Top 10: Reasons You Don't Have Abs

[size=small]If there's one fitness goal that almost every man goes to the gym in hopes of achieving, it's a ripped set of abs.

Whether you're trimming down or developing more muscle mass, there's no question that your abs are important. But you might have worked on sculpting an eye-catching stomach many times in the past without ever seeing the results you had hoped for. What is it that makes getting ripped abs so hard to achieve?

Let's take a look at the top 10 reasons you don't have abs.

[size=medium]10. Low-muscle tone[/size]
The first reason you don't have abs is simple: a shortage of muscle. While everyone has a degree of abdominal development, some people simply have very little of it. The larger your ab muscles are, the more the muscle will be able to show definition through your body fat, and therefore, the more ripped you'll look. Start performing heavy-weighted ab work to overcome this problem. Weighted decline sit-ups work perfectly

[size=medium]9. It's not in your genes[/size]
Another reason you don’t have abs is that you simply don't have the genetics for it. Some people are naturally prone to carry more abdominal fat, and even if they get down to leaner levels with ripped arms and legs, the abs still don't show through. Couple that with the fact that genetics plays a principal role in determining the shape of the abs and the way they look on the body, and you'll realize that if you have genetics working against you, toning your abs is going to be an uphill battle.

[size=medium]8. You're not drinking enough water[/size]
In today's world of fast food and excessively processed foods, water retention is the norm. If you have a high-sodium diet and you're not drinking enough water throughout the day, you can bet your looks will be hindered by what you consume. Up your water intake to at least 10 glasses a day and put down the saltshaker. You'll see noticeable differences in two to three days' time.

[size=medium]7. You're not sleeping enough[/size]
Do you find yourself staying late at work and vowing to sleep in on the weekend to make up for it? If you're hoping for six-pack abs, you'll have to rethink that strategy. Lack of sleep causes increased cortisol to surge through your system, and this potent hormone actually encourages the accumulation of stomach fat. Get to bed earlier. Not only will you see belly benefits because of it, but you'll be more productive during the day so you won't have to stay so late in the first place.

[size=medium]6. You need more carbs[/size]
If you're like many people, you think removing the carbs from your plate is the fastest way to get lean. Unfortunately, that's often not the case. Low-carb diets may be useful for fat loss, but following a very low-carb diet for a long time will cause you nothing but problems. Certain fat-fighting hormones begin to change when your carb intake is too low, and this actually causes your metabolism to shut down. When your metabolism slows, you end up burning so few calories over the course of the day that fat loss becomes next to impossible. Go high-carb once a week to keep the balance steady. Your abs will thank you.

[size=medium]5. You're too focused on abs[/size]
Some men who have a six-pack as their goal focus the greater part of their workout on training the abdominal muscle group. Sadly, this focus only drives them further away from their goal. Since the ab muscles are very small, they're hardly going to burn any calories at all (per minute of exercise). Instead, try to focus on compound movements. These work the abs in the course of greater stabilization exercises, and, in the process, they burn 10 times the calories any crunch will.

[size=medium]4. You have poor abdominal control[/size]
Abdominal control doesn't end when you finish a workout. If you train your abs hard in the gym but then let them relax the rest of the day, you're making a critical error. Instead, focus on keeping them tight and pulled in at all times. Eventually it will become a habit and you'll immediately look leaner.

[size=medium]3. You drink too much[/size]
Headed out for another Friday night with the guys? Before you order another beer at half time, think about its effect on your six-pack goal. As soon as it enters the body, alcohol immediately puts the brakes on fat loss, which means each beer really slows down your progress. Drinking too much too often can also encourage fat to develop around the stomach area, making your job that much harder. While you may take some ribbing when you ask for water, you'll render your buddies speechless next time you cross paths with them at the gym.

[size=medium]2. You're too stressed[/size]
Just like lack of sleep, high levels of stress also induce the release of cortisol and quickly cause fat gain in the belly area. If you lead a high-stress lifestyle and feel chronic tension, not only are you encouraging stomach fat accumulation, but you're also risking the loss of lean muscle mass. If you want to stay ripped everywhere else and move closer to a six-pack, you must control your stress.
[size=medium]
1. You binge eat[/size]
Even the best of us crack under the pressure of too long on a strict diet. If you're trying to stick with a regimen far too low in calories and carbs, it won't be long before you hit the buffet with a vengeance. When binge eating rears its head in your diet plan, have a good look at the regimen you're following and be sure you're consuming enough calories. A very low-calorie diet is the chief reason why most men binge. Your intake must be appropriate to your size and activity level. Low calorie is good, but too few calories will leave you hungry for a binge.

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thanks askmen.com..:D
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Comments

  • SkkinSkkin Posts: 870
    nice read bro

    salamat!
  • monching11monching11 Posts: 7,273
    Guilty ako sa number 1 jan!

    pero you can overcome all of this with DETERMINATION heheheheh!
  • SkkinSkkin Posts: 870
    ako bro yung number 7 brader

    lagi akong late na kasi matulog eh. pero I get 7 - 8 hours of sleep naman. late nga lang ako matulog :(
  • rrobinrrobin Posts: 131
    Hehehe,ako rin guilty sa number 7...pero 8 hours a day naman tulog ko, late nga lang..:)

    Im trying number 8, im drinking more water para lumabas na yung lower abs ko lalo, feeling ko water retention yung nangyayari sakin, mahilig rin kasi ako sa maaalat..heheh!
  • SkkinSkkin Posts: 870
    parehas pala tayong mahilig sa tubig brader.

    bro ano tingin mo effect ng late night na natutulog? pero completo naman 8 hours.
  • rrobinrrobin Posts: 131
    ^^^

    Uhhmm...maybe as long as your not stressed naman, cause cortisol kicks in if you're stressed and sleep less than 8 hours a day..

    just my centavo..:D
  • SkkinSkkin Posts: 870
    rrobin wrote:
    ^^^

    Uhhmm...maybe as long as your not stressed naman, cause cortisol kicks in if you're stressed and sleep less than 8 hours a day..

    just my centavo..:D

    hahaha good for us bro. Thanks sa info
  • chikinitochikinito Posts: 461
    May nabasa ako dati na you're not supposed to sleep after 12. Dapat ang tulog before 12. May enzyme enzyme something na napoproduce lang kapag gabi and you want to maximize yung gabi. ^_^
  • AldrinAldrin Posts: 799
    Skkin wrote:
    parehas pala tayong mahilig sa tubig brader.

    bro ano tingin mo effect ng late night na natutulog? pero completo naman 8 hours.

    para sakin bro ayos lang ..pero try mo mga 4-5months yan tapos pag may progress edi ok...

    tapos sanayan lang:D
  • rrobinrrobin Posts: 131
    @chikinito

    Ideally, best talaga to sleep early. But what can we do if our job demands us to sleep late diba..?!

    For us siguro as long as we meet the ideal rest time(8 hours), it's ok. Like I said Cortisol(a.k.a. stress hormone) is a steroid hormone responsible for weight gain. It is triggered by stress and sleeping less than 8 hours a day...:)
  • chikinitochikinito Posts: 461
    rrobin wrote:
    @chikinito

    Ideally, best talaga to sleep early. But what can we do if our job demands us to sleep late diba..?!

    For us siguro as long as we meet the ideal rest time(8 hours), it's ok. Like I said Cortisol(a.k.a. stress hormone) is a steroid hormone responsible for weight gain. It is triggered by stress and sleeping less than 8 hours a day...:)

    I agree pare. ^_^

    @all
    Yung sleep ba na sinasabi nyo dapat tuloy tuloy? Usually kasi I sleep 7 hours at night and then 1 hour siesta. ^_^

    Counted na ba yun na 8 hours o hindi pa rin kasi putol and dapat tuloy tuloy?

    Technically 8 hours ang total though. Hehehe..

    Gulo.

  • SkkinSkkin Posts: 870
    Dapat tuloy tuloy brader
  • nrg500nrg500 Posts: 1,233
    pero dapat ang tulog ay sa gabi

    iba pa rin ang tulog sa gabi

    naka-design ang katawan natin na sa gabi matulog

    nasubukan ko ng magtrabaho sa gabi... ang hirap makatulog sa umaga

    at kahit makatulog ka sa umaga, mabigat pa rin ang pakiramdam mo paggising


    halos lahat naman ng tao ay may abs na, natatakpan lang ng taba

    yung sa akin, medyo nakakapa ko na yung tigas ng abs

    kailangan lang talaga ng high intensity cardio


    ibang usapan na pag ectomorph, madali lang sa kanila palabasin ang abs

    pero sa mga endomorph na tulad ko, kailangan talaga ng sipag sa cardio at weight lifting
  • rrobinrrobin Posts: 131
    People simply don't understand the foundations in "Showing" your abdominal muscles.To think that it's quite easy for an ectomorph to suddenly making it pop for the world to see,yet I see many ectomorphs who doesn't have "developed" abdominal muscles. Basically your abs is a muscle and you need to work it out for it to develop(#10), just like the other muscle in our body...



  • monching11monching11 Posts: 7,273
    ^

    tama bro, not all ectomorphs are created equal. ako ecto ako pero it's F*CKIN HARD to get those ABS! hahahah
  • nrg500nrg500 Posts: 1,233
    We had 14-year old boy neighbor before

    his arms are thin, chest is flat... but his abs are already well-defined

    I think that kid would do well in body building if he will work hard


    I am an endomorph but If I have to choose between being an endomorph and being an ectomorph, I will choose to be an ectomorph

    Why ?

    Building extra muscle requires a calorie excess.

    Having too much calories is not a problem for ectomorphs. I know ectomorphs are gifted with a very fast metabolism

    Just correct me if I am wrong
  • rrobinrrobin Posts: 131
    you got it monch..
  • hi mga bro..pwedi sumali at magtanong?
  • boss_jboss_j Posts: 1,243
    pwedeng pwede ser, post ka lang sa right thread...
  • LEUCINELEUCINE Posts: 264
    nrg500 wrote:
    We had 14-year old boy neighbor before

    his arms are thin, chest is flat... but his abs are already well-defined

    I think that kid would do well in body building if he will work hard


    I am an endomorph but If I have to choose between being an endomorph and being an ectomorph, I will choose to be an ectomorph

    Why ?

    Building extra muscle requires a calorie excess.

    Having too much calories is not a problem for ectomorphs. I know ectomorphs are gifted with a very fast metabolism

    Just correct me if I am wrong

    Tama,
    May advantage nga ang ECTO,
    Endo ka Sir?
    may advantage ka rin naman ah,sa lahat ng types,kayo ung pinakamabilis mag put on ng mass pag naregulate nyo na ung BF% nyo,
    sa powerlifting kayo maghahari

    Ecto rin ako
    hindi kami carb sensitive,kahit ilang extra rice,pero sa packing on Mass naman kami nahihirapan,narrow shoulder
    pinangarap ko ring magka-abs e!!!hehehe
    gifted talga ung may 8packs

    try nyo habang naglalakad kayo i-flex nyo ung abs nyo,tanggalin nyo lahat ng hangin sa tyan tapos sa diaphragm lang kayo huminga,works for me

    If Cortisol is High
    you wont lose fat

    The most basic food...
    The most basic exercise...
    Is where you find the most results
  • reason 11. hinde priority ang abs hehehehe
  • cigano_23cigano_23 Posts: 35
    paano ko po ba mapapababa ang cortisol level ko,,, any supplements??? kasi ectomorph ako pero my tyan ako n parang sa endo,, tingin ko mataas cortisol ko
  • mike_jyzzmike_jyzz Posts: 100
    My take on this is people do too much worthless abs exercises. I do specific workouts and they do wonders for me. I don't have perfect abs but that's my take. Good read all of these are facts
  • JettieJettie Posts: 3,763
    +1 kay sir mike. Samin ang daming 1000000 situps and crunches thinking na dun mawawala ang belly nila. Una yun din tingin ko, with of course help ng tao dito at self learning.. hopefully sana makakuha rin one day..
  • Mighty_OakMighty_Oak Posts: 3,940
    Take dat dere cell tech.
  • RabRab Posts: 25
    share lang po, ako po kasi nagtataka din madali lang po ako magka abs kaya mas focus ako sa ibang muscle part, pag napapansin kong medyo natatakpan na ng fat ang abs ko isang tirahan lang meron na ulit,ewan ko eh parang magic paggsing ko meron na ulit!haha..kaya focus talaga ko sa ibang muscle part!
    Rab wrote:
    share lang po, ako po kasi nagtataka din madali lang po ako magka abs kaya mas focus ako sa ibang muscle part, pag napapansin kong medyo natatakpan na ng fat ang abs ko isang tirahan lang meron na ulit siguro mga isang buwan ulit bago ko bigyang pansin si abs,ewan ko eh parang magic paggsing ko meron na ulit!haha..kaya focus talaga ko sa ibang muscle part!
  • Mighty_OakMighty_Oak Posts: 3,940
    ^Payat ka kasi kaya ganun.
  • RabRab Posts: 25
    Mighty_Oak wrote:
    ^Payat ka kasi kaya ganun.

    ah ganun po ba!ehe advantage pala ng mga payat ang magkaron ng abs!:)
  • rotrot78rotrot78 Posts: 1,147
    ano ba yung abs?
  • Mighty_OakMighty_Oak Posts: 3,940
    Rab wrote:
    Mighty_Oak wrote:
    ^Payat ka kasi kaya ganun.

    ah ganun po ba!ehe advantage pala ng mga payat ang magkaron ng abs!:)

    Advantage? In what aspect?
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