Coach's Corner With Justin and Ethan

Six-Pack Abs: Myths, Sacrifices, and Sustainable Strategies

• Justin Schollard • Season 1 • Episode 37

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What if everything you thought you knew about achieving six-pack abs was wrong? On this episode of Coach's Corner, Justin and Ethan unravel the truth behind those coveted abdominal muscles and the broader implications of physical attractiveness. With our combined expertise in fitness and nutrition, we sift through the myths and lay bare the realities of the relentless dedication required to sculpt a six-pack. We tackle the cultural allure of visible abs, a symbol often linked with fitness and attractiveness, and scrutinize whether this pursuit is worth the sacrifices it demands.

As we navigate through the journey of physical attractiveness, we highlight the less-discussed trade-offs involved in maintaining a lean physique. Confidence, grooming, and body language often outweigh mere facial aesthetics, a truth we explore through a personal story of a male model whose livelihood depended on his appearance. The lifestyle changes—foregoing social events and favorite meals—required for this level of dedication prompt us to question the true cost of achieving such an image, especially for those without the lure of financial gain.

For those striving for a healthier body fat percentage, we offer actionable strategies grounded in practical experience. From precise calorie tracking to the importance of strength training, we provide insights on achieving tangible results without succumbing to unsustainable habits. Hear about effective workout routines that blend well with a balanced diet and sustainable weight management practices. As we wrap up, we invite listeners to reflect on their fitness journeys and share their experiences with us. Join us for an episode packed with candid insights, practical advice, and a touch of personal reflection.

Speaker 1:

okay, welcome to coaches corner, episode 37, stacking them with justin ethan. I am coach justin, I am coach ethan and in case you don't know who we are, we've been trainers for 20 years each. Everything from gym floor trainers and gyms obviously, gym floor, uh to working with people with nutrition. We actually went to massage school together, that's right 13 years ago.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, at least, um, and we've just kind of done it all. You know fitness nutrition. Currently I work uh, my business is online building weight loss programs for people across the country. Ethan has a studio here in Los Angeles where he works with people, so, anyway, so this project that we're doing here is just to come together to try to help cut through the noise and give you guys the most streamlined, no-nonsense advice to help just get you to where you want. To be a little bit quicker, maybe. I would say so.

Speaker 1:

So today we're going to be doing an episode on how to get six-pack abs.

Speaker 2:

The thing we all want Super click-baity, yep.

Speaker 1:

But it's the old ham and garlic fable. Are you familiar with the ham and garlic fable? I believe so, but remind me. So a dog asks fleas. And back in the olden days before flea meds, and back in the olden days before flea meds, it was believed that if you fed the dog garlic it would help get the fleas off of them. But turns out dogs don't want to eat garlic. No, but they do like ham okay.

Speaker 1:

So if you wrapped the garlic in a piece of ham, the dog would eat it. In other words, you give the people what they want in order to give them what they need. Yes, and so when we clickbait you and say how to get six-pack abs, we're going to tell you how. We're going to break it down for you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, of course, we've both been there a few times in our life. Ethan and I have both been single-digit body fat levels multiple times through our lives, so we understand what it takes, but we're also going to tell you the reality of that situation as well, and maybe what pitfalls to look out for and make sure that your intentions are in the right spot. Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Where are your abs at these days, ethan?

Speaker 2:

uh, I wouldn't say I mean they're visible, but I think they're not the sharpest they've ever been, that's for sure. But I think you know they're there, they're there. There's some definition. Nice, I think I'm probably at like 14, 14 body fat, 14, 15 that's pretty good. Yeah, solid I mean, I think if you were look, I think most people would look at me and be like oh, you definitely have abs, or you know right, you know so it's a spectrum.

Speaker 1:

I mean there's like abs around 14, 15 percent, where it's like for men, at least for women, that might be more like 20 percent, um, where you know, if you're 14, 15 percent like, yeah, you can see, yeah, you kind of see what's going on visible abs.

Speaker 1:

If you sit down there's definitely going to be a little handful of pooch. I got the little something, but uh, but I think just like a healthy walking around, normal weight 15 is pretty solid, especially if you have like a good amount of muscle mass on you. Yeah, you know, 15 can look pretty damn good if you, if you're built up a little bit. Yeah, totally so I don't know, I, I was, I guess. I just want to start with like why does someone want a six-pack?

Speaker 2:

Cause it's sexy it is. I mean, I think that's predominantly, is it just? It's has such enough aesthetic appeal in our culture. Yep, whether that's true for people looking at a six pack or not, it's just. I think it is the gold standard of, particularly for men. But I also think that, like, women with a nice tight abdomen are also considered. You know, it's an appealing feature but.

Speaker 2:

I think you know the cliche sense of a six-pack is geared towards men and I think it is the gold standard of someone being in shape or considered to be sexy. You know, I don't think anybody on men's, you know, forbes sexiest man or whatever. It doesn't have like an ab shot involved, totally in a way it is iconic in that sense where you can't really like.

Speaker 1:

There's only so much like fitness cred one can have with like a beer belly you know what I mean or even just any sort of belly.

Speaker 1:

It's like that six-pack is. You know what it is? It just symbolizes that either a, I think, from like a female to male perspective, maybe, either a that person has like good genetics and therefore might be a better mate in some regard, then from like a male to male perspective, there is this like respect, because you had to work for that hard, and like there's something like maybe like oh, I want to, I want to understand what you've done, right, well, I want to. I'll listen to you because you've accomplished something that I want or I'm interested in, right, yeah?

Speaker 2:

And so I think that it's just very symbolic. Uh, in a lot of ways, yeah, because I think even if you're not like super jacked and you're just somebody that has a low body fat and your abs can be seen like if you're a guy and you're still even kind of like maybe skinny or lanky, but you take the shirt off and you got that washboard going on.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, no one looks at your arms anymore.

Speaker 2:

It just doesn't, it doesn't matter, because it's like the abs are still popping.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's so true, you actually don't need.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, if you're jacked up on top of that, great sure, but like if you come in with the washboard, you're definitely going to be.

Speaker 1:

You're going to get more attention?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but people are just going to be like okay, well, at least that's what Ethan's going to do, that's what I'm going to do.

Speaker 1:

Well, excuse, well, excuse me, adjust your monocle exactly, um, but I think the reality is and this might be obvious for some folks listening to this, it might be not so obvious for folks who have never achieved it and just kind of like imagine what life will be like if, once, they achieve 10 body fat or whatever, but the reality is is that it's very unlikely and and it's not, it's not reasonable to think that that unless you have, like you know, one percent of the one percent genetics, yeah, um, or you're on steroids, which is another bag of worms, but assuming you're doing it the right way, you're natural, you're you lifting, you're trying to do everything right, man, is it hard to maintain 10% body fat year round?

Speaker 2:

you know, yeah, it's very difficult and for those listening, it's about 10% or less where you start to get that kind of very stereotypical movie star defined six pack where you're're just like oh, oh, look at that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, like, like, like you can start seeing abs around 15. Yeah, these are all general. Yeah, everybody's different. Depends on your how like, how stocky you are, how bulbous your muscles are. You know there's a lot of things that go into it, but generally, but, generally 15 for men, 20 for women.

Speaker 1:

You're gonna have a pretty nice looking midsection at least. Yeah, anything below 12, I would say 10 to 12%, I probably. I would say pretty visible abs at that point, for sure For men. For women, that might look more like 18%, yeah. And then, once you get below 10, you would be what we would all consider pretty shredded at that point, like 8% to 10%. You're pretty fucking shredded. You're very lean. And now bodybuilders though you know they, they're walking on stage. Four or five percent, yeah, that's which is, which is just for that one day, and then they go and eat afterwards and it's all gone so like don't think that that's realistic but I think

Speaker 1:

that, like you know, it's a worthwhile pursuit. I really do believe that it is because you learn a lot about yourself when you're trying to accomplish this. You know everything has to go under the microscope, like your training, your sleep, your nutrition. Like if you don't genetically just walk around at 8% body fat, but like you have to go through a journey, you have to lose 20 pounds of fat, even if you're 15%. I mean, do the quick math. Like, let's say you're a 200 pound guy, yep, and you're 15 body fat, yeah, okay.

Speaker 1:

So what does that look like? What's five percent of 200? That's, that's 10 pounds, right, and um, so you'd have to lose at least 10 pounds of body fat, of just pure body, pure body fat, right, uh? And you know, you know that's going to require you to really like, examine your lifestyle, like are you going out too much? Are you like unconsciously snacking at night and not thinking about it, you know? Anyway, so a lot goes into it. So I do think it's a worthwhile pursuit, but I think that when everybody reaches it and I'm super guilty of this too like I'll get shredded, that when everybody reaches it and I'm super guilty of this too like I'll get shredded and then like it's just so funny how this, these old, familiar habits and patterns just start sneaking back in next thing you know, yeah, you're like whoa, what happened?

Speaker 1:

like? It doesn't feel like that much changed in my life, but all of a sudden I'm like 15 pounds heavier and like a little bit of that that little, the little chub again.

Speaker 2:

I mean it definitely. I was on a mission at the beginning of the year and I definitely pulled like 3% off of me and I've kept some of it off. But it is funny because I was like, oh, I'm going to go, I'm going to definitely take me, take me down. I want to get to like 12, maybe 10, or just I really wanted to get in there and get super shredded because it's just been a while and I definitely had the weighed the most for me and had the you know the least uh appealing body composition for my personal journey so far. And so I was like, oh, I'm gonna get in, yeah, to that point, like I definitely did. You did some good.

Speaker 1:

And then all of a sudden kind of just noticed that, like trains, just kind of slowing down takes a real strong will to keep it every day, every day so you know more of the story here, I think, is that like it's a worthwhile pursuit, but don't get it twisted, because whatever happiness you think you're going to achieve by getting to you know that body fat level percentage or you know, getting visible abs, you, you, it's a you still got to bring yourself with you now. Will it boost your confidence? Will it make you, will, will there be a pride in like, hey, I had to work for this, absolutely.

Speaker 2:

That's why I think it is a worthwhile pursuit I think, yeah, getting into the gym will will definitely boost your confidence.

Speaker 1:

But I'm gonna go ahead, you know but trust me, like I know a lot of fitness models, I know a lot of fitness influencers who are shredded, yeah, and guess what? They're not all that happy. Yeah, you know they. Because because whatever baggage they have or they currently have, you know, accomplishing some like external goal isn't going to fix that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, the aesthetic goal doesn't do it. Yeah, like if you're like, if you're shy and you have trouble talking to potential mates or people that you are looking to, you know, link up with in some capacity and you think that getting a six pack is going to be some shoe in, where all of a sudden you have people knocking at the down the door or you go to a party or pool party and you have some unfounded confidence to talk to somebody that you find appealing. Like it's not going to be the case. Like you, there's a very good chance that you will be that same shy person as an example.

Speaker 2:

Right, yeah, and it's so, it's, it's. It definitely gives you the journey will, will shape you without question, and I do think going to the gym in particular is going to be something that will create confidence in an individual and definitely can make them feel more powerful. But yeah, to Justin's point of like the, the, the shadows that we carry don't just disappear from our shiny six pack apps?

Speaker 1:

No, they certainly don't, and I think, depending on the person, it can either like bring out like even more insecurities, because now you're so fixated on your body and all you're thinking about it. Yeah, it could even it could make you, I mean, like that. You know, that's. The thing is like almost every bodybuilder could look in the mirror and be like I look like shit today, but for the rest of us, we're like holy fuck, dude.

Speaker 1:

You're like whoa you look you look insane, you're massive, you're shredded they're looking at it from such a different van, like Like they're looking at every and they're and you know it's so relative to them and that happens, I think, on every scale for everybody. Yeah, they, they're not. They're missing the forest to the trees, so to speak. They're so focused on one tree they're missing the entire forest, you know. And bit lower it's like yeah, but, dude, no one's thinking about that one. Like they're looking at you and just like the whole thing, like holy shit, yeah, yeah, but anyway so. But on the other hand, you know it could also, once you start getting positive attention and feedback, depending on the person, it could be a really great thing for them, you know, in their life to like finally get any sort of external validation.

Speaker 1:

I think people I don't know, I'm starting to believe that. You know, physical attractiveness is so much like it's less to do with someone's face, I think, and more to do with just like everything they present, like their whole package. In a lot of ways, I think, especially for men, like you'd be surprised, but just like growing a little stubble and getting in shape and getting a good haircut for men maybe could like, even if you're like, not even like a handsome guy. You could be like a pretty ugly guy, but you just get in shape and like get a good haircut. You could like, all of a sudden you're probably gonna like get a girlfriend in no time at all, you know.

Speaker 2:

And there's so much. I mean, I think, without question, you can look at somebody just walking by and be like, oh, they're attractive or not. But you know so much of it is the body language, how you present yourself. Are you funny? I mean, I think attractiveness is really a mixed bag. And again you can look at somebody in a magazine or a picture and be like, oh, yay or nay. And if they have six-pack abs, maybe.

Speaker 1:

Swipe left. Exactly, it's a magazine, it's not a dating app. Ah, swipe.

Speaker 2:

But I also think yeah, I think in the sense of fulfillment and happiness right. So if there's this venture to go out to acquire this goal of six-pack abs and therefore have a better life, so to speak, you know it comes with the price. There's gonna be a lot of sacrifice, there's gonna be an actual expression of your day-to-day which might not make you all that happy. You know that, in a sense, just my life just might have a heaviness to it or a burden of responsibility that when you arrive, you might be like oh yeah, I'm shredded, but like man, that sucked, like I didn't like that, yeah, or I couldn't go out, I couldn't do this, yeah, or I couldn't go out, I couldn't do this?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly Right.

Speaker 2:

Like you know it's like if you have to watch your, because fundamentally you know getting that lean requires a certain diligence and a certain almost militant kind of approach to your life, and so that might mean that certain activities are off limits or, you know, old habits might be gone or coping mechanisms might be gone.

Speaker 2:

And fundamentally, if a coping mechanism is gone and you kind of have to look in the mirror, that might be a good thing in a bigger picture, but at the same time it also might be hard to not have your coping mechanism in place and all of a sudden your life's just being stirred up and yeah, it's just a lot.

Speaker 1:

It's a lot. I mean. I remember when I was in my 20s I was hanging out with this guy. And when I was in my 20s I was hanging with this guy and he was like a real model. He wasn't just like the fake la, uh, you know, pose for some rando photographer that no one's ever heard of, but like he was actually like legit, like doing like big publications, um, being flown to new york and paris. He was like a legit male model, um, and yeah, I mean like his career was basically dependent on his abs. That was, that was it.

Speaker 1:

And so he did a really good job of not withdrawing socially, because I think a lot of people would just not even go anywhere, not even try to hang out, because the temptation is just too strong. So, in his defense, he did a good job, yeah, but I remember hanging out with him going to a bar and he would like drink one light beer and then it was just water. You know, everyone else was like eating burgers and fries and putting like four or five beers down. We were like in our 20s, yeah, of course, and he would have like one light beer and maybe like some chicken tenders and then he'd be done and just drinking water and like just, and it's for the discipline and and the willpower, and then, to your point, the sacrifice. Yeah, but, um, I guess he's a little bit of a different example, because that was actually his career and I think we would all be so lucky to like be flown around because of how hot.

Speaker 2:

We were all the time exactly freeze hotel stays and take a picture and post it on Instagram or something.

Speaker 1:

Totally. But I mean, you know, I think just to extrapolate of the sacrifice, and so for a normal person to be even harder because there's not the financial reward for it, it's just, this is just a decision that he or she has made to have this figure and it's like, yeah, you have to really ask yourself, is the trade-off worth it? Because you know, if you enjoy going to happy hour, if you enjoy a couple dinners out every week, if you enjoy takeovers like you got, like you're probably gonna have to get rid of that. If, if, if you want that body fat level percentage yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

I mean it's like yeah, are you ready to count calories? Not everybody wants to do it. I mean I think it's a good practice but like are you?

Speaker 1:

really ready and willing to get nitty and gritty every day all the time you know, and it takes a lot longer than you think too. Like one more caveat I will say is because I've gone through this journey and, like my old mentor told me, everyone is fatter than they think they are. This is before I even started carbon and doing my coaching, he's like you think you need to lose 10 pounds.

Speaker 1:

it might be more like 30 because it's like, yeah, you know, I just want to lose quick 10, like lean out. It's like I bet you could lose 10 and you wouldn't even notice a difference. Yeah, because the first 10 three quarters is probably just water weight. Anyways, right, you know? Um, I was 215 so actually just recently. So I just did a six month bulk, got way too fat, hated it like, did the bit of bulk for way too long and I went from like 190 to 195 to 212. Um, now, unless you're on steroids for most people, if you put on 25 pounds, I bet you 15 of its fat.

Speaker 2:

Yes, it's, or more yeah, it's gonna be more.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, there'll be some some lean mass in there, for sure but um and so then and then now I'm like five months into a cut and I pulled off almost 20 pounds. So I'm like 195, but it's been way longer than I thought and I was thinking at two, 15,. When I was two, 15, I was like, okay, let me just get down to 200. I'll be shredded Right 15 pounds. So 195 now, five pounds more than I thought, yeah. And I'm still like just finally starting to see the first little like flicker of abs that you want, right that you're like ooh, 18 to 20 pounds later. So wild dude.

Speaker 1:

I'm just finally, and I'm just like fuck man, so that whole bulk, after you've built and cut, maybe I'll net out two or three pounds of muscle after all that Yep.

Speaker 1:

You know, and so it takes a lot longer than you think. You probably have more body fat on you than you think. That's true, and as you get lighter and as you start burning calories, your body does absolutely require less food to function than it did when you were heavier, and so you have to keep adjusting calories downward to compensate for this drop in metabolic rate. I was watching a video with dr um mike israel and he was interviewing another phd guy. He was saying that if you lose 20 pounds, that could actually lower your metabolism by 25%. What, wow? They're seeing a 25% reduction in metabolic rate after a 20-pound loss. That's crazy. Or I think he said 10%, excuse me, 10% body mass reduction. So if you're 200 pounds, that would be 20 pounds.

Speaker 1:

So, 10% of your total body size reduction lowers lowest metabolism by 25% give or take. Everybody's a little bit different, but on average that's what they're seeing. That's intense, right, so you know it's like. So you're hungry and then, as you get smaller, you have to actually eat less food. You know so it takes a real strong willpower to see all the way to. Like you know, maybe for women 15%, for men 10%, Like it takes a real drive to get there.

Speaker 2:

That's a wild statistic.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and then when you get there you know you got to maintain it, or else what the fuck was the point of the whole thing?

Speaker 2:

Well then that's oh man, like you were saying, it goes so quick, it's so easy to rejoice or just be like all right, well, summer's over, or whatever. Whatever the reason you chose to do it, once you arrive it's like the diligence does not go away and it's bulking season again, yeah, and then you just lose it all.

Speaker 1:

But you got to be careful man. Like the cloak dagger of bulking man, it can be real.

Speaker 2:

It's excuse to eat ice.

Speaker 1:

Excuse me, that's what got me, because I'm like, all right, I'm like so lean and thin, now, yeah, I want to bulk up, and then that it's like it's. It seduces you, that you think, yeah, I'm just gonna bulk. That makes perfect sense. That's what people do. Six months later, you've gained all the weight back that you lost. You're fatter than you were when you started. And all this while you thought you were doing something positive for yourself by bulking, when really you just blew it and now you're starting from square one again.

Speaker 2:

You got to go through another six month fat loss cycle.

Speaker 1:

You're like fuck, oh man, yeah, um, but anyway, so all right, well, I would.

Speaker 2:

I was gonna, I was gonna ask you, so that all being said, though, like, how do you do it? As someone who has walked the path.

Speaker 1:

So if we want to get like nuts and bolts on it, um, it's gonna be very difficult to go all the way now. You could probably get to 15 body fat by just making better food choices and increasing your activity and and cutting out sugary drinks and snacking, by just kind of just generally. You know, if you're a healthy guy, you could probably get to 15 by just generally, just generally. You know, if you're a healthy guy, you could probably get to 15 by just generally making good food choices if you're a healthy woman.

Speaker 1:

You could probably get to 20 by just doing up, doing better. Hit your 10 000 steps, work out a few days a week. Yeah, eat single ingredient foods for the most part, limit the takeout, limit the sugary drinks and you'll get in pretty decent shape. I would say I get some good sleep. But that next bit, you know, um, it's like they say, like when you're when, when the job is 90 done, congratulations, you're halfway there. Yeah, because that next 10 of the work is going to be harder than the first 90 was. And so getting to 15, I think, is great. Uh, you'll be healthy, you'll look great in a, in a t-shirt, all that fun stuff.

Speaker 1:

But to get to 10, which I think is give or take a couple percentage points where you want to land to see like, wow, that dude is fit or that girl is very fit, you then you got to get. Then you really have to take it to the next level and you got to start measuring your food. Yeah, it's very difficult to ensure that you are in a proper calorie deficit, especially as you get smaller. Remember, if you lose 10. So I just lost 10 of my body fat or my body mass, yeah, so that means theoretically. My metabolism now is 25 less than what it was potentially a few months ago. So what does that mean? That means that instead of 2700 calories, I had to cut it down to 23, which sucks.

Speaker 1:

That's oh yeah sucks because my appetite is still up there oh yeah, you know. Uh, it's not my appetite, and hunger hormones haven't adjusted to my metabolism. They're still up at 215. So that step one is you really got to measure that food out so you can just guarantee yourself that sweet spot of about a 500 calorie deficit per day. That is pretty universally what's recommended. You'll lose weight faster you can. You'll lose weight faster if you go, if, if you go into like a thousand calorie deficit right, but it's almost so, it's, it's, it's. It's so much harder by order of magnitude that the the the likelihood you're gonna stick with it just diminishes down to nothing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's. This is the sustainability is just gonna go out the window window. Once you start getting into a deficit 30%, 40% it's just you're going to crash and burn.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you'll see the scale move every day, but then you're going to the stress, fatigue, everything is just going to hit you.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you're going to be cranky and just cortisol all the time. Can't think straight, you're not going to be sleeping well, so all these negative things start compounding on themselves Performance in the gym.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, totally You're going to start losing a lot of muscle mass. That was another big thing too is, like you know, anything below 500 calorie deficit per day. Yeah, you start burning through muscle tissue cause you can't train hard. Your body's like we, so you know. It's very simple math. You just can Google how many calories has my body burned. Google that and a calculator will pop up and you just enter your age, height, weight, activity level. It'll give you a decent little estimation, which I think is a good starting point at least. Yeah, it's generally accurate.

Speaker 1:

And then you just pull 500 from that, you know. So if your metabolic rate throughout the day is 2,500, which is very average, then eat 2,000. And you're probably going to be just fine. But you really got to make sure it is 2,000. Because other studies have shown, on average, people are 50 to 100% wrong in their calorie tracking. 100% off, yeah, you think you're eating 1,200? Yeah, and we all know the women out there like I only eat 1200 calories a day and they're like 180 pounds. You're like I think you might be missing a couple days here, right?

Speaker 2:

yeah, sorry, I don't mean to be sound mean, but no, but this is the fact of the matter, but, yeah, it's too long, it's. The truth, though, it's that without us, without a food scale, without counting every calorie and food logging, you just don't have the accuracy on your numbers, and I think to reach that specificity of the goal we're talking about, you have to get that specific and you have to be consistent with it day in and day out you can't just kind of like shoot from the hip and like, oh, I'll eat a salad or I'll just like eat a little bit less.

Speaker 2:

It might put you in a deficit. But I think, like you were saying to, that last leg of the journey is going to require that the true accuracy, which is only going to come from having your macros set, measuring out your food and I think this is where, like being smart, you know, it's like it's so crazy.

Speaker 1:

So you and I are both turning 40 this year and we've been in this, we've been doing this for forever, you know. But I remember like in this year and we've been in this, we've been doing this for forever, you know. But I remember like in our 20s we were both probably like we were remember that little handheld thing it would say we were like six percent eight percent I'm sure it was off by a few, but we were very lean, yeah, and we never tracked.

Speaker 1:

In fact, we tried to eat as much as we could. It's just so funny to just like man, if I knew then what I know now, because now, at 40, it is harder you know 40 year olds body doesn't want to release fat, like a 25 year old does no, and so it's a little bit harder.

Speaker 1:

But like um, this is where you just got to be a little bit more sophisticated on your food choice, because hunger management is the name of the game. Yeah, like if you're starving all the time because you're making really poor food choices that just fly through you. Like you're drinking your calories, you're, you're eating, you're burning through all your calories and fats and not leaving any room for, like, starches and lean proteins you're gonna be fiber?

Speaker 1:

yeah, you're gonna be starving and it's gonna make it very difficult. So like having three squares a day that are like between four and six hundred calories, that are just like 10 grams of fiber in each one of those plates veggies, fruits, lean protein just stacked. So it's like it's like hard to get the whole plate down.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you're like eating the volume. It's like, oh man, I'm still chewing on this whole food.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, like that's what you want. You want meals that actually feel difficult to get through, but you've already done the math and so you know that meal is only 400 or 500 calories. It just looks like a lot of food, right, and that's the secret. And then you can just kind of backfill your calories in with like bars or shakes. But three meals like that that are forced 600 calories are just a mound of veggies and lean protein. That's how you're going to feel satisfied, as you, you know, descend body fat down to body fat hell right down down into the bowels.

Speaker 1:

Yeah and so so you know, you got to understand your calories. Don't cut more than 500 a day off of your total daily energy expenditure. Don't do intense cardio.

Speaker 1:

That would be another recommendation that I would give, like avoid the boot camps, avoid the sprints. Save that for when you're eating at maintenance or when you're eating a little bit of a surplus, then your body can handle it. It's too stressful, it's too stressful and it triggers too much appetite. Yeah, you know, you go do a boot camp class, you're fucking starving afterwards and it's gonna be very difficult to only eat 2 000 calories if you've just kicked your own ass. And, by the way it the appetite surge from a boot camp versus how many calories that class actually burned is not worth it. It's not worth it.

Speaker 2:

Not for the calorie exchange and if you notice, aesthetically you probably would get more benefit from just doing some concerted weight training to look a certain way, to fill yourself out more. I mean, boot camp will make you fit, it's good stuff, but in terms of if it's good stuff, but in terms of if it's an aesthetic goal, you probably just get more benefit from it's not.

Speaker 1:

You're not giving your body any real reason to keep muscle on you, yeah, and so you know it's like spend your time doing, you know, 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week. Two or three reps close to failure, hit 10 000 steps a day. It burns the same amount of calories as a boot camp does, but triggers no appetite or very little, and it's actually very recovering. Um, and then you just focus on your food.

Speaker 1:

Let's focus on the food focus the food and like honestly, and it keeps sodium levels kind of at bay. Because that can be a real mind fuck if you're eating the right amount of food but there's just loaded with sodium or whatever and you're just not losing any weight. Your body's just holding on to water, that's. That can be difficult, but that's really the secret. It's like it's like good food choice, 500 calorie deficit. I'll add one more thing to that just like get as close as you can to about a pound, a gram of protein per pound. So if you're 180 pounds, 180 grams protein, easy math, um, and that'll help keep you full satisfied. Abundance of amino acids, so your body can maintain muscle tissue as you burn body fat.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Cause I think what I think sometimes people don't even realize is that everybody has a six pack Like. The shape of the muscle is inherently that shape. You just have to be lean enough in order to see it. But I do want to also say, on the back end of that, is that actually doing some hypertrophy for your abs, or asking your abs to grow through concerted abdominal exercises, will also kind of come in from the back end, because obviously the more bulbous the muscle is, the more it'll push up against whatever degree of fat, stretching the fat out.

Speaker 2:

So, fundamentally, you have to reduce the body fat, but you take the body fat you have right now and if you made your bicep twice as big, it would stretch against that body fat and thin it out as well. As, even though we all have that six-pack shape, they can grow, they can become more bulbous in 3D, so to speak. And so I do think that if this is a goal that you're looking to do, it's not just about being lean, but actually having some type of hypertrophy training for your abs is going to be of benefit. It's a smaller slice of the pie, no doubt, but all things said and done, the abs will look that much better once you get lean, and I also just think that it can't be. If we're talking about masterful six pack abs, you got to get some concerted abs, masterful abs, masterful abs.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, no for sure, and and, uh, you know that's interesting, so I think a lot of people would make the mistake.

Speaker 1:

So once you've kind of hit the quote of about 10, 15 sets per week, yeah it's not a matter of training harder anymore, it's all the other things we just talked about. Yeah, but with that being said, to your point, I think that if you just tack on a few sets to failure exactly at the end of every workout of first, like just pick a pick a different ab exercise every time you work out and just do three sets to failure of it, so like if you lift, even if you're only lifting three times a week, that's still nine sets to failure. And remember, even when you're doing squats and lunges and bench press and pull-ups, your abs are working oh 100. So they're always on on like an isometric level. But then, just to bring it a little extra hypertrophy, man, just three sets of bosu ball stretch crunch, I was gonna say, if you didn't even know something with progressive.

Speaker 2:

Or, like you do a stretch crunch on a bosu ball and then use a little two and a half pound plane on your chest and a five pound plane on your chest and keep it simple, but follow the the tried and true methods of of a progressive overload and a plan. I think you be surprised Because also a lot of people like skip abs. Like I just noticed, people skip abs.

Speaker 1:

A lot of well-respected people skip abs.

Speaker 2:

They're just like eh you know, I mean and it's true Like they get it worked all the time. But I do think that if we're looking really for that pop, when you take the shirt off, you have to have some concerted ab training. It doesn't have to be crazy, but you just have to have something in there For sure yeah, that's all I do is I'll just at the end of each workout, just pick a different one.

Speaker 1:

You know, bench sit-ups, stretch BOSU, ball crunches, reverse crunches off the bench is one of my faves, so good Sometimes. Just some good old-fashioned V-ups, you know, are good, but yeah, just mix and match. You don't have to get as sophisticated with your programming as you would with other body parts, but just get something in there a few days a week, a few sets to failure, and you'd be surprised.

Speaker 1:

Yeah it goes a long way, yeah, all right. Well, there you go, team. So go get those six packs. Do it. Send us pictures before and after so we can take credit for it and you know, let me know in the comments how it goes for you, if you've achieved it and how you feel after accomplishing it.

Speaker 2:

Was it worth it?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, was it worth it? That'd be fun to know. Yeah, all right team. So that was episode 37 of Coach's Corner. We're getting there, we're doing it. We're more professional by the week. Damn it, that's right, all right.