Ok, This Is Gonna Sound Vain. No Way Around It. page

[Mr. Anthony]

I have pretty nice abs. I've always been in good shape, and since going primal I've leaned out a little more and kept muscle on. But I want mind-melting, pants-crapping, "holy balls, look at that guy" abs. I just need some kind of personal challenge always going on, and this is it right now. I've looked into leangains, and that's a little more regimented counting and planning than I'm into right now. Can I get there by just continuing to stay low-carb and working out (I lift hard and do some intense workouts. Always have.) I just need to figure out what exactly to do to shred off maybe 2-3 pounds of fat total.

Background: I'm pretty naturally low-carb (whenever I plug in a day of eating it's usually under 50g, and keep my macros at 60-79% fat on a given day). Fairly high protein, don't want to lose any muscle. I feel great on low carb; I know some people don't. I'll eat occasional macadamias, 90% chocolate, cheese,or whole cream with berries but not that often, and not in the same week.

I know it seems kinda silly to be working towards something like this when I already have a perfectly respectable six-pack, especially considering how many people struggle with their weight, but there you go. For the record, I'm hooked on the success stories of those who have made huge life changes. That's WAY more inspiring and impressive than me, who got lucky with genetics and just works hard in the gym.

So how do I get there?

[magnolia1973]

Nothing wrong with vanity as long as you post shirtless before and after pics....

[DavidBrennan]

Mark Sisson covered this in 'The Primal Blueprint' and noted that there are a ton of dudes like you out there because that was his most popular article ever. He basically said to do isometrics and, most importantly, just eat and exercise Primally.

I don't think this was the article he meant, but here's one I found: The Secret to Great Abs | Mark's Daily Apple

[Mr. Anthony]

Nothing wrong with vanity as long as you post shirtless before and after pics....

Haha, aren't you married?

[Lukey]

Try looking for info from top fitness models like Rob Riches, Greg plitt etc on how to drop the last few pounds to get absolutely shredded. They all say a slow, steady calorie deficit is the way to go to get to a very low body fat level (i'm assuming you mean under 10% body fat). You will need to count your calories, there is just no way around it. If you want to get as lean as possible, with no muscle loss, you will need a 300-500 calorie deficit max, and keep lifting heavy to keep the muscle and keep it looking full. You might need to take into consideration how much water the body really holds, especially around the ab region. You would have to keep your carb and especially sodium intake consistent. If you keep your sodium intake the same, the body will adapt to that amount and won't hold onto any water. If one day you have a lot of sodium compared to normal, you will hold more water.

You can see the amount of dedication and commitment these guys go through to look like this year round. Anyway, good luck!

[magnolia1973]

Haha, aren't you married?

Yeah. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good before and after pic.... It's for reference.

[2ndChance]

Exercising for looks rather than health is a recipe for injury. My knees will never be the same.

Sounds like what you really ought to focus on is why being good enough isn't satisfying for you, why are you striving to turn heads? Why do you need others' validation of your body? (I'm a female with a consistently troubled relationship with food/exercise, and I can tell you I'm in a much better mental place now, content with my fine but not Jillian Michaels body, than I was when every decision I made was centered around refining my six pack)

[Mr. Anthony]

Exercising for looks rather than health is a recipe for injury. My knees will never be the same.

Sounds like what you really ought to focus on is why being good enough isn't satisfying for you, why are you striving to turn heads? Why do you need others' validation of your body? (I'm a female with a consistently troubled relationship with food/exercise, and I can tell you I'm in a much better mental place now, content with my fine but not Jillian Michaels body, than I was when every decision I made was centered around refining my six pack)

Thanks for the concern, but I work out primarily for health already. No self-esteem issues, no food issues, no confidence issues (well, I might be too confident). I just always have some personal challenge I'm working on to make life more awesome. Learning a tough song on guitar, reading a book I know I might not enjoy but will learn something from, hiking a taller mountain, whatever. More ripped abs are it right now

[jfreaksho]

The last little bit is going to be the hardest to drop, and you're probably going to have to do some kind of regimented program- counting calories, carb cycling, etc. If I'm wrong, I'd love to hear about it, though.

[Clymb]

Yeah. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good before and after pic.... It's for reference.

I agree. We'll need pics or it didn't happen