Table of Contents | Category Listing for Abdominal Training
The Question:I go to school and I have not been working
out as much as I used to. Over the summer and during the
winter I worked at job that I was able to do my job and get a
good work out at the same time. Now that I am back at school
I am not getting the daily workout that I am used to. I have
gained the infamous "love handles" and a tiny stomach. And it
is not from the beer that is the cause of many figure downfalls.
I was asking if you knew a good abs workout that would get my
toso back to a nice sculptured look. I am not looking for anthing
exotic, but somthing to really define my abs and torso. I am a
soccer player by birth so my legs are in good shape. And maybe a
meal plan that would go along with the workout.
The Answer:This is a fairly common question that I have been getting for years and years! To answer your question I must first tell you that while you obviously need to train your abs in order to develop the abdominal muscles appropriately you also must begin a fairly strict diet to really bring out your definition.
All of the Fitrex programs have abdominal routines built into the exercise prescription on a daily basis. These abdominal workouts are more than enough to get your abs in shape! So, chose a program and get started training today!
Once the training component is addressed your nutritional or food intake should become a primary focus. First of all, you should check out the nutrition section on our web site. This can be found at the Fitness Info button located on the top right hand side of our web page. Or you can click here to go straight to it.
You mentioned that you wanted to know of any special foods that will help to get your abs to start showing. There really aren’t any special foods that will make will make a significant difference. It is your overall nutrition plan that will make the biggest difference. Please check out our nutrition section for good, basic information.
Here is a response that I answered for another member. It details what to do to put on more lean mass and reduce body fat levels at the same time. The programs that are recommended in this response will also help you attain your ab and torso development goals. They are very aggressive programs however, so you may want to look at the 2 or 4 day General Fitness programs for a great workout as well!
The response has been individualzed for a person that weighs 215 pounds. However, all of the information can be converted to your individualzed needs by using your own bodyweight in the calculations. Let me know how it goes!
Reponse:
You need to be doing either the 5 Day Bodybuilding Mass Program or the 5 Day Strength and Power Program. You can choose the EXPRESS or the Advanced EXPRESS version of the Strength and Power program if you would like. Then, you need to diet! To start with, take in at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. This would be 215 grams of protein in your case. Then, to find the number of carbohydrate grams you should take in, just multiply your bodyweight by 2. This would be 430 grams of carbohydrates in your case. Finally, you should take in 72 grams of quality fatty acids like Flax seed oil, Olive oil, or Udo's oil. This is found by dividing your bodyweight by 3. Check out the recommended readings in the fitness info section of our web page to find out about Udo's oil!
I have done some calculations for you but I also want to explain what is going on here. Here goes.
1 gram of protein has 4 calories. 1 gram of carbohydrate also has 4 calories. 1 gram of fat has 9 calories. For you this means.
First Week of Program:
Protein (215 grams x 4 = 900 calories)
Carbohydrates (430 grams x 4 = 1720 calories)
Fat (72 grams x 9 = 648 calories)
First Week Total - 3268 calories.
When you start your program you should start with the 3,268 calories with the appropriate balance of protein, carbs and fat that I have outlined above. But, here's the kicker! Each week of the 12 week program you should add 10 grams of protein and subtract 15 grams of carbohydrates to your diet. But, keep the fat intake the same.
So, you should end up on the last week of your 12 week program with these totals:
Protein (325 grams total)
Carbohydrates (265 grams total)
Fat (same at 72 grams total)
This would give you a new caloric range of:
Protein (325 x 4 = 1300 calories)
Carbohydrates (265 x 4 = 1060 calories)
Fat (72 x 9 = 648 calories)
Total on week 12 of your program - 3008 calories
Make sure you spread out your eating to 6 times per day so you are always bringing in some nutrients into your body for growth and recovery without eating so much that you store any extra calories from fat.
You will also need to kick in some cardio training to really get lean. But, not too much so that you start to lose your mass. On weeks 1-4 you should do 25 minutes of cardio, 3 times per week. On weeks 5-9 you should do 30 minutes of cardio 4 times per week. On weeks 10-12 you should do 30 minutes of cardio 5 days per week. Keep your heart rate between 130 - 140 beats per minute or 70% of your age predicted maximum heart rate (APMHR). You can find out how to get your APMHR by typing these letters into the Search function on the Fitrex home page.
Finally, you will see a drop in bodyweight with this type of diet plan. However, If you eat the way I have told you to, and if you are mentally strong enough to push yourself with your training you will keep the mass that you have built and the weight loss will come from fat loss! Since everyone is different you may have to adjust your carbs and fat intake down slightly but don't reduce the protein level. However, I followed this very same plan (with adjustments for my specific body size) and I lost 36 pounds of fat in the first 8 weeks of the plan! Give it a shot and let me know how it goes. Train hard! |
