Let's Start a Viking Belly Revolution

For the majority of the population, living with abs takes a boatload of work, or assistance, or just isn’t possible at all.  But I would argue that if you have to TRY to get abs, you probably shouldn’t have them for long(or at all).  You are probably the person who’s not ever going to be able to live with abs for any length of time.  I would also argue that constantly trying to get abs may be hurting you in a number of ways.  If you have abs all the time, maybe you should try losing them for a while just to see what happens.  I mean after all abs are like ghosts, vampires, and black…  they are SO 2009!  Let’s start a viking belly revolution!

Vikings were some strong, sexy beasts, but they didn’t run around with abs all the time.  I’m not saying we should fall to the apparent DadBod trend, but let’s not chase abs either.  Let’s strive to look a little more like Norwegian Strongman Ole Martin Hansen:

How many carbs do you eat Ole? “All the carbs!!”

And less like some dude named Stefan that’s in some freakin vampire show:

Viking Belly > Abs

Many factors are at play in determining how lean someone will be and/or can be in their life.  When I say that if you have to try to get abs you probably shouldn’t have them, what I really mean is that one or more of these factors are working against your efforts to get really lean.  Some of those factors are: genetics/epigentics, and metabolic compensation.  Let’s dive into the factors affecting lean-ness now!

I Was Born With Big Bones

The first thing to be said about genetics and lean-ness is body type.  If you were born an ectomorph you’re always closer to a 6-pack than someone born an endomorph.  If you were born an endomorph your life-long dream to have abs just may not ever come true (welcome to my world!).

Long and lean ectomorphs have to do a lot less work than endomorphs to get lean, and endomorphs are much more likely to harm their metabolism in the process.  When I say that if you have to try to get abs you probably shouldn’t have them, I was talking to you endomorphs!

After body types comes other genetic or epigenetic factors.  Scientists are finding all kinds of links between genes and obesity, weight gain, fat storage, etc.  Here’s just a few of the genetics at play in being fat:

• APOA2 gene
• Scientists found that people with the APOA2 gene who ate a diet high in saturated fat had a higher BMI than those without the gene who also ate a diet high in saturated fat.  Similar diets, but different results.
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19901143?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=1
• Mutations in MRAP2 gene
• Researchers found that mice with mutations of the MRAP2 gene gained more weight than mice without mutations, when fed the same number of calories.
• Further research determined the mechanism for the weight gain was that mice with the mutated MRAP2 were simply less efficient at mobilizing fatty acids.
• Researchers also found an association between a mutated MRAP2 and obesity in humans, but this needs further research.
• The FTO gene
• Research has shown that people with a mutated FTO gene have a harder time controlling appetite, because their grehlin level (one of the hunger hormones) doesn’t drop after eating the way it should.

These are just three examples of how genes can affect body fat levels.  Whether you’re born with these gene mutations (genetics) or these genes have expressed themselves in a certain way during your lifetime (epigenetics) remains to be seen, but either way there are factors at play that are bigger than just lifestyle.  In fact Dr. Joseph Majzoub, the chief of the division of endocrinology at Boston Children’s Hospital said: “thus far mutations in about eight genes are known to cause obesity in humans.”  This problem is clearly bigger than self control, or eat less-move more!  For more reading on this topic check out this article.

Is All That Dieting Killing Your Chance for Abs???

We’ve all been told for so long that it’s all about portion control and caloric limitation.  We’ve all been told that it’s about eating less and moving more.  And while creating a caloric deficit by eating less and/or moving more can definitely work in the short term, it can also cause a problem in the long term.  The body will respond to dieting by slowing the metabolism, and the slowdown can last weeks, months, and even years.  This is why eating less and exercising more isn’t a long term strategy.  The deeper you go down the eating less and exercising more rabbit hole, the bigger the metabolic compensation will be, and the longer it’s going to take you get out of that hole.  In fact, you may NEVER be able to undo the damage done by yo-yo dieting or by years of being obese.  

Every time you gain and lose a big chunk of weight, you damage your metabolism.  Every month you spend obese you damage your metabolism.  If you’ve gained and lost a significant amount of weight multiple times in your life (like myself), you might just have to kiss the dream of abz goodbye.  If you’ve spent years being obese (like myself), you might just have to live with a little bit of a spare tire forever.  For more on metabolic damage, check out this article.

As I said I have gained and lost big weight (50+ pounds) multiple times in my life, and the damage I’ve done may just mean I will never live with abs.  I did (kinda) have abs once for about 24 hours, and boy did I have to go to a dark place to get them.  This picture was taken the morning of a weigh in, at the end of the biggest weight cut of my life.  I have no idea what my bodyfat level was here, but I know I was almost dead.  I cut 40 or so pounds for this meet, including about 25 pounds of water in the final week, and the morning this picture was taken I could barely lift a suitcase into the car without getting sick.  I made weight for the meet, and got the qualifying total I needed, but what kind of long term damage did I do in the process?  I don’t know if I’ll ever have abs again, but maybe I shouldn’t even be striving for those abs anyway…

Because GAINZ bro!

The thing about always chasing abs, is that by always dieting and/or doing endless cardio, you are limiting your potential for gainz in the gym.  The best gains in muscle mass and strength come in the overfed state, because being overfed and well rested puts us in the optimal hormonal state for gainz.  If you’ve been underfed for a while, you owe it to yourself to see what happens when you do an entire training block at or slightly above your maintenance calories.  Eating more promotes recovery, and fuels your workouts, which both allow you to have better workouts.  String a bunch of good workouts together, and you have a cycle that produces great results.  

Official shout out to Kayla "Slayla" @KAYLAJAM017 who's an ectomorph trying to gain weight right now, and setting pr's by the dozen!  Ask her what happens when someone who always has abs tries to lose them for a while, or read her recent blog on the topic.

It turns out that eating around your maintenance calories may be your opportunity to get gainz, and abz.  You see our best hormone profile will be with optimum body fat levels.  Not too much, not too little.  If you’ve been training in the underfed state for a long time, you may be seriously limiting your gains in strength and hypertrophy.  You may also be causing your metabolism to slow (as we discussed earlier), thereby causing bodyfat storage.  If you eat to fuel your workouts you’ll have better workouts and more gainz, but you also will start the process of fixing your metabolism.  Fixing the metabolism is the only way for someone who has to TRY to get abs, to actually do it, but it takes time.  The upshot is that while you’re fixing your metabolism, you can be reaping the rewards in the gym.  And maybe, just maybe, once that metabolism is fixed, the abs will come when you want them to (beach season?).  Let’s start a Viking belly revolution because if we eat, the gainz will come!

Because Eating!!

I feel like I shouldn’t even have to make this final point, but I’ll do so anyway…  I’m all for a disciplined approach to nutrition for performance, but I’m also all about ice cream!  Eating is fun!  Being in an underfed state is torturous…  I love to eat!  Don’t you!?!

Growing your Viking belly means you can have that post-workout ice cream, or nachos once in a while.  It means you can look at food as fuel, and as fun!  It means that you don’t have to feel hungry all the time, and it certainly means you don’t have to avoid the carbs all the time.  Look, we're meant to enjoy everything we eat!  So, quit fussing over calories so much!  Enjoy the food that goes in your mouth and never go hungry!  Sounds pretty good right!?!?  Let’s start a Viking belly revolution because eating!


What are you waiting for!?!?

Get out there and get eating people!  If you’ve been chasing abz forever, try dipping your toes in the over-ed state (or at least maintenance) and see what happens.  You may just be fighting an uphill battle that you can’t win, and damaging your body in the process.  Try something new and eat for a while.  It just may allow you to realize the gainz you’ve been waiting for, and you can go back to enjoying some treats here and there without the guilt.  Besides on the way to the gain-train you just might find yourself with a super-sexy Viking belly!  Abs are SO 2009, and Viking belly’s are what’s cool today!  Let’s start a Viking belly revolution!