Abs made in the kitchen?

[elf]

I've gone from 55kg to 64kg \:D/ in 4 months (1 month of no gain because of illness) and I've developed this gut.

I am not doing any ab work at all - all of my training is on my legs and upper body - so my theory (and I appreciate I know f all) is that my abs are weak so my guts isn't being held in. So if I start doing ab work will that get rid of it?

Someone at the gym said 'abs are made in the kitchen'.

My diet is oats, peanut butter on toast and milk for breakfast, banana and milk for morning tea, ham or chicken roll or roast beef/lamb/chicken for lunch, banana and milk for afternoon tea, meat and veg for dinner and milk and fruit bread before bed. Although lately the Mrs has been cooking up cakes and biscuits so I've been eating that after dinner.

[jimmybro1]

I wouldn't eat sugars before bed (fruits).

Ab's being made it the kitchen is partly correct as you need protein to develop abdominal muscles just like any other muscle.

Of course you are going to have to train your core though and train it like any other muscle group.

Core is extremely important for stability, especially in compound lifts and prevent lower back injury.

[FellowshipOfTheRon]

core is really important to train so definitely don't neglect it.

abs being made in the kitchen has a couple interpretations. they need protein to develop like other muscles. the other general understanding is for those highly visible abs, you must work on a stricter diet to get your body fat down south of 10% (well some people may get it with higher bf, others may not see it until lower).

the point about strengthening abs to reduce gut is also true in the case of distended gut. if your gut is popping out a lot and it isn't all flabby bits then i believe exercises like stomach vacuums can help greatly strengthening the ab walls (not sure if thats really what theyre called) to help keep things packed tightly inside.

[Android]

I've gone from 55kg to 64kg \:D/ in 4 months (1 month of no gain because of illness) and I've developed this gut.

I am not doing any ab work at all - all of my training is on my legs and upper body - so my theory (and I appreciate I know f all) is that my abs are weak so my guts isn't being held in. So if I start doing ab work will that get rid of it?

Someone at the gym said 'abs are made in the kitchen'.

My diet is oats, peanut butter on toast and milk for breakfast, banana and milk for morning tea, ham or chicken roll or roast beef/lamb/chicken for lunch, banana and milk for afternoon tea, meat and veg for dinner and milk and fruit bread before bed. Although lately the Mrs has been cooking up cakes and biscuits so I've been eating that after dinner.

how old are you?

[elf]

44 but the guts has really only started since I started eating properly so I'm hoping it's not my age. Seriously for the last 30 years I haven't put on any weight until now. If I'd've known that all I had to do was train and eat I'd've started a long time ago. Better late than never tho' I suppose.

I forgot to say I have 2 beers before dinner too ...

and pomegranate juice at lunchtime :pfft:

[Android]

44 but the guts has really only started since I started eating properly so I'm hoping it's not my age. Seriously for the last 30 years I haven't put on any weight until now. If I'd've known that all I had to do was train and eat I'd've started a long time ago. Better late than never tho' I suppose.

I forgot to say I have 2 beers before dinner too ...

and pomegranate juice at lunchtime :pfft:

Oh yeah beer is good for growing a gut...

But age plays a part I beleive.

Most of us used to be able to vacuum our guts as teens and even find it impossible to push out at all. As you age it gets much much easier to push it out when you relax and harder to keep it flat or in even when it's lean.

Go and compare a 2yr old dog with a 6yr old dog side on for kicks.

The young dog's stomach is almost non-existent as it rises up and under the hind quarters. An older dog has a more squared-off stomach (not drooping, but not rising like a young ones).

From what I've seen around, if you tighten up diet for a loooong time it can come right. But any short dieting like 2-3 mths even if you lose all the fat the gut can still be there...it just has abs on the front of it! Guys who diet for a long time seem to have a tighter smaller waist I think SG got his waist down smaller than ever before this year maybe he knows how to do it.

Smaller meal portions for 6 months and ab work to tighten them up SG?

It's age, it's nature, embrace the new you

[elf]

It's age, it's nature, embrace the new you

Yeah classic.

Guess I'll just have to eat more and train harder so the rest of my body catches up to my guts.

[JOSEF RAKICH]

Abs are made in the kitchen is referring to the fact that in order to have visible abs you first need to lose your body fat which covers them. Which is done through diet (which should be made in the kitchen)..

In order to get abs follow these steps:

- Train your abs to achieve muscle hypertrophy (increase in size)

- Lower body fat to make them more visible

I wouldn't eat sugars before bed (fruits).

Nothing wrong with eating sugar before bed.

[jimmybro1]

Eating high-glycemic carbs (pasta, potatoes, white rice, sugar, etc.) right before bed will spike your insulin levels and blunt nighttime Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production.

http://www.illpumpyouup.com/articles/ea ... re-bed.htm

If you want optimum HGH production when your sleeping I suggest you don't!

Plenty of research backing this going look for it yourself, beside you don't need instant energy before bed!

[jimmybro1]

The HGH and Insulin Connection

When you eat carbohydrates, your body releases the hormone insulin. Insulin is in charge of breaking down foods into glucose (sugar), which is used as energy for your body. Insulin is usually only discussed in terms of diabetes, a condition in which the body becomes resistant or deficient in insulin and cannot regulate blood sugar levels well anymore. However, insulin also has many other functions in the body.

Researchers now realize that there is a direct link between growth hormone and insulin. Simply put, the two hormones have an antagonist relationship. When one is present in the blood, the levels of the other hormone will drop. If your insulin levels are constantly high, then you will produce less HGH and have the side effects associated with low HGH levels, like weight gain, fatigue, and aging.

http://hghhowto.com/hgh-diet-how-it-wor ... ry-it.html

Some more information about relationship between insulin and hgh

[JOSEF RAKICH]

Eating high-glycemic carbs (pasta, potatoes, white rice, sugar, etc.) right before bed will spike your insulin levels and blunt nighttime Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production.

http://www.illpumpyouup.com/articles/ea ... re-bed.htm

If you want optimum HGH production when your sleeping I suggest you don't!

Plenty of research backing this going look for it yourself, beside you don't need instant energy before bed!

This has been de-bunked a long time ago..

G.I is also completely irrelevant for improving body composition.

[JOSEF RAKICH]

The HGH and Insulin Connection

When you eat carbohydrates, your body releases the hormone insulin. Insulin is in charge of breaking down foods into glucose (sugar), which is used as energy for your body. Insulin is usually only discussed in terms of diabetes, a condition in which the body becomes resistant or deficient in insulin and cannot regulate blood sugar levels well anymore. However, insulin also has many other functions in the body.

The Glycemic index is irrelevant because of the metabolic equation. It does not matter or make any difference whether you consume high GI food such as dextrose sugars compared to a low GI food such as oatmeal. It will make no difference what so ever on improving body composition.

Insulin spikes will not produce more overall fat gain either.

There is a constant rise and fall ALL DAY. It's not the actual peaks that matter, ITS THE RESULT AT THE END OF THE DAY, eating under maintenance = net lipolysis.

Insulin spikes do not affect weight loss when you are in a deficit. This is what the average person's day looks like in regards to insulin levels:

[Optimass]

^^ you are right Joseph - but managing insulin through diet by spreading carbs through 6 meals will reduce the size of the fluctuation which is relavent as its during the peaks and trophs of the fluctuation (the journey up and down) that the body is more efficient at storing bodyfat.

An in between meal simply bumps it up and keeps insulin at a more stable level -

But as you say calorie deficiet the rules are kind of overun. yes - but there is still benefit. (And type of carbs doesnt mater low/high GI)

An extension of this imo is to ensure what ever calories are in your plan if you are in deficeit is to leverage your macros in favour of a higher protein quota - ensures enough aminos are made available for repair/rebuild of muscle.

good point raised mate. :nod: