What Should Your Body Fat Percentage Be To See Those ABS?

Many times we’ve been asked, “what should your body fat percentage be to see those abs?”

Men hold most of their fat in the abdomen. You cannot spot reduce body fat and the only way to shed it is to reduce your overall body fat.

Well, having those six pack abs with a defined V line are surely the hallmark sign of an aesthetic physique.

But what’s the fat percentage you need to need for all that visual abdominal goodness?

Generally, at 15% body, the upper two abs would be visible but not the bottom ones. Push it a little hard and trim about three or four more percent and you have your six pack visible.

With body fat percentage from 6 to 13%, you will definitely have a six pack along with being totally ripped. The big question here is how lean must you be to get those abs? Below are three core factors that play a vital role in body fat percentage.

1. Abdominal Genetics

The looks and layout of your abs are dependent on their genetics. For example, one may have naturally looking blockier abs while the other would have less conspicuous ab development. Similarly, if someone has smaller intercostals, they will not show. Moreover, they will need to have a lower body fat.

The layout of the abs is also important; some individuals have staggered abs, and some have perfectly lined up abs. Furthermore, some people also have the capacity to create a whole eight pack and others may only have four or six at a low body fat percentage.

However, this is something not to be concerned with. Don’t worry if your abs are staggered — it is a natural process. As long as they are visible, you should be satisfied.

2. Body Fat Distribution

The second important factor is body fat percentage, and every person has a different one. Like we discussed with the abs genetics, here too, the shedding of fat from different areas will vary. For example, you may lean out on your arms, legs, and shoulders but you still have quite a bit of fat in the midsection. If this is the case, you have to get to 7-8% body fat for some great and well-defined abs.

Contrary to this, some guys lean down smoothly over the entire body, and this is what we call perfect ‘body fat distribution.’ Even at 10-13% of body fat, their abs will be visible.

If you manage to see your abs at 10% body fat, this would be perfect because maintaining a 10% fat percentage is far easier compared to 7-8%. Moreover, it is good for your health as well.

3. Training

The last factor is ab training. Forget the above two factors for a while. Training your abs the right way is also important. This makes them stronger, thicker and more visible. Though it is not easy in the beginning, the longer you train as for, the more likely you’ll be able to transition into doing advanced abs movements.

Abs don’t show up overnight — it takes years of training, sweat and hard work to develop super powerful abs.

How to Maintain a Better Body Fat Percentage

This is where many guys fail, and this is the very reason why many men in the U.S. don’t have six-packs. You have to do what others aren’t doing. If you are already a healthy guy, the next thing to do is take your strength to new levels and to shed the maximum amount of body fat. Here are some tips to that might be helpful.

1. Count your Calories

Very important! Body fat is part of playing the calorie game. Find out where you are eating too much. If you are a fit guy, foods like peanut butter, avocados, hummus may seem very good but at the end, a calorie is a calorie. You need to count each one of them.

2. Keep a Balance of Carbs and Proteins

White recommends that for abs, one should consume four to six ounces of protein in every meal and a half cup of starch with a couple cups of vegetables. You should have three main meals and two smaller protein snacks in between. This way, your metabolism is boosted and blood sugar levels also stabilize. This burns fat faster and increases energy levels.

3. Consider cutting alcohol—or at least opting for low-calorie beers.

Alcohol content is directly related to calorie content, so high-alcohol craft beers can be 350 to 400 calories a pop. That’s a really heavy hitter that potentially halts the fat burning process, destroys your B vitamins, causes dehydration, and feeds you empty calories—all really detrimental for your fat levels from a single source.

7. Pump some iron and do some HIIT

As for workouts, focus on weight training to build the muscle and high intensity interval training to shed fat. You can get abs without doing crunches, but if you want them really defined, you need an overall workout to enhance all the muscles in the body.

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