I've been going to the gym for about a year now, and i'm much bigger than i was.

When i'm at the gym, i focus on sets in the 6-8 rep range as i'm told this increases muscle size..

I'm now at the stage where i'm fairly big. I'm 6 foot 3, but i'm not lanky, and my upper body is fairly big. My problem is, i've been training my abs for a good amount of months now, but still can't see them, even when i tense.

I wouldn't say i'm fat, very chubby even, but i've come to a point where i'm wondering if i should be doing some cardio on top of training my abs, just to define them. Thing i'm worried about is, will that take off fat in areas where it kind of compliments my muscle? e.g arms, and make them look less full? And i'm told that it's faster to turn 'fat into muscle' so would cardio make my muscle growth slow down because i'm no longer turning fat into muscle, i'm just building it?

To clarify, i'm not AT ALL big boned/chubby/that sort of build- my build is athletic, and before i started weight training i was pretty skinny/lanky.

Turning fat into muscle is just an expression. Since it's two different kinds of bodily tissue, you won't be turning fat into muscle. You may gain muscle, and you may lose fat, but you will not turn fat into muscle or muscle into fat.

I'm not in quite as good of shape as you are, I'm assuming, but I've dropped a lot of fat recently, and so I can tell you that the best way to go about it is to focus on cutting out anything that'll cause you to gain weight and eat a lot of negative calories. (If you google "Negative Calorie Food List" you'll find some good stuff.) Eating these'll burn more calories than they give you while still giving you the good nutrients. My diet usually consists of some protein, like chicken or a protein shake, something negative, and something filling, like SPAM or rice.

As far as drinks go, I'd recommend tea or coffee, (No added sugars) and just water.

You can't spot reduce fat. Your body puts fat where it wants and takes it off where it wants, working out your abs isn't going to do anything about the layer of fat sitting on them.

Your body fat is probably higher than you think it is, but also you probably have the misfortune of needing a really low and difficult to maintain body fat percentage for your abs to show.

I wouldn't advise doing lots of cardio if you want to be big, but it will reduce your body fat effectively over time. I'd suggest that you don't worry about the abs anyway, since nobody can see them most of the time. Big shoulders and a big back are visible no matter what you're wearing pretty much.

If you really want the abs, a strict diet and intense lifting will pretty much get you there in time and let you keep most of your muscle mass.

Thanks guys. I'll be concentrating on my diet more now then, of course maintaining lifting. The negative calorie thing looks interesting- seems to me as if it's a way of filling yourself up healthily so that there's no need for the 'snacks'.

Regarding protein shakes- i've been wondering about them for a while. Which type would you recommend? Whey?

_________________
-Neil

I'm a fan of Whey. I get unflavored whey for way cheap, and it kinda tastes like ass by itself, but some good brands are Oh Yeah! brand protein drinks, and Muscle Milk. They're both a little pricy, but if you're willing to pay a bit extra for something that you'll enjoy drinking, then do it. Costco and Sam's Club have decent protein powders for reasonable price.

Yep you need very lower body fat percentage to see 6 pack. You could go the gym route carefully manage your diet, take protein shakes, restrict alcohol intake, cardio and devise a sophisticated weights regime. Or do something fun like rock climbing or surfing