Body Fat Percentage for my abs to show?

[lecm]

hi everyone i just need to gain abit of advice from you pros really ive been working out for a while now and well i am looking better then i have ever looked (dont laugh i no i dont look good but its the best i have been)so of course am happy but now i want to take it to the next level but ive seemed to of stoped growing my arms aint gained any more size for ages which is disheartening and well i really want to get my abs to show so asking really what body fat do you think i am at and what percentage do i need to be at for them to look good it may seem a silly question but ive been running 30 mins a day 5 times a week and do a split rouite in the week and my diet is clean"ish"

so if you was me what would you do to reach my goals 1)build more muscle mass,2)get ripped abs thats it really so if you could help a young guy out would be great thanks

[Shepherd1125]

hi everyone i just need to gain abit of advice from you pros really ive been working out for a while now and well i am looking better then i have ever looked (dont laugh i no i dont look good but its the best i have been)so of course am happy but now i want to take it to the next level but ive seemed to of stoped growing my arms aint gained any more size for ages which is disheartening and well i really want to get my abs to show so asking really what body fat do you think i am at and what percentage do i need to be at for them to look good it may seem a silly question but ive been running 30 mins a day 5 times a week and do a split rouite in the week and my diet is clean"ish"

so if you was me what would you do to reach my goals 1)build more muscle mass,2)get ripped abs thats it really so if you could help a young guy out would be great thanks

ur about 15-16% BF, need to drop to around 10% to see those abs.

TBH, I think you lack some serious mass, u will look very skinny and weak when u go sub 10% even when u have abs.

It's not about the abs, it's the overall look. Bulk up first, gain some muscle mass, esp on the shoulders, back, chest AND legs, and then cut to a low BF%.

[lecm]

ur about 15-16% BF, need to drop to around 10% to see those abs.

TBH, I think you lack some serious mass, u will look very skinny and weak when u go sub 10% even when u have abs.

It's not about the abs, it's the overall look. Bulk up first, gain some muscle mass, esp on the shoulders, back, chest AND legs, and then cut to a low BF%.

thanks man i no i no i was a bit of a fat kid so i just wanted to drop fat(and have all ways wanted a six pack) and only started weight training awhile ago so its all new to me but yes i need to add a lot of mass so... bulkin up any tips you have be gd i guess lots of protein lift heavy

[Chargr]

I have almost the same build as you, I've been trying to find ways to gain more fat/muscle on my arms too.

What's your Height/Weight Op?

[Shepherd1125]

thanks man i no i no i was a bit of a fat kid so i just wanted to drop fat(and have all ways wanted a six pack) and only started weight training awhile ago so its all new to me but yes i need to add a lot of mass so... bulkin up any tips you have be gd i guess lots of protein lift heavy

at this point, it's either way.

you can cut all the way down to sub 10%, and clean bulk slowly, or u can bulk up till near 20% and cut all the way down.

in ur situation, I would cut all the way down, since u want ur abs bad. If that's the case, make sure u wear fitted clothes.

[lecm]

I have almost the same build as you, I've been trying to find ways to gain more fat/muscle on my arms too.

What's your Height/Weight Op?

i reckon bout 5' 9" n 154 pounds(11 stones)or there abouts lol and i have a small frame i no i will never naturally be super massive but i am not going for that look just toned and ripped

[lecm]

at this point, it's either way.

you can cut all the way down to sub 10%, and clean bulk slowly, or u can bulk up till near 20% and cut all the way down.

in ur situation, I would cut all the way down, since u want ur abs bad. If that's the case, make sure u wear fitted clothes.

ahaha thanks bud and yer i think i just have wanted theses abs for many years so ill probably get them first then work my way up again thanks bud

[Archangelclk]

ahaha thanks bud and yer i think i just have wanted theses abs for many years so ill probably get them first then work my way up again thanks bud

I think you can bulk up a bit and you will real good with abs. are you eating right and training hard?

[lecm]

I think you can bulk up a bit and you will real good with abs. are you eating right and training hard?

i believe so i am a bit of a newbie really so just trying my best i also dont train at a gym i only can train at home don't really have money for gym and well think i can do it all for free anyways below is my workout takes about hour and half and try to do 4 sets of 10 of each exercise but last set usually can only do about 6 (when i can do 10 on the lastset i add more weight)

mon-back and biceps-pull ups,dumbbell rows,push ups---bicep curls,hammer curls,twist curls
tue-shoulders and abs-over head press,upright rows,lateral raise,Front Lateral Raises---crunchs,plank,sit ups,v sits,hanging leg raise
thur-legs-deadlifts,squats,calf raisers
fri-chest and triceps-bench press,incline dumbbell press,dumbbell flies---skull crushers,dumbell kick backs,behind the head extensions,dips

i keep good form and try to add more weight as i can my cardio workout below

mon-run in the morning for 40 mins
tue-bike in the morning for an hour
wes-same as monday
thur-same as tuesday
fri-same as monday
sat-same as monday
sun-rest(dont mean i stay in bed ill take dog for a walk or something)

when i get bit better body ill start going swimming 3 times a week to my diet is cleanish my down side is drinking at the weekends i guess then the nest day to lazy to move so eat junk lol so am stopping that for awhile so do you think with that plan i could get my 6 pack but yet still gain muscle any tips you have is great like i said am new to this so please help me out thanks

[musmar]

A simple body fat rating scale is the following but it depends from person to person.

WOMEN:
Competition Shape ("ripped"): 8-12%
Very Lean (excellent): < 15%
Lean (good): 16-20%
Satisfactory (fair): 21-25%
Improvement needed (poor): 26-30%
Major improvement needed (Very poor): 31-40%+

MEN:
Competition Shape ("ripped"): 3-6%
Very Lean (excellent): < 9%
Lean (good): 10-14%
Satisfactory (fair): 15-19%
Improvement needed (poor): 20-25%
Major improvement needed (Very poor): 26-30%+

(source: http://www.amazingabdominals.com/bod...-see-abs.shtml)

[DanielPlante123]

thanks man i no i no i was a bit of a fat kid so i just wanted to drop fat(and have all ways wanted a six pack) and only started weight training awhile ago so its all new to me but yes i need to add a lot of mass so... bulkin up any tips you have be gd i guess lots of protein lift heavy

I was an obese kid aswell ( my picture is out dated on my account just for the record) This week alone i went from 157 lbs to 149.2lbs, Yet i didn't lose an ounce of muscle mass. What you should give a try is Conjugated linolic Acid ( CLA) It helps reduce body fat around the stomach area, it works wonders. Eat every 3 hours especially protein. Drink a large 8oz glass of water ( ice cold ) every meal and especially in the morning.and cut out all unnatural sugar. cut out sweets, bad fats, fast food etc. And do a good hardcore hour or two of cardio everyday ( i prefer biking, it burns good calories but didn't effect my mass gain since it was at an intermediate rate.

[OneMA2011]

I was an obese kid aswell ( my picture is out dated on my account just for the record) This week alone i went from 157 lbs to 149.2lbs, Yet i didn't lose an ounce of muscle mass. What you should give a try is Conjugated linolic Acid ( CLA) It helps reduce body fat around the stomach area, it works wonders. Eat every 3 hours especially protein. Drink a large 8oz glass of water ( ice cold ) every meal and especially in the morning.and cut out all unnatural sugar. cut out sweets, bad fats, fast food etc. And do a good hardcore hour or two of cardio everyday ( i prefer biking, it burns good calories but didn't effect my mass gain since it was at an intermediate rate.

I can tell you with 200% accuracy that you didn't lose 8lbs in a week naturally. If you actually lost that much weight it'll be water weight and at most 1-2lbs of fat.

[yagmur85]

i have been working to have abs since 2 years but they r not very obvious.i am doing 400 abs work out and 25 minutes high intense workout 3 times a week i guess thats not enough or what?? AT what BODY FAT PERCENTAGE my abs will show themselves (((((((((((((((

[ravenhall]

i have been working to have abs since 2 years but they r not very obvious.i am doing 400 abs work out and 25 minutes high intense workout 3 times a week i guess thats not enough or what?? AT what BODY FAT PERCENTAGE my abs will show themselves (((((((((((((((

If you're not seeing the results you want, then you aren't on track with your diet. Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. Try fitday.com or any other site that lets you track your meals and honestly track *everything* you put in your mouth for a week or two - even supplements and alcohol. That will show you where you are going wrong and by trimming those problems out and getting your macros right, the weight will literally just fall off.

Sometimes too, the problem can be not eating enough so the body stays in starvation mode, and tries to store as much fat as possible when you eat. Eat every 3 hours or so, turn the normal three big meals a day into 5 or 6 small ones.

[sonnypitbull]

If you're not seeing the results you want, then you aren't on track with your diet. Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. Try fitday.com or any other site that lets you track your meals and honestly track *everything* you put in your mouth for a week or two - even supplements and alcohol. That will show you where you are going wrong and by trimming those problems out and getting your macros right, the weight

will literally just fall off.

Sometimes too, the problem can be not

eating enough so the body stays in starvation mode, and tries to store as much fat as possible when you eat. Eat
every 3 hours or so, turn the normal three big meals a day into 5 or 6 small ones.

TBH you need to bulk up and add some serious mass to get a full looking body, you also should take advantage of the younger years of high testosterone levels and train heavy , 10 reps max at 5 sets and work your legs as much as possible , eat eateateat and eat some more , your trying to achive a skinny look with a six pack which makes it look like u havent trained ur just low bf % by genetics , put some solid gains on an then cut yu wont be dissapointed

[jso200688]

Good job so far man. Try not to focus on "the number %" cuz it really isn't that huge of a factor. I suggest u lean up and use the mirror to track cuz I've been pegged to be 19-20ish % in my avi but abs are still visible. Body fat looks different person to person. Just my 2 cent

[appariti0n]

Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.

That's a great quote, mind if i use it?

[defyant]

I'm around the 12% body fat mark and my abs are showing. Get a good 3 months of cutting in and you'll notice awesome results! Keep it up and stay motivated!

[coachishere]

hi everyone i just need to gain abit of advice from you pros really ive been working out for a while now and well i am looking better then i have ever looked (dont laugh i no i dont look good but its the best i have been)so of course am happy but now i want to take it to the next level but ive seemed to of stoped growing my arms aint gained any more size for ages which is disheartening and well i really want to get my abs to show so asking really what body fat do you think i am at and what percentage do i need to be at for them to look good it may seem a silly question but ive been running 30 mins a day 5 times a week and do a split rouite in the week and my diet is clean"ish"

so if you was me what would you do to reach my goals 1)build more muscle mass,2)get ripped abs thats it really so if you could help a young guy out would be great thanks

keep up the good work! sometimes getting abs at the expense of looking tired and too lean is a common problem,try bulking up first then cutting slowly.most times people have their shirts on ...lol and its better to look a bit fuller and healthy...by the way can anyone tell me if my bodyfat of 16 percent is accurate judging by my pic? ive only tested it on a scale,not with calipers

[aidanleahy]

hi everyone i just need to gain abit of advice from you pros really ive been working out for a while now and well i am looking better then i have ever looked (dont laugh i no i dont look good but its the best i have been)so of course am happy but now i want to take it to the next level but ive seemed to of stoped growing my arms aint gained any more size for ages which is disheartening and well i really want to get my abs to show so asking really what body fat do you think i am at and what percentage do i need to be at for them to look good it may seem a silly question but ive been running 30 mins a day 5 times a week and do a split rouite in the week and my diet is clean"ish"

so if you was me what would you do to reach my goals 1)build more muscle mass,2)get ripped abs thats it really so if you could help a young guy out would be great thanks

great progress so far but one think I notice immediately was you said your diet was cleanish you need to make it clean.
Drink lots of water as it will help achieve your goals. It will also help reduce water retention and help those abs become more visible.
Also you may want to look into high intensity interval training it is great at burning fat.
If your looking to gain mass and burn muscle you need to create a caloric deficit in your diet make sure you keep protein intake high during you cut to keep muscles

[MichaelKB]

Bodyfat obviously is the most important factor for getting to them. BUT, heavy exercises for the abs will get them showing up a tad bit sooner during your cut, and if you do the work, they'll show up more defined with deeper lines once your BF is down.

What I'm trying to say is, don't stop doing ab work! If/when you cut down the BF, it will pay off

EDITED to say, Dear g0d why didn't I look at the original post date...

[Jordan155]

OP did you ever get your abs popping?

[AryanofValhalle]

looking thick. solid. tight

[david0820]

Well I am 15 i am 5'5 and i weigh 57 kg . I want to get a six pack I burn aproximately 500 calories and only eat 1500 calories if somebody could tell me what to do that would be incredible. I got to the gym 6 days a week i do arms legs chest basically everthing.the 500 calories i burn is only counting cardio. Please help!!!

[BWHC]

hi guys i need ur help i am 6'2 192pounds body fat 16-17% bmr 2050 20 year old my ab is not showing unless under strong light I wanna be lean and get a little bit bigger rn i am trying keto diet But i heard it is not good any advice on how many calories should I eat and can i cheat once a week pls need ur help

[unplugged]

Just out of curiosity why did we bump a 3 year old thread lol?