What is a good body fat percentage for ripped abs?
Many people start a fat loss program because they are looking to build six pack abs. More specifically, they are looking to get rid of their abdominal 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 body fat percentage you need to hit before your abs show. That depends on two things: gender and genetics.
Women naturally have a higher percentage of body fat than men. Worse yet (for men), men tend to pack 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 great 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 frame. For others, it seems like every extra ounce of body fat goes straight to their belly or butt. This means that two people whose abs are clearly visible can have quite different body fat percentages.
There is no good evidence to 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 haven’t told you yet what percentage of body 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 body fat percentages you should hit to really show off your abs:
Men: To make all of your abdominal muscles visible, you will need to reduce your fat level below 11%. If you drop it below 8%, you will 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 the guys have to hit, but remember that you naturally have a higher fat percentage, so your job is just as hard as the guys’.
Those figures are difficult to reach, but not unattainable. Depending on the results you use, the average American man has between 17-26% body fat.
The average American woman has a body fat of 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.
