(Jun. 08, 2012 1:23 AM)Dusk Wrote: I probably wasn't very clear, but what I meant was that you can't just do one without the other. Notice how the model you know still does some exercises.
She doesn't really need to work her abs out to maintain them, she's probably using them to strengthen her core or something cos in terms of visibility, ab exercises are pretty useless. It's all about dieting + cardio.
Even if you have a poor diet, you can still get a six-pack as long as you stay below the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. If the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight is 2000, you should aim for a total daily intake of 1500. The -500 difference can be achieved through exercise, diet or a combination of the two.
Personally, I'd recommend a combination of dieting and exercising simply because it's easier to fit your calorie quota like that. The reason I eat cleanly during my cutting cycles is not to be healthy or anything... It's simply cos the food I love, the junk variety, is way too calorie-dense (due to the high fat content) for me to eat under my maintenance caloric intake for the day.
A burger and chips meal or pizza meal can easily add up to 1000 calories for me, but a clean meal like parsley fish with steamed vegetables is only around 300. Still, having a clean and healthy diet leaves you with more energy to expend and you just feel more... alive. I wouldn't recommend anyone to eat junk on a diet, just explaining that the actual road to abs is very, very simple... just don't go over your maintenance calories.
@SamanthaD: If you want to get a visible 4 pack, you need to get to a lower bodyfat percentage. You should find out how much you weigh and your height, so that you can use a maintenance calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you need to consume per day to lose weight. Here's the one I use:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
Remember, this is just an estimate. Track your progress every week... You should lose a lb a week on a 500 calorie deficit every day. If your weight is the same, then you've found your maintenance level. If your weight increased, you're going past your maintenance level. It's just a matter of trial and error.
BlackCat: I'm not sure, actually. If you can, try and get a real pull up bar (wall-mounted or part of a workout tower) instead of the doorway pull up bars. Pull ups are way too easy on those, the height isn't optimal and the grip placement can be awkward. They're better than nothing though, but they skew your opinion of pullups a little. When I was younger, I used to have one and and was doing like 20 pull ups on it per set... tried it on a real pull up bar and couldn't get 2.