Abs, Body Fat %, Pavel, and Posing

An insight after reading the Evil Russian articles: he advocates posing as a way of getting hard and cut because it creates great resting tension. I’ve been obsessed with abs for many years now, and spend lots of time ‘posing’. I think it’s just subconscious by now…whenever I’m without a shirt, I’m tightening my abs. I’m thinking now that this is why my abs are visible throughout a wide range of bodyfat percentages. I can clearly see a four-pack all the way up to about 12, maybe 15% bodyfat. Of course, I also see love handles, but even when my diet is sucking, I still see abs. And when I get down in the single digits, BAM…six pack plus obliques plus and all kinds of good stuff. Anyone else have the same experience, being able to see defined abs even when you’re 10 pounds or so heavier than where you’d like to be?

Pavel makes a good point on this one. I learned about this accidently a couple of years ago when I had an illness and I coughed all day long for about a month. I wasn’t at my lowest bf% but my abs were the best that they had ever been at that point. So tightening the muscles certainly makes a difference.

My top four abs are visible up to about 15 percent. I have very thick abs and when I diet down for a show they look phenomenal. I don’t consciously flex them outside the gym unless I’m within 12 weeks of a show.

Ok now I have questions.

I’ve been doing 30 second vacuums and they’re helping to make my stomach flat.

Is this what you all are talking about or just flexing like you’re onstage. If the latter how long do you hold each pose and how many times do you pose? Is this something for between sets?