A
male
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:Ok, im 14 and can not find anything that sounds convincing or is true on building ab muscle.I want to get a 6pack (not to big, just a nice mild look on the skin cerface).I heard that a good diet helps..can somebody please share any diets that i should take out which would help me to get a 6pack?also, what exercise is best?i have been working on crunches etc... and i have burned away some belly fat which is now making my belly flat, so im hoping that anybody has a good diet and exercise tips etc which they know works?thanks. ps/ i was thinking of just eating a small potion of pasta at 12(noon) and again at 5pm each day. and drinking 3pints of water from waking up to noon, and another 8pints between 12 and 5. is this good?thanks.!
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male
reader, anonymous, writes (27 June 2009): Ok, I read the previous postings and just had to jump in. Some advice is good, some bad it looks like 50/50 here. So I'll tell you what I know and whats worked for me. But first I should tell you that at your age you NEED as much nutrition as you can get. Your body has a growth spurt or 2 left in it, don't deprive it. If you eat relatively healthy and work out don't worry about it.With that being said if you still want to do it:1) Go online and use your weight to see how many calories your body needs daily. Google's great. Then cut your intake by 250-350 calories. Four hundreds pushing it.2) CHICKEN! You need protein and lots of it and while protein can be found in meats as well as eggs and other products chicken is simply the most affordable.3)DO NOT EAT 2 HELPINGS OF PASTA A DAY. Have 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day 200-300 calories each though don't worry bout counting calories as long as its a reasonable serving.4)Veggies are your best friend because they're filling and have little calories.Have with every meal5)Stay away from bread, pasta, etc PERIOD. No if or buts ,even whole grain because most of the time its processed.6) The most important thing of all is that you already have a sixpack. Everyone does, you just have to get rid of the fat! That means 20-30 minutes of cardio daily with a few crunches every other day. 3 sets of 20 WELL DONE sit ups/crunches is all you need. Do you do hundreds of reps when you're benching? Didn't think so7)You MUST build up the rest of your body as well, muscle burns fat. More muscle=less fat.Just by sitting there your muscle's burning fat.Tell us how it works out, would really like to know. Oh, and LOTS of water and NO soda or juice (juice is loaded! with sugar). If you have to ask yourself if you should eat or drink something don't take it
A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (28 May 2009): ten glasses of water a day, cut carbs sugars saturated fats, lots of white meat, chicken turkey fish and a good exercise routine
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A
male
reader, ArmyMedic +, writes (28 May 2009):
 If you eat what you describe there you will not have enough protein to build the muscles you need for a 6 pack. Eat plenty of varied healthy food and if you want to get a good physique check out this link: http://www.armyfit.mod.uk/
You need to work on all your muscles not just your abs otherwise you will do damage to your posture, and look ridiculous!
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A
female
reader, k_c100 +, writes (28 May 2009):
 Is that diet you mentioned ALL you are thinking of eating?! If so, you are not eating enough!!!! You need to eat way more than that to build muscle and to be healthy - at your age if you starve yourself like that then you will end up damaging your bones, heart and probably stunt your growth so you will never grow to your full height. I know you think eating pasta is not starving yourself but because you are a male and aged 14, that diet would mean your body would go into starvation mode and you would do some serious damage to your body.
First of all you need to eat 3 times a day, eating earlier in the day is more important than eating at night because you burn more calories during the day than you do at night. So make time for breakfast every day! If you want to build muscle then you must eat more protein - carbs will not do much for you apart from give you short bursts of energy.
Men are very lucky in that they can eat pretty much whatever they want and as long as you exercise, you will not put on weight and just get great muscle tone. This is because your body does not have as many fat cells as women so it is actually harder for you to gain fat. I reccomend you go on the men's health website or start buying that magazine, it has lots of great diet and exercise advice.
I have spent a lot of time reading up on diet and exercise and I think I know my stuff so here are my tips for you:
1. Eat More! You need to be eating 2500 calories a day to maintain your current weight, and if you are building muscle then muscle burns more calories therefore you need to ensure you are eating enough. If you are not giving your body the calories it needs then it will eat into your muscle first, therefore on that diet you outlined you will never gain any muscle and the 6 pack will never happen.
2. Eat more protein! That diet you mentioned only included carbs, you have to be eating a balanced diet to gain muscle and protein is very important in building muscle. Muscle is made out of protein fibres, therefore the more protein you eat the more chance you have of getting a 6-pack! Foods high in protein - Eggs, meat (chicken and fish is best seen as it is a lean meat and has little fat in it)and most diary products (milk, cheese etc), nuts and seeds.
3. Cut out White Carbs! So no white pasta, white bread or white rice. These foods have no nutritional benefit because they are processed, and they will leave you feeling and looking bloated (bye bye 6 pack!). Instead only eat the brown versions - so wholewheat pasta, brown bread and brown rice. These are brown because they have all the vitamins and nutrients left in them, and they are slow release carbs - this means they will release energy slowly giving you more energy throughout the day!
I think if you follow those 3 rules for your diet then you will get the results you want - you dont need to be too strict on what you eat at your age because you need all the energy to grow! And that water consumption you mention in your question, that seems too excessive. You can actually die from drinking too much water, it drowns your body from within! So just drink when you are thirsty, there is no need to go mad with the water! Most of your recommended intake of water should actually be coming from your food, as a lot of foods are 50-90% water. So make sure you eat lots of fruit and veg because these have a high water content and they have lots of vitamins and minerals that you need.
So an ideal diet for you would be this:
Breakfast:
Poached/boiled eggs with brown toast
Or cereal and brown toast if you dont have time for eggs
Lunch:
Anything you like! Make sure it includes carbs for energy, so wholewheat pasta is good, jacket potatoes, sandwiches with brown bread, soup etc
Dinner:
Chicken or fish with vegetables
Or any meat you like with veg
Snacks:
Nuts, fruit
Drinks:
Low sugar cordial, water, fruit juice
Exercise wise - sit-ups, crunches, press-ups...those sorts of things are all you can do to get a 6 pack. You just have to do high repitions of them, so maybe try doing 4 sets of 50 (with about a minutes break in between each set). You should try getting a little cardio in your exercise routine too, as this will help give you definition around your abs. Swimming is brilliant for all over muscle tone as it uses every muscle in the body - but remember that swimming uses lots of calories so again you will have to eat more! Or maybe try jogging once or twice a week, this is another great exercise that will help you tone up.
The main thing for you to achieve what you want is to eat more and stop worrying so much about gaining this 6 pack! I understand all men want the perfect 6-pack abs but often some men just cannot achieve this as their bodies were not made to have 6-packs. Some guys can only achieve a flat stomach with a bit of tone and definition. And most girls dont really like 6-packs anyway, it is a sign that the guy is obsessed with his body and spends way too much time working out! So definition is always better than a 6-pack. I would always go for a guy with a flat stomach over a 6-pack, I think 6 packs look unnatural and ugly!
Just enjoy being a teenager, start eating more of what you want and just be healthy, dont let yourself become obsessed with diet and exercise. You need to find a healthy balance between the two - take my boyfriend for example. He works out 3 times a week with weights and goes running a couple of times a week. He has an amazing body but no 6-pack! But he has such great muscle definition and he is really toned, and he gets so much attention from the girls! But guess what - he eats like a pig and drinks beer all the time! He loves pizza, and eating all sorts of food that you wouldnt normally associate with a healthy body. But the way he sees it is that he can eat what he wants as long as he works out and doesnt eat rubbish all the time.
I hope this helps and good luck!
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A
female
reader, Summerlovn2004  +, writes (28 May 2009):
 I think a HEALTHY diet will due, however you are still quite young, just have fun with your life and eat well because for now that is all you need. : D
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (28 May 2009): Crunches are the easy way out of situps. 25 every night, then a week later, 50 every night, 2 weeks later, 100 every night, 4 weeks later, 150 every night.
Careful.. once you start building muscle, you have to keep it up pretty much forever. It's real quick to turn into flab once it becomes muscle tissue.
The diet needs to come with the calories you're buring so you don't starve yourself or your body.
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