ExRx.net

Ok gonna add 1 ab exercise to the end of each workout and treat it like any other muscle. i.e increase weight. There's like 1343324231412 to pick from though. I'll do some cable crunches today but any other recommendations robert 'washboard' scott?

haha! Not quite so washboard these days hence the recomp. Seeing as it's mass you're after, I would stick to lifts you can load up so you can get a hard as hell 8-12 reps. So things like

-cable crunches
-full contact twists (ouch!) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2VmDm58MMI
-decline sit ups with a weight plate
-weighted roman chair crunches
-decline barbell crunches (good for serratus too which looks wicked when it's developed)
-ab wheel rollouts (more of a "core" exercise really but if you're not used to them you'll definitely see some growth)

but really I just think weighted cable crunches done either kneeling or standing should be your bread and butter. I've never found another exercise that challenges the abs like they do. The only problem is finding a weight stack heavy enough, most cable stations are too light (abs are strawng!)

The full contact twists do a good job of hitting the obliques too, I keep meaning to add them in on my leg day but never remember. They're quite an interesting mix between core and abs.

Now have at it!

Cheers! Tried kneeling cable crunches last night and it was a massive fail. My cable is really stiff so at the top it felt like I had to pull it down with my arms a bit. I could't really isolate my abs either. I'll try it tonight sitting on a bench to see if that makes a difference and also standing.

starting to look like I'm leaning out a bit. Top 2 of the 8 pack are looking more pronounced. Girlfriend also noticed my obliques looking a bit more defined.

I've really been pushing the fasts. Sometimes not eating for like 6 hours after waking, with a training session in there. I reckon I could fast for 24 hours easy.

I've been having a lot of success dropping bodyfat using fasted training as a part of an IF leangains style. Considering I'm calorie deficient I didn't expect to put on any muscle but I'm pretty sure my legs and shoulders have bulked up, so I guess that counts as a recomp :)

EC has made my appetite non-existent. Day 2.

yeah fasting's quite popular round here. For what seemed like a fad at first its definitely got its uses!



are you managing to hit your protein target?

Only because of how easy Whey Isolate is to drink. I had a bit of fish, veg, bacon and cheese for dinner/breakfast last night (fasted all day). Portions were like 1/3 of my usual feast size but the food tasted so nice, but still I didn't feel hungry! I followed it up with 100g Whey Isolate so 90g of protein in there, not the best way to do it at all but today I'll force some lunch down me. I'm so sensitive to EC it's ridiculous. Only had 8mg E and 200mg C and my heart rate is up by 20bpm. I've got a bit of a cold so that could be the reason also.

well at least you're getting your protein in. You must be stripping off the bodyfat with your calories so low

Can't your body only burn around 500 cals a day in body fat? Won't anything lower than that just turn your body catabolic?

No, it depends on how much body fat you have and it also depends on if you're keto adapted. The 500 calorie number is a rounded approximation of typlical losses of an average sized lean person that eats carbs.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
_________________
Thanks TimD

The idea that you can't gain muscle while in a calorie deficit is a fallacy. As long as you eat enough that you have the energy to conduct your workout, you should be able to build muscle. Muscle doesn't grow fast anyway but being in a mild deficit doesn't not seem to slow it down much.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
_________________
Thanks TimD

bump

somehow, not sure how, I'm up to 195lbs, and looking leaner than I was when this started.

Don't know how I did it, but it certainly suggests that IF is the best thing ever.

I have a confession. I'm fat.
I had a better BF% analysis today done by a physiotherapist-student with better equipment. And it lashed out 16%. 16? That's huuge.
Now, for three next months the recomp actually begins. Two reasons:
1) I wanted to peak for 1RM's last week. So no intense cutting.
2) I didn't get to affect my diet that much because I had to eat at school everyday (No school for summer obviously.

Now I'm counting my nutrients more precisely because I obviously don't know $h1t about what I'm doing. Here's the plan:
Carb cycling: High, medium and low days. High days on lower body days (3-4 servings of carbs/200-300g), medium(Two servings of carbs/80-200g) on upper body days and low on rest/interval days (Only trace carbs from veggies/under 50g).
Calories around 2000-2600, protein intake high at all times.

We'll see how this goes.

_________________
Prove the impossible!

you might find this interesting. Puts me between 12-15% (closer to 12), so you can see that 16% is not really all that fat