abs only at <10% body fat?

[bellator]

I read somewhere that you can only see your abs when your body fat in below 10% ?!
However the recommended body fat percentage for men is like 14-20%. Can someone shed some light on this please?

 

[MikeMartial]

I read somewhere that you can only see your abs when your body fat in below 10% ?!
However the recommended body fat percentage for men is like 14-20%. Can someone shed some light on this please?

Sure. Don't fucking worry about it. :icon_twis

In all seriousness, "who" is recommending 14-20%, and why do they state that that amount of excess adipose tissue is healthy?

Low bf% is only a small part of the overall equation of what defines fitness; as far as aesthetics, yes, it's a general rule of thumb that visualizing the rectus abdominus usually on happens at sub-10% BF levels.

 

[Deleted member 87037]

Yup, I've heard the <10% many times as well. 14-20% is BS - MikeMartial is spot on.

 

[Rowan11088]

I think they mean that having ABOVE 14 to 20% is UNhealthy...remember that 95% of stuff you'll hear about health and fitness on a day to day basis is aimed towards fat slobs.

In my experience, you're only approaching "unhealthy" levels of body fat if you get below 5%. And that's pretty unlikely unless you're cutting weight, or anorexic.

 

[Deleted member 87037]

Man I take "official" nutrition advice like that with a grain of salt. I always hear inaccurate food health/weight loss advice on the radio and half the time it's completely wrong!

 

[JinKazama]

5%-14% sounds healthy

 

[Saith]

You have to have abs first though, otherwise you won't see shit.

 

[bellator]

Thanks for clearing that up. My body fat is around 17% so i guess no abs for me for a long time. lol

 

[evilf22]

thats BS, i have clearly defined abs and am far from sub 10% BF. either that or i have a very unforgiving mirror. i can still grab a handful of backfat, so i think its BS.

 

[RedNeckJiuJitsu]

thats BS, i have clearly defined abs and am far from sub 10% BF. either that or i have a very unforgiving mirror. i can still grab a handful of backfat, so i think its BS.

I have less fat on my back than in front of my abs, by a long shot, but there's times when I can see my abs... Not that such things really matter. For the most part though, I feel good about where I am in fitness, although I should do more conditionin'. It's just a matter of do I have the time. I'm comfortable with the fact that my six-pack is still in the cooler. It doesn't hinder my ability to punch, kick, or wrestle, so I'm not worried about it.

 

[Vector_X]

I'd say for a clearly defined 6 pack that is probably a somewhat decent benchmark. Of course people will vary, but that sounds somewhat close.

 

[PunchDrunK]

I definately think it's 10% and below as far as a visual thing. I just got down to 10% bf from around 14% and I"m still not happy with my abs although you can see them well. That being said, I think as someone said earlier 10% is the benchmark and the very beginning of having super defined abs. I'm now shooting for 7-8% bf.

 

[spirez]

Body fat distribution will still vary from person to person.

 

[Skanker]

I'm at about 7%, tested 4 months ago. I don't have a 6-pack or anything but yes you can see some definition.

 

[konaboy]

Body fat distribution will still vary from person to person.

My thoughts exactly. The 10% number may be a fair benchmark but it's also got to do with your individual genetics and how and where you carry your fat. I was at 8% once and while you could see where my abs were they weren't really defined. I just carry what fat I have right at my waist so the best I could ever do was a four pack. I had the "Red Bull" of abs. Sheesh.