Bodyfat percentage guess? Build muscle or lose fat for six pack?

[Z2609]

I weigh 145 lbs and I am 5"11.5'.

I started lifting around a year ago (125-130 lbs/scrawny start). I've been mainly focusing on building my chest/abs.

Would you guys say I'm somewhere around 15% bodyfat? I haven't really been doing that much cardio recently...

Do I need to primarily build my abs or lose fat (down to 10-11%) to get a six pack?

Thanks all!

PS: I would prefer to slowly gain muscle over time rather than bulk/cut

[Pipedragon]

I'm not an expert at estimating BF %, but to get nice, blocky abs you need to have a low BF % (around 10%) AND have the abdominals and obliques built up. Obviously the more your abs are built up, the more you will be able to see them. You can have skinny boy abs without really targeting them if your BF is low enough, but that's kinda like boobs on a fat chick - doesn't count and it just looks weird.

Doing weighted ab exercises like decline crunches while holding a plate above your head, or doing ab pulldowns with a rope attachment, are excellent ab building exercises.

[muaythaiguy333]

I weigh 145 lbs and I am 5"11.5'.

I started lifting around a year ago (125-130 lbs/scrawny start). I've been mainly focusing on building my chest/abs.

Would you guys say I'm somewhere around 15% bodyfat? I haven't really been doing that much cardio recently...

Do I need to primarily build my abs or lose fat (down to 10-11%) to get a six pack?

Thanks all!

PS: I would prefer to slowly gain muscle over time rather than bulk/cut

Maybe like 13%? You should get it measured at the gym if you can every two weeks and keep track. Yes, you would need to have a lower body fat percentage to see the abs. But seeing that you're only 145 lbs, I wouldn't worry about that so much right now. Keep gaining weight.

[Z2609]

Alright, I've been doing crunches for the past few weeks or so - I'll see if I can add some weight to build up my abs more.

General gist seems to be that I don't really have that much muscle and that I should just keep focusing on building it...

Do you guys think I should be doing cardio as well?

[Z2609]

I'm not an expert at estimating BF %, but to get nice, blocky abs you need to have a low BF % (around 10%) AND have the abdominals and obliques built up. Obviously the more your abs are built up, the more you will be able to see them. You can have skinny boy abs without really targeting them if your BF is low enough, but that's kinda like boobs on a fat chick - doesn't count and it just looks weird.

Doing weighted ab exercises like decline crunches while holding a plate above your head, or doing ab pulldowns with a rope attachment, are excellent ab building exercises.

If I want to build my abs should I be lowering my calorie intake at the same time? I don't eat that much at the moment... Should I build abs and THEN look at lowering my BF %?

[unplugged]

If I want to build my abs should I be lowering my calorie intake at the same time? I don't eat that much at the moment... Should I build abs and THEN look at lowering my BF %?

Dude you lack muscle all over your body and trust me when i say that you should bulk. Your lack of overall muscular development means you will not have very well developed abs when the fat does come off and like the above poster said abs on a skinny guy don`t count....

[Pipedragon]

Dude you lack muscle all over your body and trust me when i say that you should bulk. Your lack of overall muscular development means you will not have very well developed abs when the fat does come off and like the above poster said abs on a skinny guy don`t count....

agreed. Just work on building muscle. Keep yourself in a caloric surplus of an extra 300-400 cals a day and track your progress.

[CLaughton]

I'm going to say about 12%. But like everyone else so far lift heavy with good form, caloric surplus, sufficient rest and your muscles will grow. You may even lose body fat in the process since you're still a beginner

[aaron501]

I'm going to say about 12%. But like everyone else so far lift heavy with good form, caloric surplus, sufficient rest and your muscles will grow. You may even lose body fat in the process since you're still a beginner

this, your bodyfat is low 12% or so. but you lack muscle mass which is why you look like you have higher bodyfat than you actually do. lean bulk

[dudeinParis]

Start Stronglift or 5x5 and go bulking for a year or two, you seriously can't "focus" on abs & chest alone.

[cnote602]

I weigh 145 lbs and I am 5"11.5'.

I started lifting around a year ago (125-130 lbs/scrawny start). I've been mainly focusing on building my chest/abs.

Would you guys say I'm somewhere around 15% bodyfat? I haven't really been doing that much cardio recently...

Do I need to primarily build my abs or lose fat (down to 10-11%) to get a six pack?

Thanks all!

PS: I would prefer to slowly gain muscle over time rather than bulk/cut

I would recommend not worrying too much about abs and focus on gaining muscle all over. You might not want a bodybuilder or fitness model physique but you definitely need more muscle regardless.

You already have low body fat. I would recommend clean bulking.

-Consume more calories by eating a balance diet full of lean proteins, health fats, and complex carbohydrates. Avoid as much as possible highly processed foods, added sugar, alcohol, and fried foods.
-Lift "heavy". The weight doesn't have to be super heavy but heavy enough for you to do somewhere in the 5-10 rep range with proper form. Also you'll get the best bang for your buck by doing compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, dips, squats, deadlifts, rows, pull ups etc. An added bonus is that your abs are stabilizer muscles compound lifts so you'll be indirectly working them out too.
-Rest. You need to get adequate amount of sleep. Your muscles repair/grow while you are sleeping. Also giving yourself off days between workouts will help prevent overtraining and aid in resting.


Trust me being skinny with abs isn't all that great. I used to be 140lbs with abs now that I look back on at that I look almost sickly.

[Z2609]

I only eat when I'm hungry - this leads to me only eating 2 big meals a day (this is probably why I've been getting small gains)... This is probably an easily answerable question, but do you guys have any tips for getting more healthy calories?

I think I eat relatively healthy in terms of food (chicken, bread, sandwiches, no candy, no chips, no soda), so that's not really an issue... Is it just a matter of forcing myself to eat, lol?

Really appreciate the advice everyone!

[gbullock32]

I only eat when I'm hungry - this leads to me only eating 2 big meals a day (this is probably why I've been getting small gains)... This is probably an easily answerable question, but do you guys have any tips for getting more healthy calories?

I think I eat relatively healthy in terms of food (chicken, bread, sandwiches, no candy, no chips, no soda), so that's not really an issue... Is it just a matter of forcing myself to eat, lol?

Really appreciate the advice everyone!

You can make gains eating only 2 meals a day.... and eating candy and chips in moderation is fine.

Start with nutrition- learning the basics about calorie and macro/micro nutrients and how they will help you reach your goals, read-

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=156380183
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=136691851
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=129523333
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=123915821

Once you have done that select a proven beginner routine, these are made to give the best results, some good routines would be-

Starting Strength - http://startingstrength.com/

BabyLover's Starting Strength - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=135564721

AllPro's Beginner Routine - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843

StrongLifts 5x5 - http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

IceCream Fitness 5x5 - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=148036063

Fierce 5 - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=159678631

Coolcicada's Push/Pull/Legs - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=149807833

Read into those and pick the one you like best.

SUPPLEMENTS

Are just that and nothing more, you do not need them, and most are either useless or a waste of money. If you really want to take them there are a few that can be beneficial though.

Recommended-

Multivitamin- Useful for helping to fill in any holes in your diet- remember, it is there to compliment what you get from food, not replace it.

Fish Oil- Great for getting in essential fats that most do not from whole food unless eating fish fairly often.

Creatine Monohydrate- Cheapest form of creatine and the most proven/studied. 3-5 grams a day, taken at any time with any liquid is all it takes and you do not need to load or cycle nor do you need to take it with sugar. Many types of creatine exist but just go with a plain mono- do not expect miracles though, creatine will barely have any noticeable effect, it may give you an extra rep or 2 but that is about it.

Bloating with creatine is actually very minimal, if it occurs at all, and usually only happens to those who load it (which is not needed). Creatine works by saturation, pulling water into the muscles and providing more endurance: think of it like putting an extra gallon of capacity on your car's gas tank, it doesn't directly improve performance, but allows for more distance to be covered. This is essentially (in very simplified terms) what creatine will do, it will let you go just a little further.

Optional-

Protein- Not needed really, it is just a powdered food (usually derived from either a milk, plant, beef, or egg protein) that can be used to reach your minimum protein needs if you cannot do so with whole foods. Do not get caught up with what type to get, a standard whey will be the cheapest and will be just fine. Only take as much as is needed to reach protein needs for the day.

BCAA Products- BCAA (Branch Chain Amino Acids) are said to prevent muscle breakdown and aid in recovery- this is true but you know what already has BCAAs in it? Food, any source of protein has and is comprised of branch chain amino acids. Assuming you reach protein sufficiency in your day a BCAA supplement would do nothing to aid you.

BCAA supplements may be beneficial if you take pre/intra workout only if you train in a fasted state, or taken between meals if you go 4-6 hours without food. If you do not fit either of those categories they are not needed at all, save the money.

Not needed-

Fat Burners- They do not burn fat and barely do anything in regards to losing fat. Most will only suppress appetite and provide energy. Save your money, work on diet and training first, skip fat burners entirely or save them as an option for the final part of a cut, when you need an energy boost.

CLA- Borderline useless unless you are obese, do not waste the money.

Pre-Workout- They provide energy and endurance boosts, which may be useful if you need it but hold off until you have training and nutrition experience before looking into these. Some people respond poorly to certain stimulants so if taking a pre-workout always follow the directions and dosing instructions.

Pretty much any other supplements are not worth going into, do research first, buy later or never; most will do so little in regards to actual results that your money is best saved for something useful, like a food scale.

[philipdrak3]

Yea seem about 13-14% B.F from what I can tell. As you said, you don't want to bulk or cut, thats where I'm at. Basically just build muscle while doing cardio and eating right and eventually they will start popping up. Yeah I think its at about 10-11% B.F that they start getting quite visible but at the same time you need muscle in that area otherwise they won't show up that well. So basically just keep working out and make sure you eat right and the change will come with time like for the rest of us

[CLaughton]

In my opinion either whole wheat pasta or regular pasta is one of the easiest ways to get more calories. I prefer whole wheat just because there is more fibre in it

[mjf100215]

As you said, you don't want to bulk or cut, thats where I'm at. Basically just build muscle while doing cardio and eating right and eventually they will start popping up.

Building muscle is bulking. What exactly did you think it was?

OP, you have little muscle. Stop trying to cut for abs. Bulk for the next two years and pack on some mass. Follow gbullock32's advice.

As for how to get more calories. Eat. Eat more. Choose calorie dense foods. Eat some more.

[yevsvid]

I weigh 145 lbs and I am 5"11.5'.

I started lifting around a year ago (125-130 lbs/scrawny start). I've been mainly focusing on building my chest/abs.

Would you guys say I'm somewhere around 15% bodyfat? I haven't really been doing that much cardio recently...

Do I need to primarily build my abs or lose fat (down to 10-11%) to get a six pack?

Thanks all!

PS: I would prefer to slowly gain muscle over time rather than bulk/cut

I was in the same boat as you a few months back(I was 6'2 151 lbs and trying to cut down to see my abs better). I would follow everyone's advice and eat more food, and train your whole body. Don't just focus on chest and abs, but train every single muscle group on your body. I started clean bulking 8 or 9 weeks ago and I've already gained 12 lbs overall, and my body looks leaner and more muscular than ever. I always thought that bulking up would make me look fat or out of shape, but it's the complete opposite, and your metabolism really gets faster when you're eating more frequently and training at the gym. Don't think that just being skinny will help you see abs, because your abs are a muscle too, which needs to be built up; lift hard in the gym, eat 250-500cals over your caloric maintenance level, and get plenty of sleep. You'll get there sooner than you think.

[NellyBrah]

For 5'11" 145 is extremely light. IMO you should try to bulk up, as thats quite light for your height. That would aid you in putting on more muscle as well.