How to improve my abs

I had about 5% body fat when I took these. My abs have been about the same for a while now.
 
I am currently bulking but will my abs get bigger during the bulk? And so when I cut back down, they will stick out more?
 
And according to my scale, I gained about 2% of body fat in 2 days while only gaining 2 pounds. Does that mean I lost muscle and gained fat?
 
Would it be ok to do Keto for a week or 2 in the middle of a bulk? And I was wondering, if you are on a low carb diet or Keto, could you look leaner before losing any weight?
 
Thanks 
  
 

 
 

Your abs look fine so im really confused as what you are trying to accomplish here. If you want to get stronger and bigger than just bulk and stop worrying about things like bulking then running keto for only 2 weeks then bulking again. Also please pull your pants up, you look comical at best and we (or at least I) don't really care to see your undergarments. When you are as big as Nmoney can you post pictures of yourself in only boxers for the ladies to admire.

You can't fluctuate 2% real bodyfat in 2 days. It will be down to how hydrated you are, how much you've eaten, whether you need a poop etc. To me it sounds like you're scared of losing your abs, which is something you need to get over, if you're going to put on any mass at all.

V,
    You're the Clipart Photoshop GOD!

 

yup gotta get over losing your abs if you wanna gain some muscles...esp cause it looks like your a hard gainer thus meaning your going to have to engorge massive amounts of food to grow

YOU GOTTA EAT BIG, TO BE BIG!!

NASM certified trainer
NFPT certified trainer

Winter Bulk goal:245-250 by dec 31
Current weight: 235

1.  You did not gain 2% bf.  You have water retention from consuming carbohydrates.
 
2.  You are not a hardgainer.  That's just a bullshxt term for an ecto who isnt willing to eat food.
 
3.  If you want to keep your abs and have slow muscle gains, do keto.  If you want to really add on some muscle mass, youll need to take up a bulking diet and like others said, worry less about what they look like for the next months.

working on explosive phase
vertical: 35
weight: 206

Big 3: 300/440/515

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

You are not a hardgainer.  That's just a bullshxt term for an ecto who isnt willing to eat food.
  
exactly

"The More Stupid People Think You Are, The More Surprised They Will Get When You Kill Them"

It's all very macho to say "it's bull**** term for ecto whos lazy" bla bla bla

But the reality of it is, ectomorphs don't gain muscle as easy as mesomorphs etc. and that's just a fact. It's harder to gain the same amount of muscle, in the same amount of time, as someone who isn't an ecto.

Hard-gainer.



You can bs all you want saying if you were dedicated and did this or that you could gain muscle as fast as a meso doing the same thing, but I don't know who you're kidding.


Cut the 'I'm hardcore' crap.

V,
    You're the Clipart Photoshop GOD!

 

Yah, and endos can say it's harder to lose fat, and have a low body fat which it is.

"In heaven, all the interesting people are missing." Friedrich Nietzsche

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted" John Lennon

_Virtuoso_


It's all very macho to say "it's bull**** term for ecto whos lazy" bla bla bla

But the reality of it is, ectomorphs don't gain muscle as easy as mesomorphs etc. and that's just a fact. It's harder to gain the same amount of muscle, in the same amount of time, as someone who isn't an ecto.

Hard-gainer.



You can bs all you want saying if you were dedicated and did this or that you could gain muscle as fast as a meso doing the same thing, but I don't know who you're kidding.


Cut the 'I'm hardcore' crap.

that's why you pay attention to your body and learn. if you don't have the genetics to pack on weight, then don't complain about it, adapt to it.

^

Did I say anything that disagreed with that? No


But the fact that someone referrs to it as hard-gaining doesn't mean they're complaining, they're simply stating their situation when it comes to gaining muscle mass in a term not dissimilar from the meaning of ectomorph.

V,
    You're the Clipart Photoshop GOD!

 

uhh yeah you sort of did. and you got pretty defensive about it right off the bat...     

so I said, in some form or other -


"don't pay attention to your bodies needs and if you're an ecto, make sure you complain about it often"


Really? I mean really? I just don't see that.

V,
    You're the Clipart Photoshop GOD!

 

tampon change anyone?


and btw 34nick you need to eat more, period.

first day with no buds, 11/17, need a new job. 1 down 13 to go.

_Virtuoso_


It's all very macho to say "it's bull**** term for ecto whos lazy" bla bla bla

But the reality of it is, ectomorphs don't gain muscle as easy as mesomorphs etc. and that's just a fact. It's harder to gain the same amount of muscle, in the same amount of time, as someone who isn't an ecto.

Hard-gainer.



You can bs all you want saying if you were dedicated and did this or that you could gain muscle as fast as a meso doing the same thing, but I don't know who you're kidding.


Cut the 'I'm hardcore' crap.

THIS ..... Not everyone can pack on muscle fast ... There is a reason why these people have been skinny all there lives ... just down to having poor genetics. Not saying that thay cant build a decent body .. but not as fast as others.

I find it funny when you see guys who are skinny as sh1t ... and become jacked in a year or 2 and state that they are all natural ... Maybe this is where people get the idea that Hard gainers can pack on serious mass quick, with just hard work.


Anyway ... to the OP .... I think its possible to bulk and stay fairly lean (around the 10% bf mark). Just watch your diet and eat clean.

Train hard ... eat well .. get plenty of rest and all your muscles will grow.

And yes you can do mini cut in the middle of bulking, but i think the best time to bulk is in winter, a time when it don't really matter that much if you put on some fat.

I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. - Frank Sinatra

The_Bull

_Virtuoso_


It's all very macho to say "it's bull**** term for ecto whos lazy" bla bla bla

But the reality of it is, ectomorphs don't gain muscle as easy as mesomorphs etc. and that's just a fact. It's harder to gain the same amount of muscle, in the same amount of time, as someone who isn't an ecto.

Hard-gainer.



You can bs all you want saying if you were dedicated and did this or that you could gain muscle as fast as a meso doing the same thing, but I don't know who you're kidding.


Cut the 'I'm hardcore' crap.

THIS ..... Not everyone can pack on muscle fast ... There is a reason why these people have been skinny all there lives ... just down to having poor genetics. Not saying that thay cant build a decent body .. but not as fast as others.

I find it funny when you see guys who are skinny as sh1t ... and become jacked in a year or 2 and state that they are all natural ... Maybe this is where people get the idea that Hard gainers can pack on serious mass quick, with just hard work.


Anyway ... to the OP .... I think its possible to bulk and stay fairly lean (around the 10% bf mark). Just watch your diet and eat clean.

Train hard ... eat well .. get plenty of rest and all your muscles will grow.

And yes you can do mini cut in the middle of bulking, but i think the best time to bulk is in winter, a time when it don't really matter that much if you put on some fat.

I did it.  And im tha fxcking definition of an ecto/hardgainer.
 
Its all about focus.

working on explosive phase
vertical: 35
weight: 206

Big 3: 300/440/515

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

After my exhaustive research, I know that your abdominal muscles are 70% dependant on the food you eat and only 30% on your exercises.

To get those abs visible, you have to eat close-to-perfect food for your body, otherwise you will build a layer of fat on top of your abs even if you exercise. 

Working for the time when I look at myself in the mirror and say "Damn, this is what I always wanted to be"

The_Bull

_Virtuoso_


It's all very macho to say "it's bull**** term for ecto whos lazy" bla bla bla

But the reality of it is, ectomorphs don't gain muscle as easy as mesomorphs etc. and that's just a fact. It's harder to gain the same amount of muscle, in the same amount of time, as someone who isn't an ecto.

Hard-gainer.



You can bs all you want saying if you were dedicated and did this or that you could gain muscle as fast as a meso doing the same thing, but I don't know who you're kidding.


Cut the 'I'm hardcore' crap.

THIS ..... Not everyone can pack on muscle fast ... There is a reason why these people have been skinny all there lives ... just down to having poor genetics. Not saying that thay cant build a decent body .. but not as fast as others.

I find it funny when you see guys who are skinny as sh1t ... and become jacked in a year or 2 and state that they are all natural ... Maybe this is where people get the idea that Hard gainers can pack on serious mass quick, with just hard work.


Anyway ... to the OP .... I think its possible to bulk and stay fairly lean (around the 10% bf mark). Just watch your diet and eat clean.

Train hard ... eat well .. get plenty of rest and all your muscles will grow.

And yes you can do mini cut in the middle of bulking, but i think the best time to bulk is in winter, a time when it don't really matter that much if you put on some fat.

Maybe these guys just workout right and eat properly. Maybe they are natural. I'm ****ing tired of you "ectos" pissing and moaning that you can't get as strong. Just eat more and you will be fine. Endos have their own problems too. Anyone who makes up these excuses those are whiners and shouldn't be lifting.

^

yet another pathetic ignorant response.


I don't see anywhere above where any of us have said, ectos can't get strong, we can't get big, we can't gain muscle. Tbh if I thought that would I ****ing be here?

Yet you clearly seem to have read somewhere above that we have all complained about our genetics limiting us, stated we can't get big and come to the conclusion that we simply don't bother eating.


I recall stating in a thread, asking for our goals, that my goal was 190lbs 10%bf. I also recall other people of ectomorphic body types posting equally ambitious goals. Would you care to tell me how that translates into a complaint of being unable to gain mass? Because reading a statement like that, to me personally, sounds like the total opposite - like someone who believes they can and intends to gain that much weight.


I've yet to see any of the regular ectomorphic members on this forum make a single post complaining they haven't been gaining fast enough.

Yet you seem to have read it somewhere between the lines.


Since when has stating scientific fact that genetics play a large role in how well you gain or lose muscle/fat become a complaint, acceptance of failure, and concession?

V,
    You're the Clipart Photoshop GOD!

 

_Virtuoso_


^

yet another pathetic ignorant response.


I don't see anywhere above where any of us have said, ectos can't get strong, we can't get big, we can't gain muscle. Tbh if I thought that would I ****ing be here?

Yet you clearly seem to have read somewhere above that we have all complained about our genetics limiting us, stated we can't get big and come to the conclusion that we simply don't bother eating.


I recall stating in a thread, asking for our goals, that my goal was 190lbs 10%bf. I also recall other people of ectomorphic body types posting equally ambitious goals. Would you care to tell me how that translates into a complaint of being unable to gain mass? Because reading a statement like that, to me personally, sounds like the total opposite - like someone who believes they can and intends to gain that much weight.


I've yet to see any of the regular ectomorphic members on this forum make a single post complaining they haven't been gaining fast enough.

Yet you seem to have read it somewhere between the lines.


Since when has stating scientific fact that genetics play a large role in how well you gain or lose muscle/fat become a complaint, acceptance of failure, and concession?

I never said hardgainers don't exist so you can stop placing words in my mouth. I'm simply tired of others writing or saying stuff like "this guy was skinny as **** and in two years he's jacked and claims to be all natural" or whatever Bull said. He probably was natural, as I know skinny ****s who have gotten huge in 2 years. Hardgainers are much more rare than you people think. You aren't gaining as fast as your friends or peers and first thing you call is hardgainer. Chances are you are doing something wrong that is limiting your potential.

I really hate seeing people whining and getting into pissing matches about body types. Its such a lame reason for not getting results. There are plenty of ecto's who have done it.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

Obviously anyone who states they are an endomorph is also simply doing so because of their failure to lose weight.

It couldn't possibly be they are pin-pointing their genetic bodytype, so as to know where to start in their training.



Obviously because RS is an ecto and reached the point at which he now stands, it means all ectos can do it with the same degree of effort.

It couldn't possibly be he infact has quite good genetics and there are ectos who have a more extreme genetic structure.



In regards to this forum;

It's obvious that anyone who is weighing in at something impressive and stating they are an ecto is indeed an ecto.

However, anyone who isn't at a progressed level with their training and body, and states they are an ecto, is infact a lazy slacker making excuses for lack of results.



I guess when I hit around 180lbs, I will become an ecto. Until then I'm just someone who's kidding myself. The same goes for every other fake ecto on here.



Twisted and Veg seemed to have the right idea.

V,
    You're the Clipart Photoshop GOD!

 

Nm0ney34


I really hate seeing people whining and getting into pissing matches about body types. Its such a lame reason for not getting results. There are plenty of ecto's who have done it.

this is what im trying to say but i'm blunt about it and lack sensitivity because it really pisses me off because it's this whole you can put in less work than me and get stronger with ectos or the stupid endo complaining about never being skinny so it doesn't matter if they have a nice body underneath their fat.

_Virtuoso_


Obviously anyone who states they are an endomorph is also simply doing so because of their failure to lose weight.

It couldn't possibly be they are pin-pointing their genetic bodytype, so as to know where to start in their training.



Obviously because RS is an ecto and reached the point at which he now stands, it means all ectos can do it with the same degree of effort.

It couldn't possibly be he infact has quite good genetics and there are ectos who have a more extreme genetic structure.



In regards to this forum;

It's obvious that anyone who is weighing in at something impressive and stating they are an ecto is indeed an ecto.

However, anyone who isn't at a progressed level with their training and body, and states they are an ecto, is infact a lazy slacker making excuses for lack of results.



I guess when I hit around 180lbs, I will become an ecto. Until then I'm just someone who's kidding myself. The same goes for every other fake ecto on here.



Twisted and Veg seemed to have the right idea.

if you are talking about twisted link, he was smart and his prose was interesting, but he was always way too quick to jump the gun and call EVERYONE a hardgainer or that they have reached their potential far too early on. That kind of negative mentality is not needed here especially when it most likely was not true.

RollingStone

The_Bull

_Virtuoso_


It's all very macho to say "it's bull**** term for ecto whos lazy" bla bla bla

But the reality of it is, ectomorphs don't gain muscle as easy as mesomorphs etc. and that's just a fact. It's harder to gain the same amount of muscle, in the same amount of time, as someone who isn't an ecto.

Hard-gainer.



You can bs all you want saying if you were dedicated and did this or that you could gain muscle as fast as a meso doing the same thing, but I don't know who you're kidding.


Cut the 'I'm hardcore' crap.

THIS ..... Not everyone can pack on muscle fast ... There is a reason why these people have been skinny all there lives ... just down to having poor genetics. Not saying that thay cant build a decent body .. but not as fast as others.

I find it funny when you see guys who are skinny as sh1t ... and become jacked in a year or 2 and state that they are all natural ... Maybe this is where people get the idea that Hard gainers can pack on serious mass quick, with just hard work.


Anyway ... to the OP .... I think its possible to bulk and stay fairly lean (around the 10% bf mark). Just watch your diet and eat clean.

Train hard ... eat well .. get plenty of rest and all your muscles will grow.

And yes you can do mini cut in the middle of bulking, but i think the best time to bulk is in winter, a time when it don't really matter that much if you put on some fat.

I did it.  And im tha fxcking definition of an ecto/hardgainer.
 
Its all about focus.

list what you eat a day so we all can see am curious an i bet others are too

Actually I meant they seemed to have the right idea leaving the forum. If you try to state the simplest and most basic information about how genetics play a large role, you get pitch forks and torches waved at you and heckled as being undedicated and making excuses for 'lack of results' - regardless of what your actual results are.

V,
    You're the Clipart Photoshop GOD!

 

_Virtuoso_


Actually I meant they seemed to have the right idea leaving the forum. If you try to state the simplest and most basic information about how genetics play a large role, you get pitch forks and torches waved at you and heckled as being undedicated and making excuses for 'lack of results' - regardless of what your actual results are.

There is no doubt that genetics play a role but people are too quick to call genetics when they aren't doing something right or just aren't patient as it's the easy way out. The average person can reach 275/350/400 in 2-3 years of proper training and diet. Of course someone smaller or with worse genetics won't reach these quite as fast but they still can. What i'm trying to emphasize, is that training, sleeping habits and proper nutrition play just as much of a role. Before someone complains about their genetics, they should post what else they are doing that could be causing the problem before crying GENETICS!!!!

PumaKrieg

_Virtuoso_


Actually I meant they seemed to have the right idea leaving the forum. If you try to state the simplest and most basic information about how genetics play a large role, you get pitch forks and torches waved at you and heckled as being undedicated and making excuses for 'lack of results' - regardless of what your actual results are.

There is no doubt that genetics play a role but people are too quick to call genetics when they aren't doing something right or just aren't patient as it's the easy way out. The average person can reach 275/350/400 in 2-3 years of proper training and diet. Of course someone smaller or with worse genetics won't reach these quite as fast but they still can. What i'm trying to emphasize, is that training, sleeping habits and proper nutrition play just as much of a role. Before someone complains about their genetics, they should post what else they are doing that could be causing the problem before crying GENETICS!!!!

Sorry I must be going mad, but did you just say the average person can naturally reach 350+ lbs in 2-3 years....

V,
    You're the Clipart Photoshop GOD!

 

a 350 pound squat.

right,



But going back to the original point, regardless of whether some people are quick to shout problems due to genetics when they infact have something in their method of routine wrong - it doesn't change the fact that ectos don't build muscle as easily as other body types. You can spin it however you want but that is a fact.

Ectomorph generally refers to someone who naturally has little fat, a small frame, heightened sensetivity to hot and cold temperatures amongst a range of other things. Namely someone who's body doesn't build muscle as easily, and has little problem burning fat.

This is the meaning of ectomorph.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that being an ectomorph makes it hard to gain. Afterall that is the definition of an ectomorph.

So at what point does the slang terminology 'hard-gainer' referring to the ectomorphic body type, mean one is conceeding to a life of excuses and bones?

Because all I see is a phrase that perfectly sums up what it is.

V,
    You're the Clipart Photoshop GOD!

 

_Virtuoso_



It doesn't take a genius to work out that being an ectomorph makes it hard to gain. Afterall that is the definition of an ectomorph.

 

I 100% agree with this.
Im a naturally big guy (height and weight wise)  and when i see some ecto's at the gym dam they can push some serious weights,puts me to shame but genetically im built different and you'd asume i could push much more but to me their gains are harder to earn and thats just how it is. 

Just starting out but watch this space!