Adding alot of muscle to abs

[1_more_rep]

hey everyone. I have been fasting for the past 2 weeks and have dropped ABOUT 7 pounds of fat (since some might have been muscle lost). Anyways, my stomach is flat and my upper ribcage is showing when i flex but i have no middle abs or muscle on my middle-->lower abs. And my upper abs are just showing the ribs and not much muscle.

my current routine is 3 sets of 5 of those pause sit ups that burn like hell. And 3 sets of 12 leg lifts.

this feels like a good ab workout but i guess its good for BURNING fat and not really building muscle.

can you guys suggest a workout that will bulk up my muscle around my abs? should i just do a few sets of normal sit-ups with weight on my chest? will that build muscle? or how can i exercise my abs to BUILD muscle and not just burn fat and make them feel a little bit sore?

 

[Cynical Simian]

Doing your Needsize situps with weight added would be a very good place to start. There are plenty of ab exercises out there you can try, but, as with any other muscle, manipulating resistance is key (unless you want to try to overload the muscle entirely through volume and be one of those guys who brags that he does 6000 crunches a day).

 

[1_more_rep]

Doing your Needsize situps with weight added would be a very good place to start. There are plenty of ab exercises out there you can try, but, as with any other muscle, manipulating resistance is key (unless you want to try to overload the muscle entirely through volume and be one of those guys who brags that he does 6000 crunches a day).

well i used to (long time ago) do about 3 sets of maybe 15 situps with a 25 on my chest. Nothing heavy and not many reps. I am in alot better shape now though so maybe i should try doing a few sets of 25 for maybe 25 sit ups every 2 days + some leg lifts for my lower abs.

i almost NEVER do crunches. Should i be doing them? they don't pack on muscle do they? i thought they were just for losing some belly fat and thats all...correct me if im wrong!

thanks!

 

[King Cobra]

Put weights between your knees when you do the leg lifts. Start with the heaviest weight possible and then go down from there. I usually do a set with 45 lbs, 35, and then 25. Placing a weight between your ankles, like 10 lbs to start off with, and then raising your legs without bending at the knees a good way to work the lower abs as well.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Visible abs are a function of bf %. Most men store more fat towards their lower abs. You can do all the ab work you want but til the fat comes off they won't be visible. For example I'll link to a pic of me. You can kinda see my upper abs a little but they disappear entirely the lower you go. It's 'cuz there's less fat at the top part and more on the bottom. My abs are very strong and hard but they're well insulated

Here's the pic:
http://img430.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dcp03585fv.jpg

 

[seizer]

dude man, you're not gonna pack on muescle anywhere man if your fasting. Forget about it. Remember the basics, eat in surplus to your bmr, like alot. You cant be fasting man, but its apart of your religion so you gotta do it.

 

[kimchee411]

Doing your Needsize situps with weight added would be a very good place to start. There are plenty of ab exercises out there you can try, but, as with any other muscle, manipulating resistance is key (unless you want to try to overload the muscle entirely through volume and be one of those guys who brags that he does 6000 crunches a day).

I agree. Why do people always treat abs so differently? They are muscles, and if you want muscles to grow you need high resistance training, proper nutrition, and rest.

I like doing leg lifts with a dumbell b/w my feet and also V-ups with a dumbell b/w my feet (where you sit on the edge of a bench with your legs extended with feet just off the floor and your back inclined, then bend your knees toward your chest.... someone used to call them "ballbusters", I think it was Chris Cormier or Flex Wheeler, maybe Ronnie).

There's nothing wrong with crunches; they are great. If they are too easy unweighted, then add weight. They are not for "burning belly fat" -- you cannot spot reduce a particular area by stimulating the muscle underneath it. As was previously mentioned it is difficult, if not impossible, to add muscle mass while you're cutting. If you do not want to get any leaner then eat at least as much as you burn so your abs can grow. (However, if your abs aren't really visible you probably aren't all that lean anyway, so continuing to cut is probably a good idea... they will show as your cutting cycle progresses. Remember, belly fat is the last to go.)

Also, "fasting" sounds scary, like you're starving. If that's the case, then you're gonna be eating away muscle, as well as slowing down your metabolism. Be sure to keep your cutting diet at a reasonable caloric level. You didn't lose 7 lbs. of FAT in 2 weeks. That means you were at a daily DEFICIT of 2016 calories that ALL went to burning fat, and that just doesn't happen. A lot of it may have been water and muscle.

 

[*MissFit*]

leg lifts r the only type of sit up i have ever done and the only ab work i do period.... right now im a little on the skinyn side but for the most part i can get a six pac..

but mite be different because im female and my bf is quite low

 

[1_more_rep]

dude man, you're not gonna pack on muescle anywhere man if your fasting. Forget about it. Remember the basics, eat in surplus to your bmr, like alot. You cant be fasting man, but its apart of your religion so you gotta do it.

i have only been fasting for about 2 weeks. and i am stopping SOON. My point about the fasting was everyone i had recently asked about abs had said that abs were ALL diet and keeping a low BF %. I was already pretty much a flat stomach but with no definition on it at 175. Now i weigh about 166. So i lost a good number of pounds so i thought my abs should have been showing pretty well now since i have been doing some cardio and stayed with my ab workouts.

but now that i am leaner i still can see some UPPER ribs showing but absolutely no abs showing middle-->lower.

i just don't know why nothing is showing. Stomach is flat, low BF % (dont know exact # but my muscles show out pretty much everywhere else at least a little bit). and i do a bunch of ab workouts.

i'm stumped

 

[Guinness5.0]

i have only been fasting for about 2 weeks. and i am stopping SOON. My point about the fasting was everyone i had recently asked about abs had said that abs were ALL diet and keeping a low BF %. I was already pretty much a flat stomach but with no definition on it at 175. Now i weigh about 166. So i lost a good number of pounds so i thought my abs should have been showing pretty well now since i have been doing some cardio and stayed with my ab workouts.

but now that i am leaner i still can see some UPPER ribs showing but absolutely no abs showing middle-->lower.

i just don't know why nothing is showing. Stomach is flat, low BF % (dont know exact # but my muscles show out pretty much everywhere else at least a little bit). and i do a bunch of ab workouts.

i'm stumped

My hunch is that you're bf % prob. hasn't dropped all that much. You're likely to lose muscle and fat in somewhat similar proportions when you fast - from a survival standpoint your body "sees" muscle as a much less necessary tissue and in the presence of fasting, it'll be the first to go. By keeping up the lifting you give your body a reason to hang on to it. I'd suggest that if you cut out cardio and just lifted you'd lose a more favorable ratio of fat to muscle.

I'm not saying to ditch your religion or anything, but you gotta accept the fact that fasting is miserable for your physique. You just have to go on damage control and make the best of it.

 

[AEKDB]

I will trade with you. My problem is I have strong ab muscles under a large amount of fat.

Heavy deadlifts and squats will help more than anything. Overhead squats will build the muscles around your ribs. Side bends and crunches will help as well. The secret is to go HEAVY. I use at least 125lbs for side bends and a 50lb standard weight for incline situps.

 

[nutsnack]

fasting is ure diet? i take it ure somewhat small due to seeing ure ribs? u need to pack on calories and protein if u wanna see muscle growth.. hit the weights with ure abs not toning them w/ sit ups