6 pack

oaz94112 · Post 15 Sep 2005, 16:19

how long does it take to get a 6 pack and what should i do to get it as fast as possible?

B Heck · Post 15 Sep 2005, 17:47

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The only way to get a "six-pack" is to lower your bodyfat below 10% for men and about 15% for women. The muscle is already there, it's just hidden behind a layer of fat. There is no magic exercise that will spot reduce fat from your abdomen. You have to burn more calories than you eat. To avoid burning up muscle, regular exercise helps.

karlofootball10 · Post 15 Sep 2005, 19:06

The only way to get a "six-pack" is to lower your bodyfat below 10% for men and about 15% for women. The muscle is already there, it's just hidden behind a layer of fat. There is no magic exercise that will spot reduce fat from your abdomen. You have to burn more calories than you eat. To avoid burning up muscle, regular exercise helps.

are you serious, i heard that under 12% wasnt healthy, because u basically have no fat, so that means no energy. but i can see my ab muscles(not really six pack, but visible muscle, and im over 12% definetly.

B Heck · Post 15 Sep 2005, 21:02

Okay, I am willing to "rowback" on the exact number, but not my main assertion that you need to lose bodyfat to present chiseled abs. My standard for good abs is somewhat distorted from my experience as a bodybuilder. Your standard might vary. Most pro-footballers have an average bodyfat of 14% (16% for women), although that number has been dropping over the last ten years (I just glanced through some sports journal articles). There are some outstanding athletes who have recorded bodyfat levels of 6%. Bodybuilders go a little lower than that. Below 4-5% and you are asking for trouble. Several studies have suggested that percent bodyfat down to around 8% is inversely related to maximal aerobic capacity (i.e, lower is better down to about 8%).

Maggie here is about 17% in the last picture:

This guy went from 18% to 8%:

tico18 · Post 16 Sep 2005, 20:09

Mine is 4%,and I think I can't be healthier

,I've never had an injury of any type,I've never broke a bone,and If I get a cold it lasts only 2 days.
I know a guy from the swimming team whose fat percent is 2.I don't think I'm unhealthy,I'm just a lil bit skinny,and no one has ever pushed me off the ball cuz I push first

.

romania_soccer · Post 16 Sep 2005, 21:23

tico18 wrote:Mine is 4%,and I think I can't be healthier ,I've never had an injury of any type,I've never broke a bone,and If I get a cold it lasts only 2 days.I know a guy from the swimming team whose fat percent is 2.

Maybe that's the fat percentage of a cadaver, because 2-3% is impossible really. Even 4% would be showing only bones (depending on yor muscle mass). Below 6% is very bad in my opinion, anyways, reaching a percentage that low would need extreme efforts combined with genetics that'd help. Around 10 to 12% would be fine for a 6 pack.

Sweeper5 · Post 16 Sep 2005, 21:30

Lance Armsrotng the cyclist only has about 3% body fat and look what he can do

romania_soccer · Post 16 Sep 2005, 21:36

Where did you get that from?

B Heck · Post 16 Sep 2005, 22:10

Lance has 8-10% bodyfat. http://www.edb.utexas.edu/coyle/content ... %20JAP.pdf

Measuring bodyfat accurately requires hydrostatic weighing or whole body scanners. The skinfold calipers and electrical resistance meters that most people use are wildly inaccurate.

romania_soccer · Post 17 Sep 2005, 02:37

I completely agree here, skinfold calipers MAY give a slightly good measurement, but that highly depends on the person's skill with it. The problem with the hydrostatic weighing (which is very precise as B Heck said!!) is that it's costly (around 300-400$ I think) and that it's not so common, you'd need to go to a university to find it available (correct me if I'm wrong).

dudernahata · Post 19 Sep 2005, 06:23

when bruce lee was at his peak he had less than one percent body fat

romania_soccer · Post 19 Sep 2005, 12:46

Ok look, fat is ESSENTIAL! There is a certain percentage of fat that is necessary in order for your body to work correctly (around 12% for women and 4% for men). There is also a thing called intramuscular fat, so even if you're full of muscles, you're gonna have fat no matter what.

"A certain amount of fat is essential to bodily functions. Fat regulates body temperature, cushions and insulates organs and tissues and is the main form of the body's energy storage."

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm

Ahmadinho · Post 22 Oct 2005, 23:47

is it true that having a strong core or a ripped 6-pack helps you run faster because my coach told me speed comes from your core not just your thights and calves

mustahfa10 · Post 31 Oct 2005, 03:20

if ur body fat is below 2% your bodily functions crash causes death or severe disfigurements. bruce lee would have died at his peak if his body fat was below one percent. most body builders are around 4%...otherwise your body cant hold water...which basically means your screwed. i have about 11% body fat and i have a six pack.

arsenalrools · Post 04 Nov 2005, 16:49

im extremely thin since i study in India where its extremely hot at times and i play a lot of football there, and since my school lunch food is so bad, i dont bother eating lunch wen im there.... hehehe... but i can see a six easy and an 8 developing.... LoL.... Only good for girls... but actually i don excersise to develop any of my muscle and its all natural muscle that i hav... i find that working out or excersising is too much for me and im too lazy for it..