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How Low Does My Body Fat Percentage Need To Be Before My Abs Will Become Visible?
You can do as many crunches as you want, but if you don’t work on decreasing your body fat percentage, you’ll never be able to actually see your abs. This leads to the obvious questions that all six-pack hopefuls (like myself) will ask…
At what body fat percentage will my abdominal muscles become visible?
10% for men and somewhere between 14% and 18% for women. This is the level that you’ll need to get to for those ‘six-pack abs’ to emerge. At higher percentages, let’s say a guy with a BF% of 16.0% you’ll often see your top row of abs (the two just below your chest). But for the classic washboard stomach look that I think all of us are after, you should be aiming to get down to 10% if your a guy, or somewhere between 14% and 18% if you’re a woman.
The reason men need a lower BF% is because their stomachs are one of the first places in which excess fat is stored, whereas on the female body, fat actually sits better on their frames (believe it or not, women).
Great, so you know what body fat percentage you need in order to get those six-pack abs, but how do you actually measure your current body fat percentage?
There are generally 3 ways in which you can measure your body fat percentage:
1. Bioelectrical Impedance/digital body fat readers
These come in the form of body fat scales and handheld body fat readers. They are very popular because the concept is so easy. Just step on the scales or put your thumbs on the handheld device and you get a BF% reading in a few seconds.
The term ‘bioelectrical impedance’ sounds very fancy but 
essentially all that happens is an electrical current is sent through your body and the electronic device records how long it takes for that current to go from one foot to the other foot (or in the case of handheld devices, one thumb to the other thumb). Because an electronic current will take longer to travel through fat than it will to travel through muscle it can estimate the percentage of fat you are carrying in your body.
Advantages
- Very easy to measure (only takes a few seconds)
- Fairly cheap (prices can be as low as $20 for handheld devices and $100 or more for scales
Disadvantages
- The reading will have a margin of error of 4%
- They are known to be very inaccurate depending on how much water you have in your body – some studies show variances can be as high as 8%
2. Skinfold Calipers
Body fat calipers are a more traditional method of measuring your BF%. They are more accurate than the electronic devices mentioned above but only if it is done correctly. It involves pinching your skin and then measure the amount in the caliper. You do this measurement several places on your body and then work out your percentage by following the instructions that will come with the calipers.
Advantages
- Can be very accurate if done properly (professionals can get measurements with 0.5% margin of error)
- Cheap (around $10 to $70)
Disadvantages
- Take a lot more time/work to perform the measurement (maybe 10 to 20 minutes compared to a few seconds with body fat scales)
3. Hydrostatic weighing
If you are looking for greater accuracy you can try weighing yourself underwater. It costs about $20-$50 to have this test done (try contacting your local university or health center for contacts). The theory behind this test is that your fat weights less than water does and as a result the more fat you have, the more you’ll float.
Advantages
- Margin of error will be around 2%
Disadvantages
- Have to pay each time you have the test done
- Can be uncomfortable – particularly if you don’t like being underwater
4. DEXA method
A DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan is the most accurate way of measuring a human’s body fat percentage. Tests will costs around $100 each time, but you’ll walk away with a near perfect measurement. The x-rays will read your bone mass and soft tissue mass and will determine which areas of your body are storing the most fat.
Advantages
- It is the most accurate method
Disadvantages
- It is the most expensive method (you won’t be wanting to have too many measurements taken)
- It is a hassle having to find a place that will perform this test
Conclusion
Of course all methods have their merits, but based on the advantages and disadvantages of each of the above methods, my personal preference is the calipers method. Calipers are cheap and if the measuring process is done properly they can be almost as reliable as the DEXA method.
Comment by Pretty Girls Gallery
3 January 2010
Body Fat can reduced by exercise and proper diet. Eat foods that are free from saturated fat and avoid sugary foods too.
Comment by arthritisremedy
12 January 2010
The most effective way to lose body fat is through exercise. You just do some cardio workout everyday like jogging and running for miles. That would effectively burn the fats in your body.
Comment by Ally Kee
15 February 2010
When you are trying to lose body fat, the best way to do it is still by proper dieting and exercise. Avoid taking slimming pills at all cost, they do more harm than good.
Comment by G Roy
30 October 2010
Wow, almost all comments contain misinformation and poor advice at best. Saturated fat? Thats been vindicated. I’m with you on the sugar. Exercise best? Sorry, that may help with body composition but its what goes into the system that has the biggest effect. Quality whole foods and a low-ish carb approach any day! Oh, and slimming pills? although I encourage healthy skepticism, thats the vaguest suggest at avoidance yet!
Comment by Sam d
13 November 2010
the best way to lose body fat is mainly diet, limit your carb and calories because the average male burns 2500 calories a day and women burn 2000, so eat 1000 calories a day and 100 grams of carbs because you burn carbs before calories. hope this helps.
Comment by Timmy
1 March 2011
to lose fat off your body you need to do three things (basics): eat and drink right, meaning not a lot of simple sugars. take in complex carbs like brown rice as opposed to white rice. eat lots of fruits and veges and eat tons of protein, drink a lot of water, somewhere around just under a gallon a day. next you gotta exercise, without exercise you’re not forcing your body to burn more calories. run 3-4 times a week doing high intensity interval training (sprint, rest, sprint, rest etc.) and some sort of weight lifting 3-4 times a week for at least a half hour, no more than an hour. and lastly, sleeeeeeeep, get 7-8 hours a night so your body can heal and stay ready for anything alse you can throw at it.
without this stuff good luck. and btw, dieting is about 80% of this, so i cannot stress enough how important it is to eat right!
Comment by Dan
19 March 2011
Do not listen to Sam d. If you are an active male and you lower your caloric intake to below 2000 your body will go into a survival mode thinking you’re starving and will hold on to your potential energy stores significantly impeding your ability to lose weight. Hell even Holocaust survivors still had stomach fat because of this.
Comment by Shannon
5 June 2011
“…so eat 1000 calories a day and 100 grams of carbs because you burn carbs before calories.”
A calorie is a unit of measurement (same as kg, mile, etc) in this case used to measure the energy stored in any food intake.
A Carbohydrate in this case, is a category of food, signifying the type of energy source provided.
What you stated, is similar to saying I am building a house made of bricks and metres, make sure to put the bricks on the bottom and the metres on the top.
Comment by john
20 June 2011
ok so diet is important but I would not put all emphasis on that. Weight training will also help reduce body fat which noone has mentioned. Lean mass takes more energy to maintain therefore increasing metabolism in turn burning fat and decreasing body fat. Cardio alone will not do it. For diet the eat low carbs approach will work but is dependent on what you are doing. Need to be more specific and fuel your body to prepare for the exercise regimen you are doing. This may mean high protien and low carbs, or higher carbs and low fat and so on. All depends on activity and goals.
Comment by Toni
25 June 2011
This article was very helpful. I had a body fat test done and I came out at 18%. I’m female, 5’6″ tall and 119 lbs. I have a four-pack, working towards a six so now I know why my abdominal muscles have “popped”, so to speak. My lower abs are a pain the neck after having two kids but I jog 5x/week (besides weight training,yoga, etc.) so I just keep at it while eating very cleanly.
Comment by Maggie
25 June 2011
Jogging has really helped me with body fat loss and my abs have become more visible as a result. Combine that with my weight training and it’s a no-brainer. I’m not even a seasoned runner and in just under a month, I’ve seen such an improvement in my abdominal area. This article was spot-on about body fat and how to properly calculate it.
Comment by Nadia
21 July 2011
This is so wrong, If you want your abs, carbs aren’t your enemy, and you need to eat more calories, your body will store fat is you are not having enough intake, and if you have carbs and do the correct workouts and eat the right amount you and do abdominal workouts everyday you can have 6 pack abs between 1 month to 3, IF YOU stay strong and stick to workouts and watching what you eat, no fucking fastfood, that shit is nasty, now stop looking online for tips on your abs, just work at it for awhile and next thing you know you’ll have them, and take a picture every week of working out to see your improvement, thats what kept me motivated
Comment by Elliot Wilson
1 August 2011
Sure, carbs in the form of vegetables aren’t your enemy. Grains and legumes are what you want to avoid.
Comment by brenda
11 August 2011
I’m reading so many different things.. so how do I know which is right and wrong ? I’ve been working out for a loooong time ..maybe a year and a half. And I’ve only seen very little results.. that’s very frustrating. So now I’m trying to do a lot more cardio like the spin class,eliptical. But I hear everyone say I must run to lose weight and burn fat. I don’t know what the hell to do .. do I have to just starve myself geeeezzz
Comment by Elliot Wilson
11 August 2011
Don’t starve yourself! Start eating natural whole foods (avoid food in packets, and stick to meat, vegetables and spices/herbs), also stick to 3 or 4 meals per day maximum.
As for exercise, running is optional. Strength training gives the most bang for buck (try kettlebells e.g. Mike Mahler‘s fat loss DVD is a good option, though might be best choosing his beginner DVD first).
Don’t give up.
Comment by Bob H
18 August 2011
Rule #1 is don’t eat fried foods or packaged foods.
Rule #2 is exercise daily–even if just walking for a few miles
Rule #3 don’t eat a big meal after 6 pm
Comment by Jake
6 September 2011
I have 8.8% body fat, but still cannot see any of my abs! Is this because I need to work on my abs more and make them more muscly? I don’t understand! Any help?
Comment by Elliot Wilson
6 September 2011
Are you very skinny? If so, the best exercises you can do a full body strength movements like squats and deadlifts. You can do these with dumbbells or kettlebells before investing in a barbell. If you’re not skinny (i.e. you have visible stomach flab) then your measurement is likely inaccurate.
Comment by Mark J
6 September 2011
I have lost about 35 pounds over the past 6 months. My BMI is 23, and I’m 5’11″, 169lbs, age 28 and Latino male. My weight is considered fine however even though I have barely and stomach fat, I have huge love handles almost like muffin top and I don’t get it?!?! Any suggestions? I lose weight, I’ve built some muscle, but these won’t go away help please
Comment by Elliot Wilson
6 September 2011
It’s all about consistency Mark. As you continually build muscle and burn fat you’ll eventually see the end of those love handles. What workout program are you following?
Comment by Lucy
21 September 2011
I am a female and my body fat is 16%… had it down to 14% and you can still only see my top 2 abs. These percentages do not mean that you will suddenly have abs… its very individual especialy for women some can never get abs no matter how hard they try!
Comment by Domenic
24 September 2011
Hey im 13 years old and my body fat percentage is 16%. Any tips to get down to 10%
Comment by Elliot Wilson
25 September 2011
Diet is the biggest factor. Cut out sugar and grains (especially wheat) from your diet. Stick to whole natural foods – vegetables, some fruit, meat and fish. (check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com for meal ideas).
Comment by random
27 September 2011
Elliot Wilson
u r doing a good job
my question is what types of food would one eat to feel full?
and should i eat low carb and high protein until i reach my goal.
beacause it looks like i stop loosing weight after like 3 weeks.
Comment by Elliot Wilson
27 September 2011
Are you continuing to do strength training as well?
Essentially you should focus on vegetables for carbs, start your meals with a big salad followed by steamed vegetables – I don’t advocate low carb as much as I encourage natural whole foods (while avoiding sugar & grains). Fish, meat, eggs, dairy, nuts & seeds are all good options to get your fat and protein from.
Comment by Chuck
28 September 2011
I’ve been doing this for sometime now. Depending on your goals, there are a few different potential paths that you could take. To achieve the meso-ectomorph body type that everyone wants (very muscular, very lean)that i’m talking about, it will require more than just dedication, but a lifestyle. Depending on your body type, and how long you’ve let yourself go, it could take many months, if not years to fully change from one type to the next. The first thing that you will need to do is cut your calorie intake by about 300-400 calories per day. Whatever you consider normal(2400, 2800, exc). In conjunction with lifting 3 to 4 times a week, with cardio on every day that you arent strength training, (about 3 times a week), you should aim to lose between 2 to 3 pounds per week. Any faster than this and it will be a great tax on the body, and greatly reduce your muscle mass, thus slowing your overall metabolic rate. If it is your first time working out, you may not be able to have a high enough output in the gym at first, and may have to reduce your calorie intake by a little more to stay on the schedule. If this is the case then on week 2, cut your calories by an additional 200 calories per day if you have not experienced weight loss. But make sure you dont lose more than 3 pounds in any given week! The next thing that you will need to do is eat slightly less than your own body weight in protein. You are trying to lean down, not bulk up, thus 1.2-1.5 g/p/p/bw is not needed. Instead .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight is best. Unless you are below 12 percent body fat, and are shooting for 4 to 6, a low carb diet is not the biggest factor, but calories. You can also google CARB CYCLING. I’m not explaining it, bc that itself is a 5 page story. Eating 5 to 6 meals a day, with carbs being cut out 8 hours prior to sleep. The only sugar and caffeine that I eat is 30 min prior to hitting the weights. (2 cups of coffee and an apple). Carbs do play a major part, and yes I’m on a low carb diet now,but my body fat is far below anyone reading this article. I do recommend a few supplements: a good multivitamin,glutamine, protein powder with BCAA’S, and arginine. At most these things will cost you $40. This will prevent your muscle from wasting.Thats it! (I’m not explaining what they do, look it up for yourself.) All of this can be found in the vitamin section at Wal Mart. With that in mind, be a CALORIE counter, workout, avoid all sugars,and you will see great results.
Comment by steve
28 September 2011
the best way 2 lose fat is buy eating every 2-3 hours high protein turkey breast cashue nuts soya nuts vegs i also use spice cayenne pepper cinommen and apples goji berries keep carbs minimum brown rice gd people always say that fats are bad for u but not all types are ie nuts add them to ur diet and also eggs i go therw 24 egg whites a week exersise hit cardio high intensinty or body pump 30-60 sec rest per set people allways ask can u spot reduce belly fat answer=NO lose weight all over body:)also ellimenting sugar ie bread is big no no all types of bread are bad bin it 30 mins a day exersice at least
!!!!!!!!!
Comment by Elliot Wilson
29 September 2011
Thanks for your input Steve. Unfortunately I can’t say I agree with most of your advice though. Constant meals throughout the day means you’re always producing lectin and insulin, 30 mins can be reduced to 15-20mins if you do full body compound strength exercises, and what’s wrong with egg yokes!
Comment by Mark
29 September 2011
How indeed do we lose body fat?
Hmm …. big mystery! The problem is that this is the wrong question. It’s not the question people want to ask. Rather, it’s “How do we lose body fat in one day?” Answer: YOU DON’T. (Yes, that was free!)
Truth can stare at you in the face all day but if you don’t like it, you’ll just ignore it and act as if it weren’t the real truth. Did it take you one day to have the body fat you have? The truth is it’s going to take at least one year to be flatpacked and it’s going to be a gradual process. One gram of fat has 9 calories of energy and one gram of sugar 4 calories. There are 454 grams in one pound so every pound of fat in your body has 454 times 9, or 4086 calories. If every day you consume 500 calories less than you spend through activity then you can expect to lose one pound in just over 8 days. There is nothing else to it. It doesn’t matter where calories come from, and it doesn’t matter how you burn them (cardio or weight training). There are no forbidden foods: you just have to accurately count the calories in everything you eat each day, do the total at the end of the day and make sure that it’s at a deficit of 500 compared to the total of calories spent.
I don’t understand the obsession with avoiding carbs. Carbs are sugars and each gram of it that you consume has 4 calories, whereas each gram of fat that you consume has 9 calories (more than double the calories from sugar). Given this simple fact, I’d be more concerned with avoiding fat (of all kinds) than avoiding carbs. Fixating on avoiding carbs while eating fat-rich beef is like being penny-wise and dollar-foolish in your expenses.
That being said, it’s time to face the harsh reality of just how undoable a low calorie-diet is. You just have to start reading the nutrition labels of the foods you eat to understand how easy it is to consume a huge amount of calories. One lousy slice of bread has more than 100 calories. If you are to avoid the biggest contributors of calories (i.e. fats and sugars) and the foods that contain them, then you’re left only with leafy vegetables and raw fruit to live on.
Ignoring for a moment the fact, that given our daily obligations, fresh fruit and veggies may not always be available, this diet is simply not sustainable long-term. Anything totally free of fats will not keep you full for long. When did you ever eat a meal of just lettuce and feel full for hours? Chances are in 30 minutes you fell right back into the loving arms of pizza, chocolate or whatever your addiction is. The people who give dry advice such as cut this and cut that might as well be talking to a wall. Your audience is not a collection of machines.
And finally, I hate to be the one to break the news to you but you’re not going to be completely happy with yourself even when you are reasonably flatpacked. It’s just human nature. Have you noticed most people have a gut? Even the real skinny ectomorphs. The gut isn’t because of fat. It’s because the organs underneath your belly will stretch when you breathe in. Have you also noticed that even the models on TV have to contract their six-pack by sucking in their tummy? Here’s truth staring at you in the face again: no matter what your body fat percentage is you will have a gut if you breathe in and stretch your tummy.
You’re welcome!
Comment by andrew
1 October 2011
You guys are overtthinking all this! eat 6 small meals a day 50 percent protein 25 percent carbs and 25 percent fats or somewhat close to that.lift weights 3-5 days a week eat very healthy and do HIIT training . not too much bread. ( i eat 2 pieces every morning.) you dont have to buy the most exepensive ”protein powder” or the most leanest aka expensive food at your nearest grocrie store. I mean sure it tastes better but if you cant afford it dont sweat just get the canned protein. way cheaper. so yea eat right 6 meals a day and also about 500-1000 cals under maintanence when cutting and cardio 6 days a week.!!!!!! ps. FAT BURNERS ARE GOOD!
Comment by Daniel
9 October 2011
@ Elias egg yolks contain most of the calories and fat in an egg. The whites contain protein for much less calories. Eating 5-6 meals is better but as long as it fits your macros (carb, protein calorie) intake eat it. Stick to a 300-500 calorie deficit. However cardio is NOT necessary if you have a deficit.
Comment by Mike
11 October 2011
Interesting article.
By the way though, the description of how bioelectrical impedance analysis works is completely wrong. I’m pretty sure the author just made that up, or was repeating what someone else had made up. I work as an electrical engineer at a biomedical company who happens to make those devices.
Comment by Elliot Wilson
11 October 2011
Hi Mike, thanks for your contribution. Would you like to kindly go the extra mile and give your own explanation as to how it works?
Comment by Rob Nelson
14 October 2011
To Mark J:
I have lost 25 pounds in the last 5 months. I follow a slow-carb diet (google it) and read the marksdailyapple.com website too.
The problem with losing a lot of weight is that the fat cells “empty” but they don’t go away, so you will have love handles until they die off and are flushed out. You can use some vitamins like green tea extract (decaffinated) to help to do this. I recommend you read up on PAAG stack (google it) its been working for me to rid fat from my bloodstream. Remember, all the fat and cholesterol stored in your body has to be broken down, burned up, and urinated out…
I did an Atkins diet about 8 years ago (when it was really popular)and lost a lot of weight (got down to 154 pounds at 5’11″ – but lost a lot of muscle mass too) and I still had 1 love handle! One went away, but the other was still there even though I could wear size 30 jeans.
Comment by Joe
22 October 2011
Wow, so far there has only been a little bit of information on these comments that is needed. Alot of this being said is broscience and has no real scientific studies backing it up.
Ok so first off: calories are calories whether they come from a cheeseburger or vegetables, you can eat WHATEVER you want as long as it fits your daily macros(protein, carbs, fats) and calories (which should be roughly 500 cals below maintenance every day). The only problem is that if you ate all cheeseburgers you would reach your daily amount of calories and fats before you reached your proteins and carbs for the day resulting in failure. So you can eat that cheeseburger as long as your other foods are somewhat healthy so the daily food intake falls 500 calories short of your metabolic rate. You can find your approximate daily calorie requirement on many websites, if you eat 500 below what the website tells you and still arent losing any weight by the end of the week then cut down another 500 for the next week until you start losing weight at a gradual pace. Its not as complicated as people believe it to be.
SECOND: Forget about six small meals a day it does nothing to your metabolism or whatever it was “supposed” to do. It has been proven that nutrient timing has almost 0 effect on body composition. You can eat your food whenever you want, if spread throughout the day helps keep you feeling not so hungry then perfect, keep doing it.
THIRD: Adding in cardio doesnt make you magically burn fat all it does it burn some calories its not like it specifically targets fat. All cardio does is acts like a cushion for your calories say you burned 500 calories during your exercise then that means you can eat your full daily maintenance calories but be in a 500 calorie deficit still. So if you cant eat within your calories then make sure you burn enough with some form of exercise to put you below your daily requirement.
In conclusion if you eat 500 calories below your daily requirement every day you should lose about a lb per week. Keep protein intake at about 1 gram per pound to try to spare muscle so that when you lose the fat there is muscle underneath to show off. And while cutting try to stick to a basic weight lifting routine like bill starr 5×5 or similar programs. Oh an some guy said that even models have to flex to not have a gut? I dont know where he came up with that idea but I have a flat six pack not even flexing so dont get discouraged about thinking its impossible to do. This just takes time if you lose weight too fast then you are most likely losing muscle also. So just be patient and it will happen!
Comment by Mark
2 November 2011
Joe
You wrote:
“some guy said that even models have to flex to not have a gut? I dont know where he came up with that idea but I have a flat six pack not even flexing”
I am the guy who said that, and I get that from watching all the commercials and informercials featuring models. They ARE flexing their tummies on camera.
As for you having a flat six-pack when not flexing, I should point out that you’re confusing the normal state of not flexing with breathing in. The two are different. When you breathe in air and let your tummy relax, it WILL stretch and look more round on the outside. That happens to everyone (yes, including you). Your conceited tone when describing that you have a flat six-pack when not flexing is just denial of reality for purposes of satisfying your ego.
I never said six-packs are impossible. My post was not to discourage people. I was just pointing out that it’s human nature to be unsatisfied with its lot. No matter how thin we get, we’re always going to think other people look better.
Comment by Chuck
2 November 2011
Joe,
You are correct.
On the topic of the abs, I think it is more genetics on the shape of your body. I happen to be one of the people with very muscular abs that protrude. I do agree that my 6 pack isn’t aesthetically pleasing as the flat 6 pack, but there is nothing I can do for it. And unless you are running massive amounts of HGH, your organs aren’t going to protrude; it is simply the shape and form of your abdominal muscles.
Comment by Arthur
8 December 2011
This message is for Chuck. He posted a comment back on Sept. 28th 2011. He said he didn’t eat carbs 8 hrs. before bedtime. I was wondering if that was carbs from i.e. rice, potatoes etc.. or carbs in general. Like no vegetables or ANY carbs 8 hrs before bedtime.
Comment by Worldwriter
9 December 2011
I’ve been doing primal low carb for 6 months and am down 40lbs, 3 pants sizes and have put on about 15 lbs of muscle. I do not count calories and stay in a constant state of ketosis which IS NOT dangerous. Ketosis is simply a state where your body burns fat for energy and burns body fat BEFORE dietary fat. While in ketosis tour body will not store dietary fat not used as body fat, instead it is excreted. Calories do not need to be counted as your body is always seeking it’s energy needs from your own body fat. Muscle is not consumed in ketosis, that is a state known as ketoacidosis which is actually starvation. Ketosis is just a natural way for the human body to run off of fat instead of glucose. Weight you use this way is true weight loss not simply water weight as critics will say. A fat cell is 70 percent water so as your burn fat cells you will urinate more water than you consume.