Start with a bulk if your body fat percentage is low. After that, you might reduce your calories to get visible abs. Cutting is your best action if your body fat percentage is higher. You can alternate between bulking and cutting if your abs are clearly defined.
So a key part of how to get toned without bulking is to use lighter weights. For best results, incorporate a combination of light weight days and moderate weight days. Perform exercises for a higher amount of reps and less sets. This will help you achieve muscular endurance and toning.
If you have a relatively low body fat percentage and are looking to build muscle, then you may want to consider bulking up. By increasing muscle mass, you will improve your overall body composition, which can make your abs more visible.
When bulking, your primary focus is on building muscle mass, and not necessarily on defining or "cutting" your abs. However, building muscle in your abdominal region can help to improve the appearance of your abs and make them more visible once you do start to "cut" or reduce body fat through diet and cardio.
Bulking will not lead to you losing your abs, they will still be there. But they may not be visible. But you won't lose them if anything they will probably get stronger. Once you begin to lose weight (known in bodybuilding as a cut) your abs may be even more defined then they were before you started bulking.
If you're bulking with the goal of gaining maximum muscle growth, chances are, you won't be able to keep your six-pack abs visible by the time you're finished with your bulking cycle. However, if you're on a lean bulk, you can still maintain a visible six-pack much longer.
Summary. Skinny guys should train their abs because they'll need to build muscle everywhere. Compound movements, like the deadlift, will help the abs and obliques grow a little bit but won't push them to be as big and strong as they could be.
You should bulk first if you are skinny fat. A 10% caloric surplus is optimal to build muscle while ensuring you don't put on a lot of excess body fat. Stay in a surplus for a minimum of 4 months and then begin a slow, gradual cut.
A good rule of thumb (and a safe one) is to aim to lose 1 to 2 percent of body fat per month. So, unveiling your abs can take anywhere from 3 months to 2 years. It really does vary.
The sweet spot for a lean bulk is to gain no more than 0.5-1 pound of body weight each week. For most people this will be split 50/50 between muscle and fat gain. So, basically you will gain 1 pound of fat for each pound of muscle – which is a good ratio.
So how often should you train your abs? 2-3 exercises 2-3 times per week is plenty to maximize development without overdoing it. If you are already working out 3 times per week you can just tack 1-2 ab exercises on to the end of your workouts.
When you first do an exercise, you'll get stronger rapidly. Just so you know: this is not because your muscle got a lot bigger. But, rather, because of your brain's improved ability to activate that muscle during the exercise. This is what we call neurological adaptations, which lasts about 8-12 weeks.
Your pants and/or shorts are looser in the waistline.
It is the easiest and most effortless way to notice your progress on the journey to a washboard stomach. If your pants are fitting more loosely or if you have to tighten your belt, then you are losing fat around your stomach.
Can Everyone Get Sculpted 6-Pack Abs? The short answer: unfortunately, no. “Visible abs are very difficult to achieve for those of us who aren't genetically blessed,” says Scharff. “Everyone's muscles are built differently.
Most experts think the appropriate body fat range for beginning a bulk or cut should be between 10-15% for men and 20-25% for women. This range is ideal as it provides enough energy to build muscle while allowing for visible definition. Once you hit the upper end of the range, start cutting.
As opposed to lean or “clean” bulking, which focuses on healthy foods and aims to build muscle without adding fat to the body, dirty bulking is a no-stops approach to getting yourself into a fast calorie surplus to get you bigger faster. The idea is to pack on weight, hopefully, muscle, by eating calorie-dense foods.
People with high body fat percentages or anyone who's been bulking for 12-16 weeks should focus on losing fat before building muscle. People who are skinny fat, new to strength training, or those who want to prioritize their performance in the gym over their appearance should consider bulking before losing weight.
2. Your Abdominal Muscles Aren't Thick Enough. If you have a trim waist and minimal body fat and you still can't see your abs, then you need to work on getting the Rectus Abdominis (your 6 pack muscle) thicker. You will never be able to see your abs if the muscle bellies there are weak and small.
It's common for skinny guys to have crooked posture.
Part of that is because we're skinny. We lack the muscular strength to hold ourselves up straight. The other problem is we often have longer spines that are harder to stabilizer. The good news is both of these issues are the same issue.
Finally, an additional study found that in terms of gauging facial attractiveness, instead of rating men with strong jaws and “macho” features as more appealing, women were more drawn to men with skinnier faces.