A Target Body Fat Percentage for Six Pack Abs
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
Many people want to lose fat because they want to have 6-pack abs. Actually, they want to reduce the amount of fat on their bellies so their abs become visible. And they know the only real way to get rid of abdominal fat is to get rid of overall body fat.
So you’re probably wondering what body fat percentage someone needs to reach before their abs will show. That depends on two things: your sex and your genetics.
Your sex matters because women naturally have a higher percentage of body fat than men. A woman doesn’t need to reduce her body fat as far as a man does for her abs to be visible. Making things even harder for guys is the fact that guys usually accumulate a higher percentage of their total body fat around their bellies. That means that a guy has to push his body fat percentage down very low before his abs will be visible.
Your genes affect the fat distribution on your body. For some lucky people, any excess body fat is stored evenly around their body. But for most of us, it seems that every excess bit of fat goes right to their belly or butt. So thanks to genetics, two people whose abs are clearly visible may have greatly different body fat percentages.
There are no tests that will tell you what percentage you personally need to achieve to have six-pack abs. The only way to know for sure is to try and see what happens. You need to keep pushing your body fat percentage down until your abs are visible.
Ok, ok. I’ll stop beating around the bush and tell you what fat percentage you need to reach to achieve six pack abs. As you read in the preceding paragraphs, it is impossible to give a single number that works for everyone, so the best I can give you is a range of numbers taken from a range of sources. Here are some body fat ranges you should aim for to really show off your abs:
Men: If you want your full six pack of abdominal muscles visible, your body fat percentage will have to be somewhere below 11%. If you can get your body fat percentage down below 8%, you’re virtually guaranteed to have a clearly visible six pack.
Women: For your abs to be clearly visible, you must get your body fat level down to something less than 17%. Taking it below 14% would be even better. These are higher numbers than the guys have to hit, but remember that you naturally have a higher fat percentage, so you have as much work to do as men do.
Those numbers are difficult to reach, but not unattainable. Depending on whose results you use, the average American male has a body fat percentage of between 17 and 26% while the average American female has a body fat of between 22 and 36%.
You have your work cut out for you, so make sure you pick a solid program and stick with it.
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