Obliquus externus abdominis

ps - I think you train that muscle by hanging onto something and lifting legs with weights on your feet but I'm not sure - just seen a guy with an amazing abdomen do that a lot at my gym.

You're a genius. Thanks, dabitch! That's exactly the right exercise.

neat, so drooling over guys at the gym finally pays off! ;P

Fitness is a communist plot.

nu-uh, it's a genius scheme to rip people like me from cash on a monthly basis, as I signed up for a year to a gym where they have a kiddie-room but she won't let me leave the room for even a second to actually do my work-out. So I pay decent money just to watch some dudes gyrate and lift heavy stuff to the sound of upbeat euro-techno through the glass-wall that separates the gym from the kiddie-room. Which is a lot like a strip-club except that they don't serve beer.

Then it's a capitalist plot. I say we form a Resistance. We'll sit on the couch eating Twinkies, smoking unfiltered cigarettes and guzzling whiskey. And we'll outlive all those gym gerbils. That'll teach 'em.

It's often referred to as an "Adonis Belt". How you get one? Not so sure.

Why would you want to develop something that looks like love handles?

In Photoshop, you can use the marquee tool to select part of an image and then copy it. If you want to use that to start a new image, select File, New and accept the default settings - a new file will be created the same size as the copied portion. Disclaimer - I am no kind of expert and have found these things out by trial and error, mostly error, so there may be a better way.

I didn't even know that muscle existed until I saw that one D'Angelo video that's just him singing naked and...oh my, yes. That is a mighty fine muscle to develop.

So I pay decent money just to watch some dudes gyrate and lift heavy stuff to the sound of upbeat euro-techno through the glass-wall that separates the gym from the kiddie-room. Which is a lot like a strip-club except that they don't serve beer.

If this arrangement isn't working for you, you could always build a home gym. Or maybe get yourself a kettlebell. You can do a shitload of workouts with a single kettlebell in the privacy of your own home and skip the gym charges. I am thinking of going this route myself because my gym has gotten on my last nerve and I will be giving them 30 day's notice in a few days.

Now . . . on the topic of abdominal definition:

Iconomy, if your son wants defined abdominal muscles, either obliques or the classic "six pack", he's going to need a body fat percentage south of 10%. If he's young and he has the right genetics, he might have a good shot at that. But just doing abdominal work alone isn't going to get you D'Angelo-esque abs. The idea of "spot reduction" is a myth. You can work your lower abdominal muscles until they can deflect a speeding bullet but if you have a body fat percentage like mine (and let's just say that it's somewhere well north of 10%), you aren't going to look like those photos.

Muscles are the male equivalent of unnatural thinnes in females. It's an unrealistic body image that people do incredibly stupid shit in pursuit of.

Hey, I have those, and I got them by eating too much and sitting around a lot. I didn't even know I was working out!

Thanks jason's_planet - I knew you would know something about this. I know he has no idea what his body fat percentage is, but he does seem to be blessed with good genes - tall and slim and with and long lean swimmers muscles. When he puts his mind to something he usually gets good results! So how's your progress coming along? I started doing a couple of the things from the crossfit site and my butt looks really good all of a sudden!

Ok, jonmc - I get it. You don't go to the gym and everyone who does is an unrealistic, unnatural, communistic gerbil who does incredibly stupid shit. See, I read all of your comments. Are you happy now? I don't care what you think. My son asked me a question and I'm trying to find out some answers here.

goatdog... ;P

iconomy, we spend a lot of time around here decrying this stuff when it comes to young women, right? Just saying.

iconomy, we spend a lot of time around here decrying this stuff when it comes to young women, right? Just saying.

Jon, dude, you know I love you, but your policing of the self-improvement threads is getting a little old. Yes, people get unrealistic messages about self-image from the media and all that, but you don't have to smack down every thread that mentions workouts because of it. Smack down the ones that need it, not the ones where a teenager is asking for a workout tip via his mom.

I know. I'm sorry. I'm just cranky, anxiety-ridden and drunk. Disregard me.

I have that shape too, goatdog, but only when I'm sitting down. When I stand up, that section of muscle moves around to the front of my stomach to provide protection from frontal impact, kind of like an airbag, only filled with fat for better absorption of shock.

jonmc, "muscles" in males are not the equivalent of unnatural thinness in females at all - good musculature is the result of good diet and a reasonable exercise regime. Excessive muscles as seen in some body-builder types may be an example of what you refer to, but many many "normal" people have good muscle definition.

A male with well-defined musculature is no more abnormal than a skinny, pale body in a male. We all have different body shapes and yours is by no means the benchmark of normal. Stop trying to measure everyone in the world based on your own standards.

I know. I'm sorry. I'm just cranky, anxiety-ridden and drunk.

Well, I'm one of those three... %) HUG! And g'nite.

*mushes around in there*

Hey, I think I have one!

Thanks jason's_planet - I knew you would know something about this.

Oh, you're welcome, iconomy. Anytime!

he does seem to be blessed with good genes - tall and slim and with and long lean swimmers muscles. When he puts his mind to something he usually gets good results!

OK. He's got a good genetic profile and he's got a can-do attitude. Go for it, young man!

So how's your progress coming along?

I'm doing OK. I'm on workout hiatus right now; I checked out a couple of possible alternatives over the weekend and might just be going the kettlebell route that chewatadistance mentioned a couple of days ago.

I started doing a couple of the things from the crossfit site and my butt looks really good all of a sudden!

Awesome! Maybe I should start doing crossfit myself, after all the time I've spent promoting them ;)

:) I really like my kettlebell so far. it's actually fun to use - dumbbells were just kind of like an obligation. I'm trying to find a local trainer but not having much luck. No one around here has even heard of them. I bet you can find some classes in NY, j_p.

All this reminds me that my people are meant to shoe horses and carry hods, not sit at a desk. Lo, how I sigh for the open air, the rain, the wind staining the sweat to my face, the logs I carry dug into my back; I'm more ox than man! To fight, to flee, to shelter, feed and clothe: that's the stuff; what life is this, dripping away until my ergonomic desk chair makes a Grimmis of me, this when I was made to shoe horses? And carry hods? And organize unions? And foment revolution? To die on the gallows with defiance on my curling tongue, ah, to live yet!

Can I just say from a kinda professional point of view (anatomist) that many men TEAR a hole in their inguinal canal trying to look like this. As in A piece of your intestine protrudes through the muscle tear that can be caused by trying too hard at this particular toning technique, said intestinal loop gets trappde by the weakness in the muscle wall and putrufies. Just saying!