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How much body fat is needed to lose to see your abs? Experts can answer this!

What we will discuss :

  • What is the maximum amount of fat on the body so that you can see your abs? 
  • What is the minimum amount of fat to see shredded abs?
  • Why can't we reach the 0% fat stage?
  • How is our abs and body look at different fat levels?
  • How much fat is the healthiest option for us for muscle building?
  • What are the negative sides of reducing fat level at the maximum level?
  • What are the methods to check the body fat percentage? 
Watch this video which will help you to understand this post better!
Here is the example of a bodybuilder at different fat levels from 18%-6%

Many people do a lot of hard work to make shredded six-pack abs but the results are far less than their expectation. What will be your reaction if I say that you have got your 6-pack abs but you can't see. This is because your abs are hidden by the layer of fat on your abdominal region.

{This fat is measured in the percentage called the body fat percentage (which represents the total body fat you have).}

Yes, you might have got your abs but the layer of fat that is hiding your progress. 

Now you may have a question in your head then what is the maximum number of the percentage of fat so that you can see the noticeable result?

The answer is not exact for all men and women because different personalities have different distributions of fat on the body, some have more fat on the abdominal region and less fat on the other body parts, on the other hand some may have less fat on the abdominal region and more fat on the other parts of the body. 

So for those who have less fat at the abdominal region may get noticeable abs even at the higher percentage of body fat.

So what will be the minimum percentage of fat you can get to have the best shredded abs? 

So the short answer is 4%-6% of body fat (1*). If you are able to achieve a number in between this for a longer period of time, then it can be very unhealthy for your body. To understand the reason, at first you have to know the types of body fat we have. 

There are mainly two types of fat one is called essential fat and the second one is known as the non-essential fat. The essential fat is that which protects our vital organs, checks the hormones balance, responsible for healthy metabolism. And the non-essential fat ,especially subcutaneous fat which is a stored energy just under the skin. Almost 90% of body fat is of this type. This is that fat which can hide your abs. There are other fats which are not good for our body such as visceral fat, white fat (come in both category of good fat and bad fat ) and subcutaneous fat (if presence is excess then it comes in bad fat).

This makes clear for us that reducing the fat percentage level at an extreme level can badly target our essential and non essential fats and ultimately affects our body strength and affects the normal functioning of the body.

It is important to reduce body fat percentage level but this is not only the key which will help you in making a lean body and six pack abs. With this you have a very strong will power to do your workout or practise on the regular basis as per your schedule and follow your abs workout session with great accuracy and with proper guidelines. In order to solve your problem we have already made the 22 days abs workout challenge with proper guidelines and gif's so that you can easily understand the exercises and perform them in the most effective way.

Now let us assume that you are doing your workout in the best way possible. So the appearance of abs with respect to body fat in the given picture for men is

How-much-body-fat-is-needed-to-lose-to-see-your-abs?-Experts-can-answer-this!
Image Source - Google|Image By - athleanx.com 

Body Fat Percentage : above 30%

This is the obese form of a man. With this body fat percentage, you can't see any abs muscles. This much body fat will put you at a higher risk of stage. There is a high risk of heart related problems and may become a victim of diabetes. 

Body Fat Percentage : 25-30%

This range also comes in the unhealthy range but not much as unhealthy than we discussed above. So a man has to do work on his fat percentage level to come in the healthy range. For your more information, 25% body fat is a critical point for men. This means, more body fat you have than this point, more your abdominal looks rounded.

Body Fat Percentage : 20-24%

At this point of time you have entered between the healthy and unhealthy range having a little bit hanging fat at the belly.

Body Fat Percentage : 16-19%

With this range you have come out from the unhealthy category and fall in the healthy range. In this range, you can see some definition of abs muscle in some areas but far less present in the lower abdominal region. You are still far away from the vascularity. With this achievement, you also stave off diseases which are related with excess body fat.

Body Fat Percentage : 13-15%

You start to look lean but still you can't see your abs with well defined shape. The same case is also applicable for other muscles of the body. 

Body Fat Percentage : 11-12%

In this range, now you are actually on the track of popping-up abs muscles. You look more muscular. In this, you can easily see the noticeable change in the body composition. Your arms and shoulders start to become vascular and see some abdominal definition.

Body Fat Percentage : 8-10%

This is the range that most men want to get because in this range abs and muscles can be easily seen, easy to sustain in day to day life and even a safest range for our body. After all, fat is a vital thing for us for the normal operation of our body.

Your all muscles can easily be seen but vascularity and striations are less present. This can also be the reason that men want to be in this look because of less vascularity and smoother look.

But in this you are not much shredded. Below this range you will enter the range of bodybuilders.

Body Fat Percentage : 5-7%

This range is impractical for the majority to live by. As this range is specially for the professional bodybuilder and fitness models getting ready for photo-shoot and for movie actors for specific scenes in the movie. To achieve this and maintain this a person requires a lot of hard work and dedication.

Even bodybuilders don't maintain this percentage of body fat for the whole year because of the reason that maintaining this much body fat for the longer period of time can be harmful for their healthy life. 

At this stage, you can see some vascularity and striations.

Body Fat Percentage : 1-4%

This is the lowest level of body fat percentage. This is the target goal for the pro-bodybuilders for competition. Maintaining this percentage is even tough for pro-bodybuilders. Sometimes this range is even not recommended for many guys. At this range you will not only see the clear separation of muscles but also see vascularity and striations.

But with this, it carries a lot of problems if we maintain this percentage for the longer period of time.

Some problems due to low body fat are :
  • can damage our nervous system,
  • shrink organs,
  • lead to muscle loss,
  • lead to dehydration and fragile the bone structure.
Now the question is, how will you get to know how much percentage of fat your body acquires?

There are many methods to check body fat percentage but honestly there is not even a single perfect method to check the exact percentage.

Some methods are :

1) Skin Calipers

In this, your skin is pinched with a device for 3-7 times at different places such as chest, arms, thighs, triceps and abs. 

There is an error range of 3.5-5%. But this device is affordable and easily available on online

2) Body Circumference Measurement

In this method, the circumference of some parts of the body is measured and then with some calculation anybody can find out the fat percentage.
 
There is an error of 2.5-4.5%. This test requires just one flexible tap which is easily available in the market, affordable in price. The test consumes less time.

3) Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA)

In this, two different energies of x-rays are used. These x-rays scan your body for about 10 minutes. This DXA test is only available in the medical or research settings. The error of this test is lower than the above mentioned tests which is 2.5-3.5%.

4) Hydrostatic Weighing

In this our body weight is measured when our body is submerged under water and when you are on the dry land. This information is used to do some calculation then results tell us the percentage of body fat.

The error of this test is even lower which is 2% but the instrument required for this is only available at universities, medical settings or at certain fitness facilities. This test consumes relatively less time.

5) Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)

In this, a small electrical current is passed from our body. BIA machines automatically enter our body response in a certain equation and give us the body fat percentage. 

The accuracy of this test is 3.8-5%. This device is quick and easy. But the devices used are expensive and available in medical and research settings.

Besides these tests, there are many other alternatives which are available in the market.

I hope, you found it to be helpful.

If yes, then subscribe this blog to get notified so that you never miss a chance to read this type of health related knowledge and tips.
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