Why can't I lose my belly and get a 6 pack

haha

Running will never give you a six pack. If you have a belly then you're eating the wrong things, simple as. Reduce the carbs, up the protein and do more weights than running.

if you're fit, why do you need the disco muscles? You have to be lucky with genes, and do specific targetted stuff mixed with weights, not to mention quite extreme diet. It  all becomes a bit of a battle for vanity.

Just be happy you sound quite fit, and healthy as it is.

In what way can genetics prevent anyone having visible defined abs?

Personally I couldn't give a monkeys about weights and how I look, but scientifically I believe anyone with the correct diet and workout can achieve a six pack and have seen nothing to say otherwise.

Eat less and exercise more. Do more sit ups. Those muscles are there somewhere.

the guys you see on the front of the mens health mags (or whatever other mags feature models with six packs) have been startved for a few days before the photo shoot. in addition to hitting the gym A LOT to develop their abdominal muscles, they need to shift the blubber covering it so you can see it.

compare how a boxer looks midway during training with how he looks at weigh-in, when he's starved to squeeze into the weight category. They'll then gorge on carbs for the next 24 hours or so to get energy (and a couple pounds in weight) for the fight.

doesn't matter how developed the muscles are if you've got even a little bit of fat covering it, then it won't look as defined as the models on the mags do. They go through cycles of building and cutting (where they hugely reduce their carb intake). during the cutting they're not particularly strong because they've got no energy, the carb reduction means they lose a load of retained water, and look really trim, but it's not a very functional state to be in.

as mentioned above, there's also genetics to consider, if the frame you inherited is just not naturally lean it'll be difficult to look cut. You can do it, but you'll be swimming upstream.

The models on the mag covers are close to collapsing due to dehydration.

RicF wrote (see)

The models on the mag covers are close to collapsing due to dehydration.

++ what he said.

AgentGinger: Only dead fish swim downstream

What they said. I'm about your build but only about 58 kg. Even then I don't quite see a six-pack but I would if I spent a load of training-time specific to that area. I choose not to, since it's easier to keep my shirt on and spend the time running instead The closest it comes is with running intensively over a long period - strangely enough it's after interval sessions that I feel muscles in this area have been worked out.

It could be water retention from not drinking enough while you train.

More likely it's like most runners he eats a fair few carbs, which is the last thing you want to be shoving down your throat if you want to be "buff".

I'm sure weight lifting forums would be laughing at the runners here suggestions too. They tend to think of us as crazy with our "toxic grain" high carb diets and obsession with endurance. I've seen a few guys get in muscular shape quickly and none of them starve to do it. They went paleo. High protein, full fat and low carb diet. They changed to that way of eating and stuck with it. That along with three/four one hour intensive weight workouts a week and they transformed from skinny with no definition to muscular all over. One lad also went from what must have been close to obese to well defined muscular too. None of them took any longer than three months to see dramatic changes.

If body shape is your concern. Then running isn't the exercise that is best to it. If your goal is a muscular toned body then you'll need to work a weights regime into your weekly life.

or get one of these

Eggyh73 wrote (see)

More likely it's like most runners he eats a fair few carbs, which is the last thing you want to be shoving down your throat if you want to be "buff".

I'm sure weight lifting forums would be laughing at the runners here suggestions too. They tend to think of us as crazy with our "toxic grain" high carb diets and obsession with endurance. I've seen a few guys get in muscular shape quickly and none of them starve to do it. They went paleo. High protein, full fat and low carb diet. They changed to that way of eating and stuck with it. That along with three/four one hour intensive weight workouts a week and they transformed from skinny with no definition to muscular all over. One lad also went from what must have been close to obese to well defined muscular too. None of them took any longer than three months to see dramatic changes.

If body shape is your concern. Then running isn't the exercise that is best to it. If your goal is a muscular toned body then you'll need to work a weights regime into your weekly life.

All well and good but could they run the length of themselves?

my husband went paleo for about 4 weeks - which in combination with his ironman training meant practically instant 6 -pack. No weight lifting required, just very low body fat %age.

But he is a genetic rfreak has looked like a body builder throughout all his sloth-like wage-slave years. I seriously doubt many folks could get his muscle definition without a heck of a lot of weights.

He has now been back on semi-normal food for several months and fabulously the 6-pack has remained.  I am very jealous.

Still a very high amount of veg and lean protein in his diet though and much lower %age of carbs than the average endurance athlete.