Many people start a fat loss program because they are looking to develop perfect abs. More specifically, they are looking to get rid of their belly fat so that their abs become visible. And the only way to reduce abdominal fat is to reduce total body fat.
You’re probably wondering what percentage of body fat you need to reach before your abs show. That depends on two things: gender and genetics.
Women naturally have a higher percentage of fat than men. Worse still (for men), men tend to store fat around their bellies, which means they need a lower overall fat percentage before their abs are visible. A woman doesn’t need to drop her body percentage as low as a man for her big abs to be visible.
Your genes affect the distribution of fat in your body. For some people, any excess body fat is distributed around their body. For others, it seems like every extra ounce of body fat goes directly to their tummy or butt. This means that two people whose abs are clearly visible can have quite different body fat percentages.
There are no good tests that tell you what percentage you personally need to achieve to have six pack abs. The only way to find out is to try and see what happens. You have to keep reducing your body fat percentage until you have the abs you want.
Yes I know. I still haven’t told you what percentage of fat you need to reach to see those abs. As you just saw, there are a few factors that affect things, so the best I can give you is a range of percentages taken from a variety of sources. Here are the approximate fat percentages you need to achieve to really show off your abs:
Men: To make all of your abdominal muscles visible, you’ll need to reduce your fat level to below 11%. If you drop it below 8%, you’ll almost certainly have a clearly visible six-pack.
Women: You need to reduce your fat percentage to less than 17%. 14% would be even better. These are higher numbers than guys have to achieve, but remember that you naturally have a higher body fat percentage, so your job is just as difficult as the guys’.
Those numbers are difficult to reach, but not unachievable. Depending on the results you use, the average American male has a body fat of between 17 and 26%.
The average American woman has a body fat between 22 and 36%. You have a lot of work ahead of you, so make sure you pick a solid program and stick with it.