6 pack

[freakseam]

tiger02, you're correct. The 4-8% is on the elite end of things. I did some googling and found this, which illustrates the wide spectrum of athletic body fat %:

The average man has 15 to 17% body fat, while the average woman is between 18 and 22%. Typical scores for elite athletes are 6% to 12% for men and 12% to 20% for women.

The following table details the percentage body fat for male and female athletes for a variety of sports.

Sport-------Male------Female

Baseball-----12-15% \t12-18%
Basketball----6-12% \t20-27%
Canoe/Kayak--6-12% \t10-16%
Cycling--------5-15% \t15-20%
Field & Ice Hockey---8-15% \t12-18%
Gymnastics---5-12% \t10-16%
Rowing--------6-14% \t12-18%
Swimming----9-12% \t14-24%
Tennis-------12-16% \t16-24%
Track/Runners---8-10% \t12-20%
Track/Jumpers---7-12% \t10-18%
Track/Throwers---14-20% \t20-28%
Triathlon------5-12% \t10-15%
Volleyball-----11-14% \t16-25%

 

[vincent]

I think that a person's metabolism is a very important factor. For instance, I have a very quick metabolism and I am under 10% body fat...Therefore, in my case, the food I eat does not play a determining role in achieving a 6 pack. Constant abdominal exercise is the key to obtaining a six pack..at least for me.

I started doing an ab workout on a daily basis with the use of a swiss ball three weeks ago and I have achieved great results..its just a matter of a month or two until i have a perfect 6 pack...

 

[Impulse155]

thanks guys, youve all been a great help, freakseem, n e way you can find %fat for a soccer player(that would be me) or swimmer thx

also, how can i figure out my % body fat?

thtx guys, love you

 

[Impulse155]

so far...lost about 9 lbs guys trying to go for another 28 or so

 

[Mr. Checks]

Originally Posted by Impulse155

Heres what i would normally eat a day
Tell me if there would be any ways to fix it

Breakfast:
Cereal bar: South beach diet one
never really to hungry

Lunch:
turkey sandwhich on whole wheat bread
2 fruits/vegetable usually carrot sticks, bannana, orange, califlower
Low fat chewy garnola bar

Dinner:
Usually a main meal: fish/chicken/steak/pasta etc
Vegetable or 2 (not w/ the pasta unles you consider tomatoes) usually a potatoe/string beans/ asparagas/broccoli/califlower/corn etc...

Usually dont snack inbetween

Critique plz if you would

Ditch the wheat bread (ditch all breads) for sprouted grain breads like the Ezekeial brand. Kind of dry, but serves the purpose of getting away from refined and sugared breads.

Not just any fish, but concentrate on salmon and (if you can get it) mackerel.

Not a fan of the cereal bar; go with a rolled oats and some fresh fruit, or a health-food cereal.

Do snack between meals, it sounds like you don't have enough calories to fuel a grown man there.

(for those of you who met me last year, I've lost 12 pounds eating and exercising since then, following the above guides)

 

[tsloop]

Originally Posted by Mr. Checks

Ditch the wheat bread (ditch all breads) for sprouted grain breads like the Ezekeial brand. Kind of dry, but serves the purpose of getting away from refined and sugared breads.

Not just any fish, but concentrate on salmon and (if you can get it) mackerel.

Not a fan of the cereal bar; go with a rolled oats and some fresh fruit, or a health-food cereal.

Do snack between meals, it sounds like you don't have enough calories to fuel a grown man there

I agree, that doesnt sound like a lot of food, I'm cutting at the moment and I still have to eat 3200 calories to stay healthy. If you want to know how many calories you should eat each day to lose weight you should go here: http://www.michaelandkendra.com/BMRCALC/bmrcalc.htm
They have an excel spreadsheet where you enter your height, weight, and age and it tells you how many calories you should eat each day to lose 1lb, 2lbs, etc. per week. It also gives you a macro breakdown so you know how much should be coming from protein, carbs, and fat.

 

[crisis]

Originally Posted by SartorialSheepdog

Nahhh...genetics is just an excuse. Practically everyone can achieve the "6-pack" if they stripe away body fat. The bigger problem is that most people will look anorexic, unless they first have built substantial muscle.

Haha, i don't know about that. I hope i just didn't spend a quarter at a university sitting in a course titled "genetics and obesity" for nothing. For most people a six pack is attainable with work but the difficulty of achieving this goal fluctuates a lot between people.

 

[SartorialSheepdog]

Originally Posted by scnupe7

More important than excercise and eating are your genes. None of this will work if you don't have the genes for a six pack.

Crisis, I could be overly harsh but the above comment deserved such. Regardless, it seems that you agree with me as "Practically everyone can achieve the '6-pack'" is essentially the same as "For most people a six pack is attainable with work."

I would agree that genetics does play a role in acheiving the ideal summer look and that you are completely correct in that this comes easier for certain "genetically gifted" peoples. Though, I do think that way too many people use genetics as an excuse instead of intelligently busting their ass in the gym.

 

[Arethusa]

Body type (genetics by extension) plays a major role, but it also plays a major role as an excuse. I'm rather ectomorphic, and I likely will never stand a chance of competing in, say, a MetRx lifting competition. But I am skinny (not anorexic on a technicality, but at 5'10" and 130lbs, I might as well be), and that is my fault. In a similar sense, an extremely endomorphic person may not keep a six pack naturally (I'm probably around 7-9% bodfat naturally, and I basically can't go higher) or at least as easily, but it is definitely possible with work and careful, healthy nutrition (complex carbohydrates, sufficient protein, etc).

 

[Kent Wang]

Originally Posted by Mr. Checks

Not just any fish, but concentrate on salmon and (if you can get it) mackerel.
Why mackerel? It's tasty, sure, but I believe it's one of the fattiest fish out there.

 

[tiger02]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

(I'm probably around 7-9% bodfat naturally, and I basically can't go higher)
I thought so too, when I was 20

 

[Joseph Casazza]

There is far too much variability among human beings to say that "everyone" can develop a particular physical "look". At 53, I have 10% body fat, and I maintain this with weights and by swimming. But I am also 6'2" and 155 lbs, and I have just never had the kind of muscle definition held up as an ideal. Is it genetic? Probably at least in part. My father was very fit, could lift far more weight than I can, had quite a bit more muscle mass, about the same body fat as I do, but still did not have very highly defined abdominals. So, strive to be fit, but the "look" you achieve might not fit your ideal image.

 

[colin_]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

(I'm probably around 7-9% bodfat naturally, and I basically can't go higher)
Yeah I doubt this. 7-9 is close to competition lean and you would have to look pretty ripped. Just because you don't weigh very much doesn't mean your bodyfat is necessarily low. Skinny people who don't weigh very much usually have very little muscle mass. This in turn allows (more easily) for fat storage. So yeah

 

[Oltmann]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Why mackerel? It's tasty, sure, but I believe it's one of the fattiest fish out there.

Precisely the point.

Fat in fish comes mainly in the form of omega-3 ***** acids, which have numerous health benefits.

n-3 ***** acids

 

[Brian SD]

Originally Posted by colin_

Yeah I doubt this. 7-9 is close to competition lean and you would have to look pretty ripped. Just because you don't weigh very much doesn't mean your bodyfat is necessarily low. Skinny people who don't weigh very much usually have very little muscle mass. This in turn allows (more easily) for fat storage. So yeah

I disagree from experience. Im the same way as Arethusa. My body fat fluctuates between 6.5 and 8% and I'm not very ripped.