There are two aspects of “perfect abs”:
- Muscle development
- Body composition
So, to begin with muscle development:
The abdominals are a complex set of muscles (see image at bottom), but the most visible ones are the rectus abdominis, the large muscle in the mid-section of the abdomen and, next to it on both sides of the body, the external and internal obliques. Of course we all have these muscles, and if there is little fat between these muscles and the skin, these will be more visible.
However, what they look like can be influenced by training. Like any other muscle, abdominals will hypertrophy with the right training. What does this mean in terms of aesthetics? Well, it can make the rectus abdominis muscles larger, and therefore more clearly defined. “Stronger looking” is the best descriptor that I can come up with—the sort of abs you can actually see under a tight shirt rather than a flat yet well-defined six-pack. (See the final two pictures at the bottom for a demonstration of what I mean) For the “see under your shirt” abs, unless you are just genetically gifted, you will need to train for. For a visible six-pack shirtless, so called “skinny abs,” you probably just need to lose weight. And if you’d like some strategies for developing muscular abs just ask.
Now, to body composition:
Even if you have very muscular, well developed abdominal muscles, they will not be apparent if there is too much subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin). And even if you don’t have muscular, well developed abdominal muscles, you will still have a visible six pack if your body fat is low enough. For men, the abdominal muscles usually become visible at about 15% body fat and below, and about 19% for women.
Generally, most people can lose fat much faster than gain muscle. So if you want a visible six-pack, lowering your body composition is key. We never suggest losing more than two pounds a week unless you are extremely obese. So, depending on how much weight you need to lose, you can figure out about how long it will take you to get a six pack. Note that this formula below is not exact, since as you lose fat your total weight also decreases. However, this is a rough and ready way to estimate how long it will take you to reach your body comp goals.
- Determine your fat mass by multiplying your body weight by your percentage fat as determined by a reliable body composition monitor or a caliper test. Find the total.
- Now, multiply your body weight by the desired percentage body fat. Find the total.
- Subtract the total actual fat from the total of desired fat.
- For a very optimistic estimate, divide by 2, and this will be the number of weeks to meet your goal. More realistically, this is the number of weeks to meet your goal.
- For example, you weight 180 pounds and are 22% fat. You want to be 10% fat. So,
180 x 22% = 39.6 actual pounds of fat.
180 x 10% = 18 pounds of fat as desired goal
Need to lose 21.6 pounds of fat
Optimistic time estimate: 11 weeks to goal
More realistic time estimate: 22 weeks to goal
There is no short-cut that can be taken outside of liposuction to remove the subcutaneous fat. A good diet and exercise regime (which could incorporate training your abs) is the fastest path to those oh-so-coveted abs.
ABDOMINAL MUSCLE COMPLEX:
“SKINNY” ABS:
TRAINED ABS:
- you can also watch a youtube video
