T Nation

Getting Back My Six Pack

Bodybuilding
#1

I’m 44 yrs & look 10 yrs younger!
195 lbs, 6 ft tall & very muscular build with wide shoulders!

Problem is I’ve been having trouble shedding the fat that’s been building around my midsection since I turned 40!

I eat clean but only 3-4 meals per day!
I’ve been training hard for 5 years now and I’ve added great definition & size but my gut seems to keep coming back! It’s not noticeable with my shirt on but I notice its there especially when I’m sitting down.

I’ve added 30 to 40 minitues of cardio on the stepmill, treadmill etc. 3-5 days a week depending on time available.

I wonder if it could be the cream I like to take in my 1 or 2 daily cups of coffee or the 1-2 glasses or red wine I drink each day? I find it hard to believe they could be the sole culprit!

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!
I know this is a very common problem amongst 40 plus men and is not talked about much but if I could eliminite this weak point I’d have a great physique. I’m afraid to add more cardio & lose my size and I have never tried dieting or cutting carbs because I never had this problem until I hit 40. I used to have a great six pack when I did Karate in my 20’s & 30’s & I want it back together with my newfound muscle!

PLEEEAAASE HELP!

#2

You already know what you have to do. You’re just looking for an easier way out of it.

Start a carb-reduced diet, thib’s carb cycling codex works wonders for dropping fat and keeping(sometimes gaining) muscle.

Cut the cream, cut the sugar, cut the wine. Cut the simple carbs, cut the nasty fats. Organize your proteins and carbs in the AM, and your proteins and fats in the PM.

#3

Everything looks good except the winedrinking! Our bodies don’t like alcohol so when drinking something with alcohol, the body’s priority is to get rid of it. That means that protein-synthesis and fat-burning stops while the liver is working with the alcohol.

If you drink everyday you rob yourself of a few fatburning hours everyday, might make a difference in the long run.

#4

where do I find Thib’s carb cycling codex…I am new to this site???

#5

Search function and put in carb cycling codex.

#6

[quote]luckyluciano wrote:
… I have never tried dieting or cutting carbs because I never had this problem until I hit 40.[/quote]

Abs are about low body fat and after forty, your changing hormone profile makes maintaining a low body fat percentage more difficult. Simple as that. It’s time for you to start counting calories as your maintenance caloric intake tends to drop as you age.

I can’t recommend strongly enough that you get your hormone levels tested NOW. You’ll want to know total and free testosterone, estradiol, and thyroid levels. It’s very helpful to have reference levels for further down the line as you age and just to make sure there aren’t any real problems now.

There is a ton of information available for anyone willing to look for it on how aging affects your body and all the changes that you will go through. It’s one of those things that wasn’t important to me when I was young, so I never bothered to read about it.

Now might be a good time for you to start your self-education as you’re starting to face these issues on a personal basis and the more you know, the better off you will be.

The Life Extension Revolution by Philip Lee Miller & Monica Reinagel gives a good explanation of the changes associated with aging and what sorts of things can be done to mitigate them. Needless to say, good nutrition and strength training are among the most important things you can do.

#7

Stopped drinking wine cold turkey and I know it’s too soon to tell if this one change alone will get my 6-pack back but I can definitely say the waisteline feels a little smaller. Remember I eat clean, weight train & do cardio! I’m excited about the possibilities!

Lucky

#8

Cut the 30-40 minutes cardio and replace with HIIT’s 3 times a week.

Clean your diet.

6 packs are created in the kitchen.

#9

Clean up your diet more.Watch your carb,sugar, and sodium intake. Keep doing the cardio.Think about getting a fat burner. Also, drinking Green tea makes you lose body fat.Do your ab exercise’s, and flex your Ab’s alot. Flexing help bring out your ab’s more. It can be done, I’m 43 and have a six pack. Good luck!!

Jeff

Jwebb51@hotmail.com

#10

Don’t get me wrong…I do have a slight 6-pack! It’s just the top 2 inches above my beltline that has been accumulating fat storage & I definitely notice the swelling going down because I’ve cut out the wine drinking since x-mas. I already eat clean & do cardio…I’m excited to see how far down the fat will go!

Lucky

#11

change something if what your doing is not producing the results that you desire. What do you take with your coffee? remiving the aerobics would be where I would start. outside of the diet. low body fat and the elusive six pack, HIIT it to get it.

#12

[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
change something if what your doing is not producing the results that you desire. What do you take with your coffee? remiving the aerobics would be where I would start. outside of the diet. low body fat and the elusive six pack, HIIT it to get it. [/quote]

I take 1 cream & no sugar…thanx…you buying?? (just kidding!) I drink 1 & sometimes 2 coffees a day!

I’m not doing aerobics, I’m doing cardio!

Where can I learn more about HIIT!?

#13

By typing HIIT in googles.

Sorry, it is the best way. So many sites talk about it. Heck, make a search right here.

Nothing works better for fat loss.