Hey Fitness Community,

I'm a very healthy young man (17 years old, 6' 3" 185 lbs.) but I'm looking to get a little more cut and defined in a few areas. I feel as though I'm "healthy," but I really want to stand out from the other guys. I also want to feel more comfortable with my body around my girlfriend. I'm not overweight, by no means, but I have no definition in my stomach. I want to be able to take my shirt off and really impress her, or anyone else for that matter.

I don't want to get huge or lose a lot of weight, I just want to go that little extra step to go from "average" to "impressive."

My main goals are this:
- Great abdominal definition
- Descent pecks, biceps, and shoulders

I'd like a body not unlike a young model or a healthy surfer at the beach. I don't have time to devote to chart organization or expensive training equipment. I've already begun running 5 days a week. I think that will help me get more cut in the abs sooner. What type of ab workouts should I be doing? I also have a pretty nice free-weight system that adjusts anywhere from 10 to 50 lbs.

Do any of you fitness veterans have any suggestions?

Kind regards,
Timothy Harden

I like your honesty. Even if your only training for vanity.

strength training will raise your metabolism and help you loose weight.

Make sure your working all your muscles evenly, i.e. your back as well as your abs.
It sounds like you would benifit from some sort of circuit training. the sort you find every week in mens fitness.

But ultimatly what your looking for is somthing you have to dedicate your self to and will not come without lots of hard work, time and most importantly, some reading!
If you do choose to take on the task then you'll want to gain some lean muscle mass and not worry about putting on a little extra fat. then about 3 months b4 next summer start loosing all the extra weight you put on.

Dont worry about this year, just try and get yourself ready for next year.

If you're wanting to get more defined, you will need to look into decreasing your body fat. So a lot of cardio and healthy eating, you will need to be strict on yourself..., also some weight training will help develope your muscles a little more.

if you don't have time to dedicate to micro-managing your routines..... diet, diet, diet! trainer01 nailed it with "healthy eating". well balanced meal plan with MUCHO PROTEIN! eating right should be what you devote most of your time and energy to... and its arguably the hardest thing to stay on track with. stay disciplined and i think you'll find that once you change your eating habits you'll naturally devote more time to the gym and routine management. there are plenty of great weight routines published on the internet by professionals. snoop around and you'll find everything you need to get the results you're shooting for. sounds like you're already doing great with cardio... although if you start lifting regularly you can probably even cut back on running a little.

good luck!

I really wanted a six pack for a while, and I got pretty close. From my experience, I would really recommend drinking a lot of water, running at least 3 miles a day and eating very very lightly.

Honestly man. I pay 10 dollars a month for Planet Fitness so don't worry about cost. You're abs are muscle too so you'll need to work them to be more "defined". Pardon, you'll need to loose body fat . That's most important for your goal. If I were you, I'd hit the gym with a full body workout 3 times a week for one hour each session(short, intense, and sweet). For shoulders you can do military press, for abs and back think about deadlifts and rows, and throw some squats in. I wouldn't even worry about isolation until your gains slow. You'll burn much more fat if you have some muscle(we're not talking ronnie coleman big) and I think your girlfriend would feel a little safer knowing you're packin some guns anyways.

You need to check out "Starting Strength". Working your mirro muscles is fine for some throw ins AFTER you have done a good solid routine of Full body compound moves. IF you want your upper body to grow you need to be doing big moves like squats and deads. The larger the muscle group you work in a lift the more growth hormone that is released. Forget about direct ab work instead do core work. Wood choppers, Bridges and planks. An adjustable set of weights from 10 to 50lbs? How is that free weights? Anyway.....That is not going to last you long at your size. Can you join a gym? If not check out "Death by Bodyweight".
Don't just run, do sprints. HIIT.

Diet. Clean it up and eat veggies. No matter how much you are eating now, eat more veggies.