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(bluejacket @ Feb. 16 2007,16:29)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">ive heard a bit about "core" reading when taking bf % measurements. basically its the fat reading one gets from the mid-section (core) as opposed to the other sites, chest and legs. obviously many (most?) men store bf more readily in this area so you run into a situation like you describe. relatively lean upper/lower body which might give readings that would put you at @10% bf but plenty of stored fat in the mid-section that when factored in puts you back up to the 13-15% range. not very scientific sounding and obviously it doesnt apply to all but to those it does apply to you know exactly what im talking about.
about the wgt loss needed for abs, be prepared. cutting down (especially if going for a visual goal) is the hardest thing psycologically one can do in this sport/hobby. guys ive trained with who were preparing for bb shows DID NOT ever step on the scale until they had to. checking progress by a mirror was at least encouraging but stepping on a scale and seeing they were 20-30lbs lighter then when they started was crushing. of course your not going to this extreme but you still want to see abs you havent seen in recent memory so you will have to drop a fair amount of wgt.
ive read many of your posts over the past few months and you seem to be caught "in between". you want to be bigger and stronger (who doesnt) but your not ready to deal with the fat levels that seem to come relatively easily with gaining. its an unenviable position most of us are in made worse by the fact that we seem to fixate on the small portion of folks who can gain serious muscle without all the fat.
your goals are your goals and no one should tell you otherwise. just be prepared for a few things.
when you get those abs you will feel very small in your clothes.
you can gain muscle slowly and limit fat but you must pay very close attention to your diet.
gaining muscle slowly means just that, slowly. if limiting fat gain is a priority then getting much bigger and stronger can take quite a while.
ok, thats enough rambling on for now.
good luck</div>
Excellent reply bluejacket...exactly my point.
I am not large by any means, but I am heavy and strong enough now that I want to experience the whole lean, mean bruce lee/brad pitt thing (
at least once!) before I worry anymore about getting bigger. In other words, I want to cut down to 8% or so and see for myself how much muscle I am actually carrying. It is easy to eat like crazy, get big and fat while training and say, "I have 18" arms!" But that same guy goes on a diet to get lean, loses a ton of weight doing it and then realizes his arms were only 16" the whole time, with alot of fat on them.
And you are right bluejacket....we all have very individual goals, and nobody else can ultimately dictate what is right for another. I want to get into powerlifting and I have been talking to Steve Jones and others and unfortunately for a guy my height and weight to be a succesful powerlifter, it will involve ALOT of weight gain!
Before I become a huge, hulking (fat?) powerlifter I want to experience being a ripped, lean dude at least once in my life!