Many people start a fat loss program because they want to have six pack abs. More specifically, they want to reduce the amount of fat on their bellies so their abs become visible. And understand that the only way to get rid of abdominal fat is to reduce overall body fat.
This leads to the question, "How low must your body fat percentage be before your abs are visible?" The answer is, "it depends." More specifically, it depends on your gender and genetics.
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. Even worse for guys is the fact that males tend to store more of their total body fat around their bellies. That means that a guy has to push his body fat percentage way down before his abs will be visible.
Your genetic makeup also affects the way locations where fat is stored on your body. For some people, any excess body fat is distributed around their body. For others, 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 body fat percentages that differ a good bit.
There aren't any good tests around that will tell you exactly 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 moving in the right direction 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 see those abs. As you read in the preceding paragraphs, there are a few factors that affect things, so the best I can give you is a range of numbers created by reviewing a range of sources. If you want your abs to be easily visible, you'll need to hit a body fat percentage somewhere in the following ranges:
Men: If you want your full 6-pack of abdominal muscles visible, your body fat percentage will have to be somewhere below 11%. If you get it down below 8%, you'll almost certainly have a clearly visible six pack.
Women: You must get your body fat percentage down to below 17%. Going under 14% would be even better. These are higher numbers than males have to hit, but remember that you naturally have a higher fat percentage, so you have as much work to do as men do.
Getting down to the necessary body fat percentage won't be easy, but it isn't impossible. An average American male has a body fat percentage of between 17 and 26%, and the average American female has a body fat of between 22 and 36%.
The keys to hitting your target will be your own determination, and the selection of a strong fitness program.
To succeed in getting your body fat percentage down to a level where you can show off your 6-pack, you need to avoid the great abs mistake. To get unbiased reviews of solid fitness plans, visit http://GetFitAtLast.com
No comments:
Post a Comment