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How thin to have a defined stomach?

post #1 of 20
12/14/07 at 3:32pm
Thread Starter 
Certainly a man needs to do ab exercises to get a nicely defined six-pack stomach. But if a man has too much fat, defined abs won't show. So I am wondering how thin does a man have to be to have a defined stomach? Would the waist size of one's dress pants be a good indicator? If so, do you have to be a size 30"? 32"? I am 5' 11", 162 lbs., do quite a bit of stomach exercises, spend quite a bit of time in the gym doing other weight work and I run. I am a size 34 waist and I don't have a defined stomach.
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post #2 of 20
12/14/07 at 3:41pm
>>Certainly a man needs to do ab exercises to get a nicely defined six-pack stomach.

False. Deadlifts, squats, or any other full-body + core exercise will build abs.

>>But if a man has too much fat, defined abs won't show.

True.

>>So I am wondering how thin does a man have to be to have a defined stomach? Would the waist size of one's dress pants be a good indicator? If so, do you have to be a size 30"? 32"? I am 5' 11", 162 lbs., do quite a bit of stomach exercises, spend quite a bit of time in the gym doing other weight work and I run. I am a size 34 waist and I don't have a defined stomach.

Genetics is dictating where you store your body fat. Also, alcohol consumption will lead to middle-of-the-road fat deposit. Same thing with stress or another releaser or cortisol. You might have a hormone panel run to see if you produce an excess of cortisol.

At 5'11" with a 30" waist, I'd say you should have at least the top abs defined.

At 162 lbs with a 34" waist, you definitely hold it in the middle. Have you tried switching from running to interval training? And of course your diet is the main key so you may want to post it.
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post #3 of 20
12/14/07 at 3:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Goldstein View Post
Certainly a man needs to do ab exercises to get a nicely defined six-pack stomach. But if a man has too much fat, defined abs won't show. So I am wondering how thin does a man have to be to have a defined stomach? Would the waist size of one's dress pants be a good indicator? If so, do you have to be a size 30"? 32"? I am 5' 11", 162 lbs., do quite a bit of stomach exercises, spend quite a bit of time in the gym doing other weight work and I run. I am a size 34 waist and I don't have a defined stomach.


I'm not sure you have to be a size 30 or 32 to have a six pack. I know plenty of guys who wear 34-36, but they're extremely cut. Then again, I guess that's not really average.
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post #4 of 20
12/14/07 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
TheHoff - thank you for your input. I think my issues are as follows: 1) Though I spend quite a bit of time exercising, my intensity level is not that high. 2) I eat a bit too much and probably could afford to lose at least 5 lbs.
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post #5 of 20
12/14/07 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
I'm not sure you have to be a size 30 or 32 to have a six pack. I know plenty of guys who wear 34-36, but they're extremely cut. Then again, I guess that's not really average.

hip size is probably what's going here - if you have larger hips, you're going to wear larger jeans, even if you're cut.
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post #6 of 20
12/14/07 at 4:43pm
I don't think waist size is a really good indicator of anything really. I'm a lot bigger than the OP (6'1 205) and my waist measures 33.5". Genetics plays a role as well.
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post #7 of 20
12/14/07 at 4:55pm
I'm 5'10, ~155 and wear a 30 in most jeans. Walking around you can see the 6, but the definition could be better - that's more of a I don't feel like cutting than anything else thing. You probably store in the stomach area, I know I do so if I gain anything that's where it goes first. Up the intensity and burn some fat off, it shouldn't take too long to get what you're looking for.
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post #8 of 20
12/14/07 at 5:02pm
it is not about how thin you are. it is more about your body fat percentage. i think the percentage is around 10-13% but when you are under that number you begin to have "six pack abs."

maybe someone who knows more knows the exact percentage and can correct me.
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post #9 of 20
12/14/07 at 5:05pm
Where's Eason? Isn't he a personal trainer... he oughta know the exact #
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post #10 of 20
12/14/07 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
Where's Eason? Isn't he a personal trainer... he oughta know the exact #
There isn't an exact number for everyone as you can store it differently. While one person who keeps the fat in his gut needs to get to 10%, someone who stores it more in their extremities or lower half might have abs at 14%. Plus the margin of error on bodyfat tests is high so unless you using water/bodpod/etc, one test might say you're 10% and one might say you're 12%.
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post #11 of 20
12/14/07 at 6:18pm
Body fat is not the crucial indicator. What matters is where you store your fat. Some people store fat in the legs and ass, some in the lower back and abs. Buy some cheap plastic $10 body fat calipers, they work well. Check your measurement on your abs every week. For a truly good six pack you will probably need to be at about 10mm or less. You can have visibility at 12-20mm though, depending on how developed your abdominals are. I think I am at about 15mm or so and I can kind of see a 4 pack. Example of calipers, to give you an idea: http://www.healthmonthly.co.uk/image...IPERS%20OK.jpg
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post #12 of 20
12/14/07 at 6:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheHoff View Post
There isn't an exact number for everyone as you can store it differently. While one person who keeps the fat in his gut needs to get to 10%, someone who stores it more in their extremities or lower half might have abs at 14%.

Plus the margin of error on bodyfat tests is high so unless you using water/bodpod/etc, one test might say you're 10% and one might say you're 12%.

Well i'm far enough away from 14% body fat, i hadn't really given this consideration! lol
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post #13 of 20
12/14/07 at 6:43pm
I'm 5'10", 30" waist 11-12% BF, and my abs are barely visible. I've pushed my BF closer to 10% a few times, and still the ab definition wasn't great. I lack the desire or dietary disclipline to go any lower, so I learned to accept that I'll never have washboard abs.
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post #14 of 20
12/14/07 at 7:03pm
Is this what you mean by "defined stomach" ?

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post #15 of 20
12/14/07 at 7:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdl203 View Post
Is this what you mean by "defined stomach" ?


That's a keg, not a six-pack, you dolt!
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