| Message | Hi Jeff, I am 16 years old and have recently started a work out programe at the locale gym and am looking to define my abs. at this point they are there but not visible. How can I bring them out? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Jeff's Reply
Bill,
the most important advice I can give you to lean out and develop your abs is to lift to gain muscle (as well as eating small frequent healthy meals).
When you eat too much at one sitting you will store the calories as fat, even if the food is healthy food. It also causes fluctuations in hormones that make the burning or utilization of fats more difficult. Let me give you a specific example. When you eat a large meal high in carbohydrates (be it pasta or say a half a dozen doughnuts) this will cause the release of insulin (a hormone that
allows cells to uptake glucose). Insulin also acts on adipose (fat) tissue to inhibit the release of
fatty acids. It will actually promote their synthesis. So eating smaller meals every 3 to 4 hours is the way to lean out for several reasons in addition to the one I just illustrated
(1) It will provide you with constant energy throughout the day so you do not carsh and binge. It will also thereby allow you to have a good workout.
(2) Eating regular meals keeps you from getting hungry and overeating (binging). It will also prevent your body from going into a catab;olic (muscle wasting state).
(3) Eating regularly feeds your muscles, and feeds the body so it can burn fat and not go into
“starvation mode” which is the body’s way of protecting itself.
(4) Eating smaller meals frequently aids metabolism and weight loss. It will optimize your metabolism and increases enzyme production in the digestive system. I also gets the body in a fat burning mode instead of a fat storing mode.
(5)It decreases the body’s ability to create excess fat since insulin levels will not rocket which also
inhibits fat burning.
Other suggstions that i can give you is to eat the right amount of the right carbohydrates. High glycemic carbohydrates (e.
g., fruits, white rice, white potatoes, bread, and pasta) are converted to glucose too quickly spiking
insulin levels and causing the excess calories to be easily stored as fat. Consumption of these
shall be minimized. Instead consume small amounts of low Glycemic Carbohydrates are broken down gradually to help maintain an even blood-sugar level). By properly managing carbohydrate intake this will provide many benefits, besides looking great, such as reducing the risk of heart attacks, and reducing the risk of cells becoming insulin resistant.
Increasing your consumption of fFibrous carbohydrates and high quality low fat
Protein (e.g., turkey breast, chicken breast, non-fat yogurt, and cottage cheese) will help keep you full longer. It also will not stimulate the releaseof insulin which as I mentioned earlier can be detrimental to building lean muscle mass. Eating small amounts of fibrous carbohydrates with your protein meals will also increase the protein assimilation.
One last suggestion for you is to decrease the amouint of simle surgars and processed foods. Remember foods that have been processed lose many of the needed nutrients
your body will remain hungry and will continue to try to satisfy itself by eating more food. This is not
efficient and a sure fire way to keep that “six pack” hidden. Instead increase the consumption of
natural, whole, unprocessed foods which will help your body meet its needs without extra calories,
while also minimizing cravings and while increasing satiety.
One last point, I mentioned gaining muscle was very important to getting lean. I will cover this very quickly, because I need to bolt and get to the gym.
Muscle burns fat. The more lean muscle mass you can put on your body, the leaner you will get because your body becomes more efficient at utilizing calories and excess body fat. Adding just one pound of lean muscle mass to your body will burn roughly 100 extra calories burned per day even at rest.
So my advice for you is to focus on eating well and gaining muscle if you want a stellar physique. One way to do this is to increase the intensity/duration of your workouts. Intense training increases the amount of mitochondria in fast-twitch muscle fibers. More mitochondria in muscle cells stimulates the fast-twitch muscle fibers to utilize more fatty acids, thus lowering body fat. On my website, jeffbehar.com I talk about how to do this in more detail.
In conclusion,if you want to ook lean and mean it takes hard work, dedication, and intensity. Eating frequently and eating "clen" is also very important.
Remember to look great it is a balancing act and you must do both at effective levels to be successful. Avoid the proceesed high fat foods and instead consume nutrient dense, high in protein, high quality carbohydrates; train Hard and you will be on your way!
I hope my advice proves helpful.
Stay in touch and let me (and those reading the guestbook) know how you are doing.
Best Regards,
Jeff Behar |