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.

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Slow Sit Ups

I’ve been working with kettlebells for quite some time now. Well – with the real things about a month (not that long I suppose) – but I have been substituting dumbbells for quite a bit of time. I’ve been following Mike Mahler’s routines for quite a while too and while I don’t consider myself a professional, I’d say I’m rather competent.

Thats what I thought. Yesterday Elliot and I were able to work out together. A rare occasion – but a really good one. I learned just how valuable it is to have a spotter… he says ‘I don’t know how you can manage those – I find them so hard!’ Take into account he had a splitting headache – makes it near impossible! Anyway I was going along saying ‘Oh these are easy – its not that hard – you’ve just got a headache…’ He looks over and says, ‘Um, aren’t you supposed to have a straight back?’ Well I was confused. I was adamant I was doing it correctly. But I tried with a straight back and gosh – the difference! I could actually feel my abs working. I could barely make it to ten. All this time I’ve just been wasting time!!So – the simple sit-up isn’t quite so simple! Slow and controlled has taken on another meaning!

A sit up is different to a crunch in that it works the entire midsection – including the lower abs, which a crunch typically doesn’t. If it is performed correctly! I cheat a little and hook my feet into the kettlebell handles. Hey I’m just getting stronger – I’ll get there one day!

Form is so important or else you’ll be like me and waste time. You need to lie on your back (duh!) with your legs about shoulder distance apart bent at a 45 ish degree angle. If you’re just getting started with them, you might want to hook your feet into the kettlebell handles or something similar. Against a wall could be good too as it still forces you to use those muscles!

Tighten your abs and breathe. Keeping your back as straight and your midsection as open as possible, slowly come up towards your knees. Mahler recommends a 4 second count to get to the top – then a 4 second count to get back to the ground again. This slow business forces you to really concentrate on working your abs. You will feel the burn. Today I can feel my abs – they’re not that sore, but it definitely feels like I’ve been working them – and I only did a few reps as it was right at the end of the workout that Elliot spotted it.

So – for another great exercise that will help you shape and define your midsection – and strengthen your back, try out the slow sit-up today. Rope in a spotter to make sure you’re doing it correctly and aren’t in danger of wasting time or injuring yourself. Go for it!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Are You Vain Because You Want Six Pack Abs?

It’s obvious that a big reason behind people’s desire for six-pack abs is because they want to look good!  If you compare a flabby stomach to chiseled abdominals then there is no question as to which is more attractive.

But there are actually some other important reasons why we should want visible abdominals.

1.  Studies now show that any excess body fat around our stomachs is bad for us
According to Charles Poliquin, you’re fat if you’re a man with a body fat percentage of over 10%, or a woman with a body fat percentage of over 15-20%.  Now that is a controversial statement, no question about it!  Poliquin is not a traditional nutritionist but to be honest I find his advice more useful than the generic advice I’ve heard for years from so-called ‘health experts’.  Anyway that is getting besides the point, what I am saying is that scientists are starting to warn us that abdominal fat is not a good thing to be carry around!

2.  The stronger our mid-section is, the less chance we have of injury
Abdominal muscles are used for stabilizing.  This means we pretty much use them for any movement which requires considerable effort.  Getting up off a chair, taking the groceries out of the car and into the house, picking heavy objects up off the floor – all these basic actions require our abs to stabilize us as we complete the movement (and this is without mentioning fitness exercises or sports).  The stronger our abs are the better we are protecting ourselves against injury.

3.  The stronger our mid-section is, the better our posture will be
Weak abs can be a cause for a rounded back.  Having poor posture is looked down upon by almost all cultures.  And sadly if poor posture is not properly corrected it can end up being irreversible.  Our abdominal muscles play quite a big role in ensuring our posture is how it should be.

4.  The stronger our mid-section is, the healthier we will be
This does tie in very closely to point 1, but I feel it is important to stress that visible abdominals (usually) indicate a healthy strong person.  If such a person has to undergo a serious operation it is common knowledge that they stand a greater chance of faster fuller recovery the someone who is not as physically on top of things.  Also, woman who are given birth, need to use their abdominal muscles, if they are continually exercised in the earlier stages of pregnancy many have stated that natural births are easier (of course you should always consult with your doctor first).

You see, the reason we find abs attractive is because they are a sign of health and strength.  Training to improve the way our mid-section looks is beneficial for more than just aesthetic purposes.

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Article Review: Just How Do You Get Awesome Abs?

I read an interesting article on the Resolution 365 website on ‘How to Get Awesome Abs‘.  The title grabbed me in and the first few paragraphs I read I totally agreed with.  However after reading the whole post I suddenly realised the author was in for a long journey before they would ever regain their six pack.

CRUNCHES ALONE WILL NOT GIVE YOU FLAT ABS. I apologize for shouting, but it is unbelievable how many people think this is true. Unless you are seventeen or blessed with extremely low body fat, you need to spend less time overall on abdominal exercises and focus more on lowering total body fat through aerobic exercise and diet.

This is true and untrue.  Yes, simply doing ab crunches until you throw up will not turn your flabby stomach in to visibly hard, washboard abdominals.  You need (like the article says) to lower your body fat percentage to a level close to 10%.  But, ‘aerobic exercise and diet’ are not actually the way to achieve this.  It can, over time, help you to get your coveted six pack, but it is not by any means the best method.

If you’re wanting to go cross country you can take pretty much any car and there is a chance you’ll get where you want to go.  But unless you drive a 4WD vehicle there is a high chance you’ll get stuck along the way when you meet terrain for which your trendy sports car just wasn’t designed.

So what is the equivalent of a 4WD in fitness?  In order to have six pack abs (as already mentioned) you need to lower your body fat percentage.  In order to achieve that you need to speed up your metabolism.  What is the best way of speeding your metabolism?  By growing your muscles.  The more muscle you have on your frame the more your body will be burning away the flab 24 hours a day 7 days a week (kind of like that 24-hour toothpaste)!

It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, want you need to do (along with healthy eating) is get into some strength training or body building.  Don’t worry, you are not going to look like He-man (and I can guarantee that if you’re a woman), what you will do is look more athletic and as a result your body will be your friend in the fight against flab.

NOTE:  The exception to this is people who naturally have high metabolism.  Male teenage athletes are a prime example.  They can often eat whatever they want right up until their early 20s.  Check back in 20 years though and more than likely they’ll be showing off their beer belly while holding their six pack (of beer)!

Comments are welcome!

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