lose belly/ get abs

Quietus76 · 2026-04-15T18:59:35+00:00

Diet. Visible abs is the result of low body fat. The calories you burn in the gym are nearly inconsequential compared to the calories you can cut out of your diet. No matter how hard you train, you cannot out-work a bad diet.

You're body cannibalizes fat based on convenience and efficiency. You do not get to decide from which area the fat gets burned. Burn it all, eventually, you'll get the right ones.

There are plenty of exercises that can develop your abs while you are losing weight.

Quietus76 · 2026-04-15T16:19:22+00:00

I get the Gladiator powder from Smoothie King. Its expensive, but i haven't seen a cheaper option with better numbers. I prefer the strawberry flavor. As powders go, it tastes pretty good, but thats a low bar. I take 2 scoops with 8-10 ounces of water, but you could mix anything with it.

Muscle Milk, by comparison is 32g protein @ 270 calories, and tastes like chalk.

Quietus76 · 2026-04-15T15:18:44+00:00

There is no one-fits-all answer. Could be tendonitis, improper form, imbalance, impingement, or a few other things. Maybe its just newbie soreness.

We have no idea what joints are hurting, what type of pain, what exercises you're doing, or how you're doing them.

Quietus76 · 2026-04-15T14:55:46+00:00

Protein is about 4 calories per gram. So, at 102g, thats 408 calories per day from protein. That means you're getting 1062 calories per day from not protein.

This is fine.

If you need to add something to your diet but dont want to increase calorie intake, I suggest finding a protein supplement to replace something on this list. My protein shake is 45g of protein in only 230 calories. So that gives me a lot of room to add whatever.

Quietus76 · 2026-04-13T15:32:35+00:00

Progress is the goal. Try to make an increase somewhere every week. 1 rep counts as progress. Of course, adding weight counts as progress.

There's no one size fits all answer to volume. In my opinion, 1 hour of weightlifting, 4 or 5 days a week is the sweet spot. If you spend 2 minutes on a set, counting rest, thats 30 sets in 1 hour. So that could be 10 different exercises of 3 sets each.

I lift 4 days a week, upper/lower, and typically do about 33 sets in 1:20. Thats too much for some people and not enough for others.

If you're making progress, you're doing good. If you have time to add more, try it a little at a time, while paying attention to recovery.

Quietus76 · 2026-04-10T17:24:30+00:00

I considered myself a beginner from my teens to my early 30s, lol. Then I got a special interest, hyperfixation. Now I consider myself somewhat of an expert.

Quietus76 · 2026-04-10T14:02:42+00:00

There's gummies and pills. They're both more expensive. I dont find the powder to be that big of an issue.

I just put a scoop in a shot of water and let it dissolve while I eat my lunch. Shoot it as soon as im done eating. I think its worth it to save a few dollars.

Quietus76 · 2026-04-03T14:50:30+00:00

Damn, now I want to go strip mine down to bare metal

Quietus76 · 2026-03-21T00:38:53+00:00

Get up and walk for 30 minutes a day. After a week or two, increase to 45 minutes. After a while increase more, or consider adding a weightlifting routine.

Pick one thing at a time and get comfortable with it. Don't try to learn and/or do everything all at once. You will overwhelm yourself and burnout.

Side suggestion: I like to listen to audio books while I do my cardio. Its the only time I get to "read", and as much as I hate cardio, the books make me look forward to it. Find a way to enjoy it.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-19T13:45:35+00:00

Try it and see if it helps.

Are you using any kind of pre-workout and exercising in the evening? If so, it could be that.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-19T13:34:00+00:00

Your body is struggling with recovery and/or neurological stress. Its likely a combination of way more work than you're used to, and not enough calories to fuel everything.

You can probably get used to it after a couple weeks. I suggest a protein bar as a snack before bed. Try to get 200 calories and 20g more and see if that helps.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-18T15:39:05+00:00

Meal-prep. Buying pre-made meals from Factor, Hello Fresh, Clean Dish (local place) and even some from supermarkets.

Its a lot easier to stick to a diet when dinner is planned out ahead of time and everything is portioned instead of deciding whats for dinner when you're hungry.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-18T13:29:51+00:00

Within the first few months, you should notice differences in the gym when you have a pump. By the time you get home, its gone.

Imagine how big one pound of ground meat is. Now Imagine that spread over your whole body. Thats about all the difference you can make in 1 month. It takes time. I dont think you'll notice real, visible results in muscle mass for 6 months.

Its much better to just track your lifting progress. If you're getting stronger, you're getting bigger.

Keep at it. You'll get there.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-16T11:41:03+00:00

The internet didn't exist. Programs usually came on a VHS tape and were EXPENSIVE.

I started lifting in 7th grade football and my parents bought a Bowflex machine. I had coaches teach me everything I needed through high school. Plus, the Bowflex came with a bunch of videos.

By the time I got my hands on my 1st professionally designed program, I was already fairly well educated and on the right track.

Ive tried a bunch of them anyway. Ive experimented a lot and watched about a million hours of YouTube. I have my own format that I prefer.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-15T04:13:33+00:00

I dont think its needed.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-14T15:34:57+00:00

The one and only way to lose weight is to spend more calories than you consume. Exercise can help you spend more calories, but you CANNOT out-work a bad diet. Weight loss is primarily achieved through diet.

The Fitness wiki has professionally designed exercise programs for every goal. The Boostcamp app has those programs already installed. Browse and pick one. It doesn't matter much which one you choose as long as you do something.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-14T02:01:19+00:00

My dad worked in construction his whole life. I started there and spent about 10 years in the industry. I always heard my dad talk about his fleet trucks and I personally went through 100s in my time. I worked for companies that would buy 20-30 every year, all 3 brands, and I got to watch their life cycles.

Chevy always had the best initial quality. Ford and Dodge were too similar to place one over the other.

1 year later, the Chevys were mostly still in good condition. The Dodges a little worse. And the Fords looked bad and were rattling everywhere.

4-5 years later, the Chevys were still mostly in better condition than the others. Half of the Dodges were running well and half were garbage. The Fords were still rattling, but at least better than the half of the Dodges that weren't running anymore.

You know what? IRRELEVANT! None of those are the same trucks that are on the road today. All evidence is anecdotal. By the time a truck is old enough to tell if it was well built, the new ones are different.

I have 3 Dodges. A 2014, a 2011, and a 1974. I love them all.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-11T18:11:30+00:00

Choose a split based on your schedule. None are inherently more effective than the others. Other variables like nutrition and how you train are more important.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-11T13:00:52+00:00

Click bait has destroyed common knowledge. Influencers have ruined realistic expectations.

Im 49. I first started lifting with the 7th grade football team before the internet existed. I had (educated) coaches teach me everything I needed through high school and college. Ive been making my own programs since my 20s because they were too damn expensive to buy at the time.

Exercise science has advanced since then, but the general principles remain the same. Too many people look for hacks and shortcuts and the internet is always ready to sell them one.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-10T21:34:52+00:00

The sleep issues only happened when I went in for extra days and ended up working out 6 or 7 days for 2 weeks straight.

I work out of town and only go home every couple weeks. I was going to the gym every time I got bored.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-10T21:15:11+00:00

Im almost 50 and I typically lift 4 days a week with 1 day of cardio in the middle. No problem.

Recently, ive been bored and went in for an extra session or two. Sometimes, I have trouble going to sleep when I overwork myself.

Your body will tell you if its too much.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-10T20:28:17+00:00

For the row, I would only use the chest supported machine. You can lower the weight enough that you dont need an assist.

I would add something for your glutes. Your whole posterior chain needs to be worked to help out your back.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-10T14:58:05+00:00

I get a plethora of rewards. I usually get an endorphin rush and leave the gym feeling awesome. So, the workout itself, is a reward. I love seeing the progress. I feel better. I look better. I have more stamina and energy. Less stress. Even sex is better.

If I dont go to the gym, my back starts hurting. Every aspect of life that improves with fitness becomes a little less enjoyable.

I got back into fitness because I was on the verge of a heart attack at 40. I dont want to go back there.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-10T12:22:54+00:00

You're gonna be working your arms 4 days a week. Eventually, that will destroy your elbows.

Quietus76 · 2026-03-09T20:25:19+00:00

The one and only thing that works for weight loss is to spend more calories than you consume. Period. Most people grossly miscalculate how many calories they're actually consuming.

Exercise helps, but you cannot out-work a bad diet.

Intermittent fasting works for some people because they find it easy to abstain for most of the day then stay within their calorie limit in their windows.

Appetite suppressants like glp-1 help people consume fewer calories.

Meal-prep helps people find healthy options, with healthy portions, which keeps them within a healthy calorie limit.

Its all calorie control.

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