Don't really know who to ask this question to...

meganpowell94
meganpowell94 Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
So, bear with me, I'm kinda confused and want some opinions. Right now my Body Fat % is 26.68%, which is acceptable but not ideal. I'm just another girl that wants abs I suppose, but I don't really know much about goal-setting when it comes to abs. I don't know what Body Fat % I should be aiming for.

Also, another issue is that I want to be able to see my abs while still looking feminine (meaning I don't want my boobies to leave me...). At what weight and/or Body Fat % should I be able to see some definition in my tummy while still having curves?

Sorry for all the bluntness. Here is what I look like now - this may help:

2qurwiq.jpg

30lkn01.jpg

Sorry for rambling :blushing:

Replies

  • Twiztedbeing
    Twiztedbeing Posts: 389
    Well seeing as you do not have much fat around the abs, then as long as you continue on a healthy diet you should not really lose to much, I think all you really need to do is a lot of crunches (I prefer weighted) but whatever you choose. I think if you got them defined you would begin to see them and would not really have to worry about losing them.
  • frankranieri16
    frankranieri16 Posts: 8 Member
    I have to agree with the above post. Stick to the diet and ab-work.. it'll come. I don't want to be weird here.. but I'm just going to come out and say it.. you look amazing as is.. gorgeous in my book. Good luck!
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    you have a gorgeous figure! just keep eating healthy and the abs will come. you dont need to lose weight, just change your body fat percentage, lift heavy, lose 5%
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    um, no, crunches will not get you a six-pack. Diet, squats and deadlifts are what get you a six-pack.

    Look into heavy lifting now -- check out NEW RULES OF LIFTING FOR WOMEN, STARTING STRENGTH, or STRONGLIFTS.COM, and adjust your macros so you get about 30% protein. You may want to put carbs down <30%; some will say <20% to get lean.

    You can start to see some definition usually around 20-22% BF. For a full-on 6-pk, though, you'll need to get it down <18%.

    BTW, you look lovely right now.
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    You're going to need to train your whole body, as you can't target where you lose body fat from. Training, a good combination of strength and cardio, will also strengthen and tone your muscles, enhancing your cut, athletic look. Everyone is different as to when you start getting that really defined, muscles popping out look but on average women will get that around the 12% body fat range (men have to get under 8%).

    Diet is key in reaching those low body fat levels.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,994 Member
    um, no, crunches will not get you a six-pack. Diet, squats and deadlifts are what get you a six-pack.

    Look into heavy lifting now -- check out NEW RULES OF LIFTING FOR WOMEN, STARTING STRENGTH, or STRONGLIFTS.COM, and adjust your macros so you get about 30% protein. You may want to put carbs down <30%; some will say <20% to get lean.

    You can start to see some definition usually around 20-22% BF. For a full-on 6-pk, though, you'll need to get it down <18%.

    BTW, you look lovely right now.
    THIS. Same advice I would give. Of all the females that have visible six packs that are clients of mine, ALL of them lift heavy.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    You're going to need to train your whole body, as you can't target where you lose body fat from. Training, a good combination of strength and cardio, will also strengthen and tone your muscles, enhancing your cut, athletic look. Everyone is different as to when you start getting that really defined, muscles popping out look but on average women will get that around the 12% body fat range (men have to get under 8%).

    Diet is key in reaching those low body fat levels.

    Women at 12% body fat are anorexic. Six pack at 16-18.

    If you want to look, you can see my pix in the profile; BF is around 20-21% in the more recent white skirt pic. Certainly no 6-pk, but some definition.
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
    um, no, crunches will not get you a six-pack. Diet, squats and deadlifts are what get you a six-pack.

    Look into heavy lifting now -- check out NEW RULES OF LIFTING FOR WOMEN, STARTING STRENGTH, or STRONGLIFTS.COM, and adjust your macros so you get about 30% protein. You may want to put carbs down <30%; some will say <20% to get lean.

    You can start to see some definition usually around 20-22% BF. For a full-on 6-pk, though, you'll need to get it down <18%.

    BTW, you look lovely right now.

    Was about to type something similar about the crunches.

    Also unfortunately, we can't dictate where we lose fat, so it's up to your genetics if your boobs will stay or not. You look great now, so it's just depends on what you want as far as definition/muscle tone goes.
  • Pedal_Pusher
    Pedal_Pusher Posts: 1,166 Member
    Long live the boobies...
  • 110lbs50kgs
    110lbs50kgs Posts: 14
    I'm at 18% body fat and I still don't have the ab definition I want. You'll need a good amount of cardio. Start weight lifting for your full body, even if it's low amounts of weight. Also start doing some really long ab planks.
  • Twiztedbeing
    Twiztedbeing Posts: 389
    As far as the whole dead lifting for abs thing goes, I have checked out the site and from what I can see, is sounds no different than any other program to try and get you fit. I do not see any actual proof other than them saying it works and "testimonials" just like every other site.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    As far as the whole dead lifting for abs thing goes, I have checked out the site and from what I can see, is sounds no different than any other program to try and get you fit. I do not see any actual proof other than them saying it works and "testimonials" just like every other site.

    ? what site?

    all weightlifters know this to be true. it is not propaganda on one site.
  • Twiztedbeing
    Twiztedbeing Posts: 389

    ? what site?

    all weightlifters know this to be true. it is not propaganda on one site.

    stronglifts.com

    How can all the weight lifters know this, yet there is julian micheals who doesnt teach it, p90x who doesnt teach it and no one at my gym really focusing on it? There is no more proof that it works than any of these programs, thats what I mean.
  • Twiztedbeing
    Twiztedbeing Posts: 389
    I am not saying that it cannot work, but for someone to say that weighted crunches, or crunches in general cant work sounds wrong in many ways.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member

    ? what site?

    all weightlifters know this to be true. it is not propaganda on one site.

    stronglifts.com

    How can all the weight lifters know this, yet there is julian micheals who doesnt teach it, p90x who doesnt teach it and no one at my gym really focusing on it? There is no more proof that it works than any of these programs, thats what I mean.

    Jillian Michaels does not do powerlifting and P90x is not a powerlifting program. Why? Because lots of people do not want to lift. Lifting is hard. People don't like to do hard things. There are people who actually believe that they can buy a silly product and workout for 5 minutes a day and get Arnold Schwarzenegger's body. These same people might be willing to invest in subprime mortgages, I don't know.

    Can't really say why anyone in your gym (or anywhere else, for that matter) does what they do. Maybe they like what they do, or they don't know what else to do, they are intimidated by trying new things, they are lazy, they believe they can't do anything different, whatever.

    Anyway, if deadlifts were easy, they'd be called ellipticals.

    EDIT: I just googled Jillian Michaels "Core Power Mini Workout" where she promises you can get "toned" (ugh, please) and "get abs without doing crunches" hmmmmmmm.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    I am not saying that it cannot work, but for someone to say that weighted crunches, or crunches in general cant work sounds wrong in many ways.

    well, you can do 1000 crunches x 1000 days, or you can squat and deadlift some real weight 5x5.
  • waskier
    waskier Posts: 254 Member
    I've found some very good advice on this website. Good luck. You look great.

    http://www.builtlean.com/2011/05/11/how-to-get-ripped-and-cut/

    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
    I am not saying that it cannot work, but for someone to say that weighted crunches, or crunches in general cant work sounds wrong in many ways.

    Dude, you might need a broscience warning on your posts if you keep up this stellar level of advice.

    Just FYI, having visible abdominal muscles is almost entirely a result of body fat (ie primarily diet controlled). As for strengthening, working your abs is like any other muscle. Let me give you an example:

    2 guys start at the gym, one does 200 unweighted squats each session for 2 months. The other works with a loaded bar on his shoulders and slowly increases the weight over time to keep his muscles under pressure, all the while only doing 3 sets of 10. Who do you think is going to be stronger and develop more muscle in that two month period. Seems obvious right?

    Well the same applies to abs. Growing the muscle is best done with more strenuous exercises that emphasise growth. This is better achieved through keeping the body under tension with smaller sessions of heavier weights than blasting through hundreds of crunches.

    Hope that made sense to you.

    PS, I was going to give some advice to the OP specifically, but she's already deleted her account :huh:
  • thisisjl
    thisisjl Posts: 1,074 Member
    There are TONS of way to work your Abs not just normal crunches. I've been going to a personal trainer for a while now once a week and working out on my own the rest of the week and each and every time I'm with her she has me doing a completely different type of abdominal work out. Sometimes it's some type of a crunch some times its working the side of the abs sometimes it's weighted some times it's not. I think you need to research different work outs and go with what fits your lifestyle and work outs best.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,994 Member
    2 of the best "core" exercises are squats and deadlifts. Why? Because with a weak "core", you can't do them.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I am not saying that it cannot work, but for someone to say that weighted crunches, or crunches in general cant work sounds wrong in many ways.

    Dude, you might need a broscience warning on your posts if you keep up this stellar level of advice.

    Just FYI, having visible abdominal muscles is almost entirely a result of body fat (ie primarily diet controlled). As for strengthening, working your abs is like any other muscle. Let me give you an example:

    2 guys start at the gym, one does 200 unweighted squats each session for 2 months. The other works with a loaded bar on his shoulders and slowly increases the weight over time to keep his muscles under pressure, all the while only doing 3 sets of 10. Who do you think is going to be stronger and develop more muscle in that two month period. Seems obvious right?

    Well the same applies to abs. Growing the muscle is best done with more strenuous exercises that emphasise growth. This is better achieved through keeping the body under tension with smaller sessions of heavier weights than blasting through hundreds of crunches.

    Hope that made sense to you.

    PS, I was going to give some advice to the OP specifically, but she's already deleted her account :huh:

    Oh, he defiinitely could use the broscience warning on his posts, not just here but in multiple threads!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    As far as the whole dead lifting for abs thing goes, I have checked out the site and from what I can see, is sounds no different than any other program to try and get you fit. I do not see any actual proof other than them saying it works and "testimonials" just like every other site.

    <-- I only work abs in isolation 1 day/week for 10 minutes. It really comes down to BF%, ab work will not give you a 6 pack. You will strengthen your core doing compound lifts with heavy weights.
  • BarbWhite09
    BarbWhite09 Posts: 1,128 Member
    You don't seem to have much fat around your midsection, so If i were you I'd just start an ab routine...Give the Jillian Michaels 6 Week 6 Pack a try!
  • LovingLisa2012
    LovingLisa2012 Posts: 775 Member
    PS, I was going to give some advice to the OP specifically, but she's already deleted her account :huh:

    just wanted to bring this to attention ..
  • nola70115
    nola70115 Posts: 3 Member
    Honey, you look great. There's nothing wrong with strengthening your core muscles for fitness' sake, but don't feel like you have to for your appearance. It's perfect already.

    Something my ob/gyn once told me - you might ask your own MD - is that some women have uteruses (uteri?) that tilt forwards, while others' tilt backwards. If you have a forward tilting uterus, it's just about impossible to get a six-pack on your lower abdomen. Other individual differences in skeletal structure and body type also effect the relative likelihood of having visibly defined abs regardles of strength or body fat ratio. Again, it's great to strengthen those muscles, but don't put being able to see them above other fitness goals. It might just not be the way your body is made to look.

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