lose muscle while cutting, so do I need to "overbulk" so to speak, or do I just need to build what I'll want at the end?

Cheers
 
Ok, so basically this is what I'm thinking - for the next two months or so, I'll focus on building muscle. I'm not forcing food down, but basically, I'm just eating whenever I feel hungry. I might also try and do a lot of running during this time - not so much to lose weight as to keep the fitness high, so that when I do start trying to cut, I can burn fast.

Anyway, after about 2 months or whenever I've got the muscle, just halve what I eat, and keep up the running. I assume I need to keep up the gym work as well, otherwise the muscle will just die?

Cheers
 
Always keep up the gym work. My advice would be to count calories. Everyone talks about it like it's a pain, but I always enjoyed it because I like knowing where I'm at. I pull out my phone calculator and go to town several times a day. Do some research on nutrition as you go along, that way you have a better idea of what to have in your diet as you move along.

Good luck!
 
When I cut, I lower the diet, and I do 3 cardio sessions a week on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. I still keep the intense strength training there though, and I find that keeps me nice and firm and allows me to lose fat as well.
 
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