most attractive build: bulk vs. lean (with height factors)

[J-Man]

ive always been a little short. im only about 5'6 right now but should be around 5'8 once im done. i know my only limitations are the ones in my head. i know im perfectly capable of laying tons of women. the height is not the problem.

also, ive always been a little... out of shape. i decided i wanted to improve myself, etc. etc., and began eating and lifting more. ive gotten WAY bigger now. it has slowed down just like you guys said though.

anyway ive improved myself a lot now. you guys have helped me a lot and its coming along great. maybe ill take pictures to show my progress. now on to the hard part:

im not fat but i have a little fat roll on my sides and lower abs. my upper abs are completely visible though. it actually looks kind of weird, because i have big arms/shoulders/chest/upper abs along with a ****ty ass lower body build. im really not sure how to improve my lower abs. anyway ive been pondering:

the other day i was with some friends and i was wearing a reasonably tight shirt (something i like doing now ). a girl who was there talking to us basically said something like: "wow, do you work out?" awesome. people notice. i said yes and she immediately asked: "do you have a six-pack?"

i was at a female friends house today and she has a couple pictures of "hot" guys on her wall and computer desktop image (of course i teased her about it dont worry ). the thing about the pics that bothered me were their bodies.

it seems to me that women only care about skinny guys with their abs showing, and hardly at all about the size of their bicepts/chest/whatever.

also, could my (lack of) height be a factor here? too much mass on someone too short looks retarted ill admit, but i DO NOT want to look scrawny, which i will without any mass.

assuming im correct in my assumption about bulk vs. lean, im still not sure if i would change anything: am i changing my life for them or for me? as long as i look great in shirts and im funny/confident/etc. does it matter? (probably not)

my ideal is to look something like this http://muscleweb.com/michaellee/gallery/MLBL-08.jpg only a little bit shorter

this guy basically has both mass and definition, but he does steroids (he has muscle for a living people get real) and im sure has awesome genes. keeping my goals realistic i doubt ill ever get to where he is but who knows? anyway i brought him up because he seems to have both mass AND definition. to a normal guy, is his build possible? is it a little challenging or incredibly difficult? is there a ratio of bulk to lean that looks the best?

thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Julian]

Yeah dude i think when it comes down to it abs are key.

Girls just like them. Same reason nice round asses are key on a chick, guys just like them.

 

[Mikelo2k]

keeping my goals realistic i doubt ill ever get to where he is but who knows? anyway i brought him up because he seems to have both mass AND definition. to a normal guy, is his build possible? is it a little challenging or incredibly difficult? is there a ratio of bulk to lean that looks the best?

C'mon dude!! What kind of attitude is that? You can achieve anything your heart desires if you work hard enough at it!

Now, for the part regarding the flab on the lower abdominal region. I have read that in men the fat tends to build up the most around the lower abdominal region... this sux

First of all, spot reduction (working your abs over and over to get rid of the fat) doesnt work, at least not all in itself. Make sure you are dieting properly (1) and start doing alot of cardio (2).

(1) Proper diet allows you to gain lean body mass, rather than fat.
(2) Cardio is what is going to get you lean, and get rid of that nasty flab

Basically, try increasing the cardio to AT LEAST twice a week, preferrably even a daily jog, but make sure you break a nice sweat!

Adding on to this, make sure you are doing LEG RAISES and if possible hanging LEG RAISES\KNEE RAISES. These will focus mostly on your lower abdominal region. But remember, without cardio this wont do too much to the fat!

And about your height... AHAHAHAH LOSER! YOU ARE A SHORT LITTLE FAGGOT..... NO!!!!! Why would you even think that being built at your height looks 'retarded'? You are strong and healthy and thats all that matters. If some skinny faggot says you look 'retarded' just smash his face


Good luck with your lower abs and your workout program


Mikelo2k

 

[J-Man]

C'mon dude!! What kind of attitude is that? You can achieve anything your heart desires if you work hard enough at it!

i know im fully capable, but im not willing to spend THAT much time and effort on it. if its gonna control my life i would rather be ok looking and not model looking.

First of all, spot reduction (working your abs over and over to get rid of the fat) doesnt work, at least not all in itself. Make sure you are dieting properly (1) and start doing alot of cardio (2).

i used to do no cardio and many crunches a day and now i have my top abs really defined. isnt working for handles or lower abs though (i do laying and hanging leg raises).

ill do more cardio though and see if that helps.

 

[Mikelo2k]

More...

used to do no cardio and many crunches a day and now i have my top abs really defined. isnt working for handles or lower abs though (i do laying and hanging leg raises).

ill do more cardio though and see if that helps.

Hmmm, so you do laying and hanging leg raises eh... and cardio.... if you are doing both of those frequently, i'd say all thats left is to adjust your diet... watch calorie intake. This is sort of a pain in the ass, but it will benefit you greatly. Also make sure you dont drink beer (or much alcohol in general) in case you do

Cardio DEFINITELY should help you lose the fat dude, I cant see much else you could do exercise-wise.

Also, just a quick note, make sure you incorporate some form of oblique exercise into your workout such as Russian twists (should define the sides of abs and obliques nicely, in case you werent doing any of course).

Not much else I can say, maybe someone else will have some helpful pointers



Mikelo2k


P.S - What are 'handles'?

 

[J-Man]

love handles. those are the sides of the stomach that love to attract fat. ill try more cardio and calorie intake and hope it doesnt get in the way of my bulk increasement. thanks man

 

[prosemont]

Take a look at this guy as evidence that you can do almost anything when you put your mind to it:

http://www.twowiresthin.com/wl2003/

 

[madgame]

The reason why your lower abs aint looking too good is most likely because you still have a too high percentage of bodyfat. From what you told me..if people can tell u work out with your shirt on and stuff Id suggest your first goal should be to get a better definition, which you will only achieve by dieting. Get a proper diet. Stick to it for like 2 months and youll have lost like 8 lbs of fat (in case u do everything right...which usually nobody does ;-)) or a little less. (Read Diesels guide on cutting for example and google for some more information, so ull understand better what youre gonna do). Afterwards your abs should be more visible, maybe youll already have your sixpack then. Then u can go on with bulking up some more (if u wish to which u seem) and after a while u can cut down some more (if u wish too). Its really not thaaat hard if you`re willing to make a change and have discipline. The pic of the guy u showed for example. I mean he does have a good-looking body, but its not like u have to sleep in the gym to attain such a body. You dont even have to be on steroids or have great genetics to get there (though it would help of course). Im sure almost anybody could achieve such a look by working out like 4 times for 1 hour a week and EATING PROPERLY. The thing is that bulking up usually takes time and a lot of people give up cause they want results too fast. When it comes to getting the definiton, I think the main problem is that most people dont really know how to diet properly for definition (or dont have the discipline to do so).

However you should seperate the bulking and the cutting part, otherwise I bet u wont get far. (Thats y I suggested u started a cutting cycle for about 2 months now, maybe ull already be pretty satisfied afterwards ;-))

If ure rather small, I guess u said 5'8? I think it wouldnt look too good if u had too much muscle (I think tall guys can "get away" with putting on more bulk). However this doesnt mean u cant get a fine body. I think u realize that u shouldnt put on too much bulk though, so that shouldnt be a problem.
When u said girls seem to only like 6packs and not care about the size of your chest/arms/shoulders or whateva..let me tell u thats complete bull****. Of course most girls love a 6pack, but most girls also love strong arms and a firm chest ;-) I know this for a fact.

 

[xDjStylezx]

some very good info here and in the links provided within.always good to find other opinions and also links to more info.brain food

 

[jakethasnake]

J-man,


If you look like that at only 5'6", you're gonna look like a wrecking ball. But that's just my opinion - it's highly unattractive and asthetically displeasing. I much prefer the male model physique or the male fitness model physique. Ask guys here who have modelled like jbbrain, and they'll probably tell you likewise.


The body of that guy in the link (the one who went thru the transformation) is just about right for you, but perhaps with 10 pounds more muscle. But no more. You can still be incredibly strong and powerful without added bulk; look into powerlifting and powerbulding exercises. Good luck.

 

[California Love]

If you want to look like that guy, prepare to invest at least 6 years of pure dedication. His arms look about 17-18 and his chest is probably in the upper 50's.