I want to have a six pack but I absolutely hate cardio. And, I already do 4 hours of martial arts every week. Is it possible to get a single digit body fat % without cardio?
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2What kind of martial arts? In my experience boxing gives you a significant cardio workout. – Doug B Aug 24 '15 at 11:29
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How can you hate cardio but do martial arts? About the first 15 mins of your martial arts training is devoted to running, jumping, warming up, etc....... *essentially cardio* :-P – Kneel-Before-ZOD Aug 24 '15 at 13:00
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I do Krav Maga. I hate doing cardio at home, running in the treadmill and i don't have time to run everyday. I would rather just stick to a good diet and get my six pack – Freedo Aug 24 '15 at 18:30
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My point was that *you're already performing cardio* (because of your 4 hr martial arts training). So, you don't necessarily need to perform other cardio. That being said, while it's technically possible to obtain abs with just good diet, you're probably unlikely to find anyone with a six pack who achieved it with just diet alone. Lastly, cardio goes beyond running. One word: *plyometrics.* – Kneel-Before-ZOD Aug 25 '15 at 02:21
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I want to have a six pack but I absolutely hate cardio.
There’s a lot more that goes into achieving “six pack” abs than just doing cardio. Genetics, diet, and training consistency play a big role. If you do not have the genetic propensity for a six pack, you can certainly improve on what you do have by mixing cardio with strength training.
First, there’s no magic routine or set of exercises to achieve a six pack. Tons of crunches won’t suddenly give you that look. You’ve got to be willing to put in the time to exercise consistently and eat a healthy lean (and clean) diet. Great abs typically require a ton of discipline, and, lots of hard work over a period of time.
Most people tend to perform exercises that target the rectus abdominus only. Granted, those are the prominent six pack ab muscles, but, ignoring the external obliques, serratus, and lower abs will make for an imbalanced physique.
Lastly, I think you’re overlooking the extra benefit that cardio provides beyond potentially obtaining six pack abs. Cardio will certainly strengthen your heart and assist you in living a much better life while maintaining an appropriate body weight.
My vote is to do cardio regardless of the “six pack” ab appeal.
rrirower
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Awesome reply. Question though: what do you mean by *genetic propensity for a six pack?* Are you saying that some can have it and others can't (even with a low body fat)? – Kneel-Before-ZOD Aug 24 '15 at 15:04
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Exactly. While stripping body fat will showcase the abs to a degree, there's no guarantee that you'll have a six pack simply because you've lost subcutaneous fat. You've still got to spend the time to build the abs (like any other body part) and rely on genetics. Having said that, there are some people that don't have to work as hard for great abs (or some other body part). Those people are "blessed" with good genetics. They just put their hands on weights and grow. It real comes down to one's definition of "six pack". – rrirower Aug 24 '15 at 15:12
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As you rightly said, everyone with low body fat will have an abs. Not everyone's abs will look sexy though. Some people's abs look great (well-defined ridges) while on others, the left and right halves don't seem to align properly. :) – Kneel-Before-ZOD Aug 24 '15 at 15:54
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@rriworer Does that explain why my chest has always been ripped even before I began weight training? And does this explain that even with cutting calories, cardio, eating healthy, and lifting weights my abs will get kind of defined but I still never have had a really defined six pack with actually lines running across it? – Rob Sterach Aug 26 '15 at 00:05
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Yes, losing fat is about taking in fewer calories than you burn while giving your body signals about keeping muscle (lifting weights) and maintaining protein intake.
Mårten
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2Not saying otherwise, but why do bodybuilders do cardio then (when eating less is easier)? – joao Aug 24 '15 at 10:35
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1I wouldn't completely agree with your answer (not encourage anyone to ignore cardio). There's an immense benefit to cardio which transcends weight loss. – Kneel-Before-ZOD Aug 24 '15 at 13:01
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joao, probably because they feel that adding cardio feels better, cardio surpresses appetite and increases your daily calorie budget, but the question was wether it is possible to achieve low body fat without it, and it certainly is, everyone is different. Kneel-Before-ZOD, if I understand you correctly, you're pointing out that there are many other benefits to cardio, and there certainly are! But they are not relevant to the question. – Mårten Aug 24 '15 at 13:23
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They are relevant to the question; simply answering the question about skipping cardio reinforces the concept that it's good to skip cardio simply because one hates it That benefits no one....especially the OP. – Kneel-Before-ZOD Aug 24 '15 at 15:02
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1@Kneel-Before-ZOD, while its true that cardio is important, the most important factor to achieve a low body fat percentage is still your caloric intake. With that, since OP does martial arts, one can assume that they did some form of cardio, be it through sparring, practicing the form, some kind of aerobic and anaerobic exercise and body weight exercises. Hence, technically speaking, OP is not skipping cardio. – Aizul Aug 25 '15 at 02:06
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As long as you are in a caloric deficit, you will lose weight no matter what your current body fat % is. How much of that weight is fat and how much muscle will depend on your training, caloric deficit and current body fat %.
Cardio is absolutely not needed to lose fat or reach a very low body fat %. It simply makes it easier, since most people enjoy eating and staying in a caloric deficit for a very long time just by eating less could be pretty frustrating. Besides, it can be a very healthy thing to do (up to a certain extent).
erictrigo
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It is possible to get a low body fat percentage without cardio, just harder. In the case without cardio, diet is the number one factor for fat loss(or actually, with cardio, too). In order to get low body fat % with no cardio, you must make sure to increase your protein intake and make sure your fat intake is about 40% less than your protein intake. So if you're eating 100 g of protein, eat 60 g fat. You should also restrict calories but not so far as to where you lose muscles. Weight training, calisthenics, or team sports may be goods ideas for you to approach if you don't want to do cardio, but since you're already doing martial arts, diet is still going to be the most important factor here.
Rob Sterach
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