Snorkles- six pack abs goal. Journal

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snorkles

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(people reccommended me to ask chillen to help me out on this one) so here I go..
First of all my details:


18 yrs
30.5" waistline
67kg
5"5 tall
12% body fat

these are my pics:
(never mind date on photo)









My goal is to be physically well built with also the ability to run/sprint with great stamina. Sort of the abilities of a soccer player. this type of body I mean:
not exaggerated just well built with defined abs.

My current workout

Monday : 30-35mins cardio when I wake up. weights+abs (6-7 hrs later)

Tuesday- Rest

Wednesday- Weights+ abs + HIIT (sprints or rope) (10-15mins)

Thursday- 30-35mins cardio when I wake up

Friday- Rest

Saturday- Weights + abs + HIIT (sprints or rope) (10-15mins)

Sunday- 30-35mins cardio when I wake up

My diet:
Poultry (chicken,turkey etc)
All kind of meat
Fish
Salads (vegetables,corn and tomatoes mainly)
Fruit (oranges,apples,pears,peaches,bananas)
Oatmeal and Special K (for breakfast obviously)
3 eggs a day (2 whites, 1 full)
Canned tuna in brine
Cheese (low fat)
Almonds,
Milk
Low fat yogurt
Olives, olive oil and capers
Brown bread -(I rarely have)

These last 3 days since I started cutting this was my diet mainly:

Day 1
breakfast- 2 oatmeal with skimmed milk + fruit (orange) + 5 eggs (4 whites)
workout- abs + Tabata sprints
post workout meal- 1 oatmeal with 2 cups skimmed milk + turkey + can of tuna
1pm apple
2pm steak with 2 potatoes and veg.
5pm 2 turkey slices and some capers + cup of skimmed milk

day 2
did 30min cardio and my breakfast consisted of:
1 Special k cereal serving , 1 cup skimmmed milk, 3 eggs (2 whites), and 2 small chicken breast left overs from yesterday. as for drinking I drank 2 litres of water.
11am- fat free yogurt + 2 pears
2pm- veg salad with can of tuna
5pm- (preworkout)- large cup skimmed milk, 3 egg whites , 5 black olives.
6-workout (abs and legs)
handful of almonds
7.30pm- (post workout)- big bowl of veg salad + 2 portions cubrol + 3 small fat free cheese
8pm chicken and a lot of vegeteble salad + 2 slices fat free cheese and 8 almonds

day 3 (rest day)
breakfast: oatmeal,orange and 3 eggs (2 whites)
11am- veg salad with pieces of meat+ apple
1pm- yogurt + pear

3pm- pork + veg salad + orange
5pm- 8 walnuts+ 2 cups of milk
8pm- 2 portions chicken breast + 2 slices fat free cheese.

As you can see im keeping carbs all before 12pm. Fats late at night.

exception for today as I eat a lot today (havent had any cheat things since 3 weeks)

breakfast: oatmeal cereal with pear
10am football (1hr)
11am fruit salad (2 apples,1 pear)
12am football
1pm 2 servings brown rice
2pm workout (chest+triceps)
post workout- 2 large servings oatmeal cereal
7pm- chicken+ veg salad+broccoli+banana+chocolate (bounty)

yeah i know today i was a pig on carbs, but dont worry i know how to control. was just wondering alone, is it better to cheat by having more than one serving of what you like from the "accepted food" (i LIKE A LOT oeatmeal and brown rice) or is it better to cheat by having for example 1 serving of white pasta?
but this part is not that important so lets move on..

All this info can give you a great idea I think. Now what I’d like you to do (for some days maybe?) is help me regulate and put everything into position since my goal is pretty much like your body.
I would like you to tell me your diet which you used to get ripped/to cut for the abs to show. If mine is good, and you just need to give me some tips feel free to do so. If you think that I'd better bulk before cutting after having seen my pics tell me so, but i think that I have to cut to see my abs no?

Secondly, most important I would like you to tell me what your workouts (weights,hiit,cardio) consisted of.
I am very mixed up about what’s the best for someone cutting and about the reps he needs to make to actually cut.
Full body workouts or split workouts for someone who is cutting?
Can you give me a schedule of your workouts please? (sets,reps)

This may seem annoying to you but you don’t know of what value your help would be, because I get totally confused with the different point of views of people. Thanks a lot man.
 
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Hey just a quick response because I have to go, but about the cheat meal thing. I think its better to have that one cup of white rice instead of over indulging on the good stuff, especially on a cut. The reason being that if you eat too much oatmeal, you may go over your limit and actually gain weight, instead of lose it. If you have that 1 serving of white rice, and keep it within calorie limits, you will be better off.
 
your diet looks pretty good but i have to say you seem to be doing far too many isolated exercises. If i were you id scrap the split routine and refine your old fbw concentrating on major muscle groups:
LEGS
BACK
CHEST
SHOULDERS therefore your workout should consist of mostly compound exercises SQUATS LUNGES DEADLIFT ROWS BENCH PULLUPS SHOULDER PRESS if you incorporate these exercises into a fbw with maybe a little isolation work at the end of each workout i dont think you will go far wrong.


Also keep the reps between 8-12 and sets between 2-4
GOOD LUCK
 
thanks man. ok got you about the cheat stuff.

Ok il set up a programme with compound exercises than. How long should I be doing them for (as in minutes,hours)? I am planning to do them 3 times a week. dont I train the biceps,triceps and forearms!??


some questions: how many exercises, sets and reps should I do per muscle group?
if for example I have 30 reps for each exercise how is it best to split them? 8, 10 or 12 each set?


by the way, Chillen, awaiting your help :) thanks
 
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Biceps, triceps and forearms will get trained with deadlifts, rows, bench presses, dips, chins. Even so, curls and extensions are fine but you've just got so many sets of them. If you want to train them maybe do chins + 1 type of curl or dips + 1 tricep iso (plus the deads, presses, rows, etc.) and it should be plenty.

As for forearms, I haven't trained them directly in years and haven't missed it.
 
Just planned my full body workout:

chest: pushups x 40
bench press x 40 (sets of 10)

shoulders: arnold press x 32 (sets of 8)
military press x 32 (sets of 8) (should i stand up or sit down for this?)
shurgs (for the traps) x 32 (sets of 8)

biceps: (just to make sure they get something) x 30 (sets of 10)

triceps (just to make sure they get something dircet too) kickbacks x 30 (
sets of 10)
bench dips x 30 (sets of 10)

forearms (I like forearm training) x 30 (sets of 10)

Legs squats x 32 (sets of 8)
deadlifts x 32 (sets of 8)
lunges x 32 (sets of 8)
calves x 32 (sets of 8)

Back (the deadlifts which i did previously)

and bent over rows x 30 (sets of 10).


How many times should I perform this weekly?

____

as for the food this was my day: (a lot of footie at college today)

breakfast: 2 oatmeals with 1 low fat yogurt and pear.3 eggs (2 whites)
9am- football
10 am- vegetable salad with chicken pieces
11am-1pm football
1pm- small veg salad with 2 turkey slices
4pm- broth and can of tuna
5pm workout- shoulders,traps + abs
7pm-post workout- 2 chicken drumsticks + large veg salad.
9pm- 3 cheese slices, corslaw and couple of capers
_________________________________________________________
 
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try using much heavier weights with much less reps
for example do 4 sets of 10 reps for your military press (with heavier weight)
and incorporate this into all your exercises and see how you go(it doesnt matter if you sit or stand i personally stand)
 
today I did the military press (because I had shoulders today) and using 14kg dumbells with 8 reps per set (4 sets) went well. I was exhausted by the last rep. dont forget ive been lifting for 5 months so give me a chance hehe. so is the full routine good though?
 
Let's look at what you've got:

pushups 4x10
bench press 4x10
shoulders: arnold press 4x8
military press 4x8
shurgs 4x8
bicep curls 3x10
triceps kickbacks 3x10
bench dips 3x10
forearms 3x10
Legs squats 4x8
deadlifts 4x8
lunges 4x8
calves 4x8

Ok....first. I'd ditch the kickbacks and pushups and bench dips and replace them with plain ol' dips. A three-fer. I'd get rid of one of the shoulder presses. Those two plus dips, plus bench is exessive. And I'd reorder it...so, let's see how it looks now.


Squats
Deadlifts
Bench press
Lunges
Military Press
Dips
Shrugs
bicep curls
Forearms
Calves

Still too much and rows and chins are very handy. Let's add them.

Squats
Deadlifts
Bench press
Bent over row/cable row
Military Press
Dips
Pullups/Chinups take your pick
-----------------------------
Lunges
Shrugs
Bicep curls
Forearms
Calves

Everything below the line I'd consider secondary. Maybe add one to each workout. Day 1 do some curls, day 2 some lunges, day 3 some shrugs, whatever. I'd save forearms and calves for when I have some free time in the gym...on the weekend or something.

The top section are the basics, the must haves imo. After that, it's a free for all. I hope it helped some.
 
when you refer to dips what actually are you reffering to? because the dips I know about are bench dipps. thanks for the programm by the way.
are my repetition ranges good mate?



this is my routine for fullbody workouts :

Monday : 30-35mins cardio when I wake up. weights+abs (6-7 hrs later)

Tuesday- Rest

Wednesday- Weights+ abs + HIIT (sprints or rope) (10-15mins)

Thursday- 30-35mins cardio when I wake up

Friday- Rest

Saturday- Weights + abs + HIIT (sprints or rope) (10-15mins)

Sunday- 30-35mins cardio when I wake up

is this a good programme for cutting? or should I give up a cardio session and instead throw in a HIITsession?

I know that its more ideal not to do cardio/HIIT on weight days but I cannot right now with my current college schedule. But ive done it for the past months and still was capable of doing it etc.

thanks a lot DEF. youre bing of great help.
 
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snorkles said:
Just planned my full body workout:

chest: pushups x 40
bench press x 40 (sets of 10)
Click to expand...

I hope you mean "reps" of 10 not sets of 10. The sets should be around 3 to 4. Drop the pushups, you dont need them. Add Incline Bench Press in its place.

shoulders: arnold press x 32 (sets of 8)
military press x 32 (sets of 8) (should i stand up or sit down for this?)
shurgs (for the traps) x 32 (sets of 8)
Click to expand...

Too much shoulder work in my opinion. Drop the Arnold press in favor of the Military Press. In addition, its my opinion, for now anyway, you can do away with the shrugs, and let the deadlift work your back and traps.

biceps: (just to make sure they get something) x 30 (sets of 10)
Click to expand...

Pull-ups will serve you well here. In addition to the standard barbell curl (some dont like this exercise, but it will serve you okay)


triceps (just to make sure they get something dircet too) kickbacks x 30 (
sets of 10)
bench dips x 30 (sets of 10)
Click to expand...

Drop the kickbacks in favor of the: French Press (skull crusher), or the overhead press. Keep the Dips. And consider the "close-grip" bench press.

Forearms (I like forearm training) x 30 (sets of 10)
Click to expand...

Reverse curls or if you wish you could do some Zottman curls (belongs in bicep area but this hits both the forearm and bicep, not a high regarded exercise, but it can do the job)

Legs squats x 32 (sets of 8)
deadlifts x 32 (sets of 8)
lunges x 32 (sets of 8)
Click to expand...

These are fine lifts. Keep all of them......Again.....lets hope you mean REPS of 8 not SETS of 8.


calves x 32 (sets of 8)
Click to expand...

Calf raises. Calves generally respond better to a higher rep range--normally speaking.

Back (the deadlifts which i did previously)

and bent over rows x 30 (sets of 10).
Click to expand...

Keep both of these lifts.


How many times should I perform this weekly?
Click to expand...


Full body workout 3 times per week and if this isnt possible a upper/lower split.
____



breakfast: 2 oatmeals with 1 low fat yogurt and pear.3 eggs (2 whites)
9am- football
10 am- vegetable salad with chicken pieces
11am-1pm football
1pm- small veg salad with 2 turkey slices
4pm- broth and can of tuna
5pm workout- shoulders,traps + abs
7pm-post workout- 2 chicken drumsticks + large veg salad.
9pm- 3 cheese slices, corslaw and couple of capers
Click to expand...

Try to get atleast .8 per lbs of body weight of protein. A pre and post workout meal, complex carbs as your staple carb in take along with simple carb intake (fruit) (especially after a WO), and good amount of good fats (NPB, nuts, Flax seed, fish oil, etc)

What have you determined your MT line to be, and what have you determined your caloric target to be?




Best wishes to you my new friend,



Chillen
 
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I just wanted to make sure, so the young man doesnt need an ambulance to the massage parlor for "movement" therepy.....because he cant get out of bed after the first day....LOL :)
 
I think it's fine as far as the schedule goes, assuming you're up to HIIT after a good workout. I tend to move HIIT to a separate day, but I'm not convinced that either is the 'right' way.
 
lolll. no I messed up with the word. only a grammatical error. about the woorkout I arranged every detail you told me about Chillen.

can you elaborate about my food? I mean can you provide me with a simple list of carbs which i take BEFORE workouts and carbs AFTER workouts. and is my food schedule looking good or should I fix something? (in order to cut for abs to show?

Or am I doing the right thing and im a cople of weeks/months away from my goal? ? hehehee

( for the record, this is what I had until now today)

breakfast 8am: 2 oatmeals with 1 low fat yogurt and pear.3 eggs (2 whites)
11am- 1 small brown bread bun with 1 chicken piece + apple
football 1 hr.
1pm- corslaw + 3 turkey slices
3pm- 2 steak portions + large veg. salad
5pm- apple + 5 walnuts
I plan to take some fat free cheese and some salad tonight.
 
snorkles said:
when you refer to dips what actually are you reffering to? because the dips I know about are bench dipps. thanks for the programm by the way.
are my repetition ranges good mate?



this is my routine for fullbody workouts :

Monday : 30-35mins cardio when I wake up. weights+abs (6-7 hrs later)

Tuesday- Rest

Wednesday- Weights+ abs + HIIT (sprints or rope) (10-15mins)

Thursday- 30-35mins cardio when I wake up

Friday- Rest

Saturday- Weights + abs + HIIT (sprints or rope) (10-15mins)

Sunday- 30-35mins cardio when I wake up
Click to expand...

Do your weight training first before any cardio. Begin within a tolerant level meaning 20 minutes minimim at a decent intensity level, and work your way up.

20 to 30 minutes of cardio on a progressive intensity scale will do the job.

Since you are narrowing down your workout, you now MUST narrow down your diet. It FIRST begins with learning your caloric needs per day (MT LINE), and then backing off a small margin. What type of diet one is on is the most important LINK above anything else.

You have to understand that ABS (as this is what you desire) come through the DIET. However, I personaly believe a zig-zag diet with your present body composition in mind will do you better service. This will allow for "potential" muscle growth and body fat loss at the same time. You just dont have much body fat to remove, and you will be better served in my opinion by allowing upper and lower body growth to occur, and trying to lose some body fat at the same time........and its POSSIBLE......a correct zig-zag diet will assist you......this is what I believe you need to do.....since its the abs you want most, AND there ISNT much body fat to reduce (there is some, but its not that great amount)

A Zig-zag diet is a diet where you allow a surplus of calories for a carefully selected amount of days, and then allow a deficit for a carefully selected amount of days---in a one week time period.

If you closely examine your body I believe with what I know at the moment, that you need a FBW, and a zig-zag diet, with eating as clean as possible with no nutrient manipulations at the present time.

In addition, with your present composition in mind, you need to pay careful attention to your progressive Ab workout routine, in addition to the deadlift and squat--while keeping your diet tip top.

While some can get by getting abs not doing a ab workout, specifically, I believe you need to do them, as I believe this inst always the case, though in general, this is in fact true.

On the abs: Hanging leg raises, russian twists, weighted half-up situps

Your torso in in reletively good shape, and while you may have focus on fat loss, I believe allowing for some overall muscle growth will improve your situation more.
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I dont know if you saw this post before but I will post how to configure your calories (and it has what to eat as well, in brief form):



Calorie calculation is an approximation science, remember this. Through your journey WATCH, LOOK, and LISTEN, to your body..........it will TELL YOU if your doing the correct things or combination of things!


○ Change your eating habits (below are some suggestion examples)

○ Substitute an artificial sweetener of your choice in the replace of refined white sugar (Refrain from Refined Sugar like you would a disease)

○ Try eating 5 to 6 smaller meals during the day

○ Balance your meals out during the day so in one day you have a mix of protein, carbohydrate and good fats

○ Drink lots of water during the day and before, during and after exercise

○ Simple Carb Examples: Grapefruit, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Strawberries, Oranges, Apples, Pineapple, etc

○ Complex Carb Examples: Whole Wheat Pita Bread, Oatmeal, Long Grain Brown Rice, Brown Pasta, Malto-Meal (Plain, whole wheat),etc

○ Good Protein Examples: White or Dark Tuna, Chicken Breast, Lean Turkey, Lean Ham, Very lean Beef, Quality Whey Protein Powder,, etc

○ Good Fats Examples: Natural Peanut Butter, Various Nuts, Flax Seed, Fish Oils.

This is what you need to do:

This an approximation science, but you can narrow it down very close, if your meticulous in your vision when looking at the data.

Tweak your desire and passion by educating yourself on the basic requirements of losing fat tissue. With your age, sex, height, and weight, in mind, find your approximated base calorie needs (this is organ function, breathing, or bodily function needs). One can use the Benedict Formula.

Calculate your BMR:

The Harris Benedict equation determines calorie needs for men or woman as follows:

• It calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calorie requirements, based on your height, weight, age and gender.

• It increases your BMR calorie needs by taking into account the number of calories you burn through activities such as exercise.

This gives you your total calorie requirement or approximated Maintenance Line (I call it the MT Line).

Step One : Calculate your BMR with the following formula:

•Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
•Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Step Two : In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:

•If you are sedentary : BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active: BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (You exercise daily.): BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 1.9

Create a Calorie Deficit:

In order to lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit. It is easier and healthier to cut back your calorie intake a little bit at a time.

Every 3,500 calories is equivalent to approximated 1 pound.

If you cut back 500 calories a day, you will lose approximated 1 pound per week. (not necessarily all fat)

If you exercise to burn off 500 calories a day you will also lose approximately 1 pound per week.

The calorie deficit margin is just an example:

Apply this knowledge by backing off the approximated MT Line (approximated Maintenance line), say for example, a -500c per day, for about 1 week. Before the week begins, weigh yourself in the AM when you FIRST get up (do not eat yet) (remember your clothing, preferably with just underwear and t-shirt or like clothes). Note the time, and the approximated wgt.
Each day spread your caloric content out throughout the day (keep the body fed, with calories in the 300 to 500c approximated calories each meal), or a like division which mirrors your end caloric deficit limit (meaning MT-500c).

This way you have your entire day and body encircled with nutrition (I assume you already know to eat clean), which if your eating right, will give an approximated good energy (not optimal because your in deficit) to fuel your training and exercising schedule.

At the end of the week, on the same day, the same time, with the same like clothes, weigh yourself again. Note whether you lost or gained tissue (or weight I mean). To further assist you, I want to tell you that for every approximated caloric deficit of (-3500c), one could lose 1lb of fat tissue. (though some may not all be fat tissue, this information is for another question, and isn't presently suited here).

Now, in this example you were calculating a -500c per day deficit. There needs to be -3500c to lose approximated 1lbs of fat. Now lets do some basic math. -500cX7=-3500c. With all things considered equal, and you were meticulous and faithful on the diet, you should have been CLOSE to losing at least one pound of tissue in the week.

If this didn't happen, this means you need to make finer adjustments, and the MT line is not accurate, and you need to adjust this on your own.

Based upon the FEEDBACK your body is giving you, ask yourself how faithful you were on the diet, AND how faithful in training (whether you kept the training schedule (if you didn't, this would effect the caloric equation, no?!), AND how accurate you figured in your activities caloric wise.........but, you have the base information to begin making adjustments.

The calorie SURPLUS margin is just an example: (attempt to gain weight)

Apply this knowledge by going OVER the approximated MT Line (approximated Maintenance line), say for example, a +500c per day, for about 1 week. Before the week begins, weigh yourself in the AM when you FIRST get up (do not eat yet) (remember your clothing, preferably with just underwear and t-shirt or like clothes). Note the time, and the approximated wgt.
Each day spread your caloric content out throughout the day (keep the body fed, with calories in the 300 to 500c approximated calories each meal), or a like division which mirrors your end caloric deficit limit (meaning MT+500c).

This way you have your entire day and body encircled with nutrition (I assume you already know to eat clean), which if your eating right, will give an approximated good energy (not optimal because your in deficit) to fuel your training and exercising schedule.

At the end of the week, on the same day, the same time, with the same like clothes, weigh yourself again. Note whether you lost or gained tissue (or weight I mean).

If this didn't happen, this means you need to make finer adjustments, and the MT line is not accurate, and you need to adjust this on your own



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The Nutrients are an essential factor in the diet; however, the law of energy balance within the DIET, is the ultimate KING while the Nutrients can play in some decisions made within the body.

Do yourself a favor, figure out your MT line, adjust off of this, eat well balanced spaced out meals (DONT EVER starve YOURSELF), AND listen to your body for the results.

While you are trying to figure out your body, IT WILL PAY YOU BACK, I promise. You have to learn to MASTER yourself to become the master of weight loss for YOURSELF.
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"Let your inner vision cultivate your ultimate exterior expression" —Chillen

"The strongest inner feeling that prevails will result in the exterior expression" –Chillen

"Your cultivation and manifestation of thought accumulated within your reasoning will determine your outcome"----Chillen
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Deficit dieting is the fat burner, and EVERYTHING follows after this. The deficit can be implemented through the diet or exercise can cause the deficit when you know your MT line reference. Without a adequate deficit, cardio WILL NOT burn fat off you. This is WHY I don't partake in the cardio debates of heart rate, etc........because the bottom line is the deficit diet....period, debate OVER. If you stick to the basic: The Law of energy balance, and tip this to the negative side of the equation, you will be on your way, with everything considered equal and your healthy.

Losing fat is sort of like draining a pool. It usually leaves the shallow end first before the larger end starts to diminish. But, fat and/or tissue is lost all over when deficit dieting.

If you want to lose overall body fat, get your diet in order, eat clean, learn what your approximate MT reference line is according to activities (and back off a HEALTHY margin), and perform overall weight training, and of course, include cardio (cardio DOES have its benefits other than burning calories, carbs, fat, ect).

The most effective beginning is to look at your diet, and make a diet journal in my opinion, THEN work in a training program around this diet.

=========================================================
You must have "some obsession".

Have controlled obsession (and obsession to a---Point, is necessary), but some lose this obsession once they learn the amount of work it requires. There eyes then widen and then the obsession then pops right out. Dont let this happen to you: Raise your Want-o-Meter to a new higher level.



Best Regards,


Chillen
 
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you call white rice a cheat meal!!!!!!!

dude! double heavy chocolate brownies with cremem cheese on top is a cheat. and not until you have two servings.... lol!!

that's all from me.

hehee

ff
 
snorkles said:
when you refer to dips what actually are you reffering to? because the dips I know about are bench dipps.
Click to expand...

I guess you could call them bench dips if you dip between two benches...

These are dips:
 
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