Six-Pack Question (Not That Kind)

[jyl]

Purely a theoretical question - what body fat % does a typical man have to be at, for distinct abbage (abdominals) to show? 5%? 10%?

[sc_rufctr]

I don't really know but 5% body fat is very low. I would guess somewhere around 10% for most men.
Women probably a lot less.

[Scott R]

12-14 for me.

[Oracle]

I just had my fitness assessment and I'm 30.3% Body Fat :-( and I'm not heavy or big.. I imagine if I was in the 10s I'd look probably sick.. I'd love to show the sick pack for the lady and hopefully one day (I'm far-far from that) but I suppose it's going to be hell and to keep the weight off is probably the worst..

Being fit and show muscle is tough love - The trainer at the gym

[jyl]

Just interesting to know that, at this rate, I'll have a six pack on my deathbed. Something to look forward too.

[Jim Bremner]

been down in the 12's

You also need to have the muscles!

[A930Rocket]

Why have a six pack, when you can have a keg?

It's a proud man that builds a shed over his tools. So drink away!

[red-beard]

beat me to it...

But I have a firkin...

[aigel]

I think it is abnormal that those muscles show definition. I have been extremely lean and mean in my college days competing in martial arts and there wasn't even a hint. You have to build those sixpacs specifically and then go on a special diet to make them come out.

That said, there is no reason you shouldn't be at low body fat.

George

[Schrup]

I disagree, I think it's body type. Most endurance athletes I've been around have defined abs, unless they're clydes. I doubt my body fat is under 15%, all I've been doing lately is a little running & watching my diet. I have abs until I get about 20lbs overweight. Unfortunately, I have no chest.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by Schrup

I disagree, I think it's body type. Most endurance athletes I've been around have defined abs, unless they're clydes. I doubt my body fat is under 15%, all I've been doing lately is a little running & watching my diet. I have abs until I get about 20lbs overweight. Unfortunately, I have no chest.

I wanted to elaborate on my post earlier but instead just said "for me it's..." But everyone is different, which I should have said. I know a guy that does nothing for his six pack, he says "it's the farm boy in me."

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by Schrup

I disagree, I think it's body type. Most endurance athletes I've been around have defined abs, unless they're clydes. I doubt my body fat is under 15%, all I've been doing lately is a little running & watching my diet. I have abs until I get about 20lbs overweight. Unfortunately, I have no chest.

I agree, I think you can never fully escape your genes.

I've been down to around 10. No gut or handles whatsoever at that %, of course, but not even a hint of 6 pack. My stomach looked sunk in on the sides, and you could see ribs, but no abs.

I have the opposite problem as you. No abs, but my chest gets bulky very quickly with moderate working out. Even if try to do no chest exercises, I still bulk up there from just about any upper body weight lifting.

[Geronimo '74]

1. Full house = Over or near 20% bodyfat with no visible muscle definition and only a hint of separation between major muscle groups if those groups are very large. Basically a person in this state could be confused for a football linebacker. If you're higher than this bodyfat percentage, you'd be considered overweight/obese.

2. Hard = Some muscle separation appears between delts and upper arm. Abs are still not visible. Approximately 15% bodyfat.


3. Cut = More muscle separation appears particularly in the chest and back, outline of the abs begins to appear slightly. Approximate bodyfat level = 12%

4. Defined = Muscle separations get deeper in the arms, chest, legs and back, and abs appear when flexed. Approx. bodyfat level = 10%

5. Ripped = Abs are clearly visible all the time, vascularity in arms is prominent, chest and back separation is obvious, and face is starting to appear more angular. Condition can be held indefinitely. Approximate bodyfat level = 7-9%

6. Shredded = Striations appear in large muscle groups when they are flexed. You look small in clothes, but look fantastic when you're not. Vascularity appears in lower abdomen and in the legs. Condition can be held for several days with careful dieting. Competitive bodybuilders often aim for this state for competition day. Approximate bodyfat level = 5-7%


7. Sliced = Muscles and tendons begin to appear in the face when chewing, striations appear everywhere and vascularity appears everywhere. Bodyfat levels are close to 3% and subcutaneous water levels are near 0. Condition can only be held for a few hours at a time. Not a healthy condition to stay in due to lower water level.

Examples with pictures here:
Examples of Bodyfat levels

This is no exact science though, it may vary from person to person.
But at +20%BF, you won't see any abs, it doesn't vary that much...

[Tobra]

I think a lot of it is genetics, that ectomorph, mesomorph endomorph thing

[widebody911]

0. Waffle House = USPS assigns you a ZIP code. Your can find yourself on Google Earth. Body fat approaches triple digits.

Originally Posted by Geronimo '74

1. Full house = Over or near 20% bodyfat with no visible muscle definition and only a hint of separation between major muscle groups if those groups are very large. Basically a person in this state could be confused for a football linebacker. If you're higher than this bodyfat percentage, you'd be considered overweight/obese.

2. Hard = Some muscle separation appears between delts and upper arm. Abs are still not visible. Approximately 15% bodyfat.


3. Cut = More muscle separation appears particularly in the chest and back, outline of the abs begins to appear slightly. Approximate bodyfat level = 12%

4. Defined = Muscle separations get deeper in the arms, chest, legs and back, and abs appear when flexed. Approx. bodyfat level = 10%

5. Ripped = Abs are clearly visible all the time, vascularity in arms is prominent, chest and back separation is obvious, and face is starting to appear more angular. Condition can be held indefinitely. Approximate bodyfat level = 7-9%

6. Shredded = Striations appear in large muscle groups when they are flexed. You look small in clothes, but look fantastic when you're not. Vascularity appears in lower abdomen and in the legs. Condition can be held for several days with careful dieting. Competitive bodybuilders often aim for this state for competition day. Approximate bodyfat level = 5-7%


7. Sliced = Muscles and tendons begin to appear in the face when chewing, striations appear everywhere and vascularity appears everywhere. Bodyfat levels are close to 3% and subcutaneous water levels are near 0. Condition can only be held for a few hours at a time. Not a healthy condition to stay in due to lower water level.

Examples with pictures here:
Examples of Bodyfat levels

This is no exact science though, it may vary from person to person.
But at +20%BF, you won't see any abs, it doesn't vary that much...

[OffCamber00]

Combination of low body fat and building the muscles to give them that separation and definition. Back when I dropped alot of weight, my stomach was flat, but not defined. Doing a few sets of abs every day following my workouts got them defined.

Now, although I am nowhere near as lean as I used to be, there are still remnants of my sixpack. More like a 4 pack

[flatbutt]

just remember that "round" is also a shape.

[Tervuren]

Almost fourty percent of United States Citizens are now obese, these of course are only round figures.

[sailchef]

Abs. I remember those! Somewhere around 1979.




At the time I was involved in just about every sport immaginable.

I ate whatever I wanted and drank like a fish.

Those were the days.

[aben8057]

I was at 14% and now at 12% they are starting to show slightly. My goal is to get at 10% and with proper nutrition I should be able to manage that. The key is diet, eating less calories while maintaining muscle mass. Make sure you have enough protien in order to prevent muscle loss, I use supplements to help with that process and so far it has been working. In addition, instead of the typical workout regiment...my workout consists of burning 500 calories on elliptical, tabata style training and 15 min ab workout. This program has been efficient as it takes about 1 hour from start to finish. The Tabata style training is tough however, the high intensity program not only leans you out but also helps with cardio....make sure you breath.

Some of my favorite abs workouts:
-V situps
-bicycle
-medicine ball twists for obliques
-crunches on pulley (go for high reps not high weight)


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