Ladies around 5'5-5'7 - at what weight do you have abs?

Obviously you have them all the time, but at what weight are they visible for you? I'm 5'6, & they weren't visible at my lowest weight of 106. Is this my genetic fate, or do I just not have enough muscle for it to show?
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Replies

  • GymRatGirl13
    GymRatGirl13 Posts: 157 Member
    I am 5'7" and currently weight 148. My upper abs show now, but my lower abs don't make an appearance until I'm at around 135. At 125 I have veins in my lower abs, but not as much definition as I would like...genetics play a huge part. :-)
  • CJewel22
    CJewel22 Posts: 7 Member
    I'm 5'5 and weigh 111. My upper abs show and my lower "v". A HUGE factor in abs is in your diet. You have to eat in a manner that allows your body to "shed" fat over the ab muscles. Genetics do play a great factor in abs.
  • Weight is a factor but not what makes or breaks the point of showing off abs. 1) Abs are created in the gym. You have to do a lot of abs exercises. I'm talking like 200-300 reps (about 4 sets of 25 reps of 2 or 3 abs exercises). Some of my favorite are captain's chair, reverse crunch, leg lifts, ball crunches, etc. 2) Abs are revealed in the kitchen. No matter how hard you workout or how little you weigh, in order to reveal those abs you have to eat clean and know how to "tighten" your look. A friend and I compete in body competitions. I just started and I am currently trying to lose more weight for my next competition. If you look up/ Google "a figure competition diet and workout plan", that will be step one to getting you on your way. I have some abs showing and I am 5'4" and sitting at 125lbs. My upper abs are currently what show, my lower abs are a work in progress (that will take me losing a little more weight and tightening my diet). Diet Diet Diet are everything when revealign abs. If I drink a glass of wine, I can see the "softness" coming back and my muscles don't look as "hard". Just always remember, muscle weighs more than fat and you can't always rely on the scale. Its helps, but doesn't always work. Another thing is go to your local gym and ask for a body fat % measurement. Average woman is at 21-25% body fat. Body competitiors are around 15% at show time. Anyhow, hope that helps!
  • Barbellgirl
    Barbellgirl Posts: 544 Member
    I'm 5'6" and currently weigh 113 lbs and 'bulking' at the moment. I can still see my upper abs but not the lower ones. Of course I'm 46 and have had three kids so that's a factor as well. You may want to do more abdominal exercises, because at your weight you should be able to see just about every muscle you have. Genetics probably does factor in some but try to build those muscles more. Especially if your body fat % is also low.
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
    5'7. dont have abs till im at 118-120. bf% is what really matters tho. i imagine w/ the right muscle mass you could have abs at a variety of weights. also gotta consider your body type/ethnicity
  • manda1978
    manda1978 Posts: 525 Member
    Its not all about weight.

    I'm 5'7 and weigh 62kg and my abs are visible, still have some fat to shed though.
  • laurenptravers
    laurenptravers Posts: 3 Member
    Your weight will have nothing to do with your abs displaying. You can be underweight, but still carrying a layer of body fat over your stomach region which means your abs wont show. Abs are made in the kitchen! Make sure you are eating a clean diet and doing adequate cardio to eliminate stubborn belly fat, and then with some ab strength training your abs will pop through in no time :)

    For example, I'm 5'6 and weigh 48kg (I'm currently trying to gain) but my abs arent showing through because i still have some stomach fat to shed.
  • TheRealOrson
    TheRealOrson Posts: 1,415 Member
    Work your core. Compound lifts such as squats will be key.

    Get your bodyfat right down = abs

    Abs are made in the kitchen. ;)

    Whatever your weight happens to be at that time is inconsequential...
  • Finally a thread my height fits in! So I'm 5'6'' and about 107lbs. I've been at the same height and weight for years, and what really made the difference was switching from a cardio-intensity training routine to one centered on weights. That and upping my protein. Omnomnom. Still working on getting my absquares but looking at my profile pic, I think I'm well on my way:)
  • jadebuilding
    jadebuilding Posts: 90 Member
    Thanks for the feedback! I'm going to see if my university's gym has bodyfat calculating equipment... but at the moment, I'll keep with my regular routine, which has been upping protein, calories, & doing strength training. Hopefully it'll pay off, since I was skin & bones before, without the curves & toned look I wanted. :\
  • Miss_Krissy87
    Miss_Krissy87 Posts: 214 Member
    I'm 5'6 and weigh 130 pounds I'm still working on my abs my upper ones are visible but my lower ones are slowly trying to come around!
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Agree with those who said that abs are made in the kitchen. :) No matter how little you weight on the scale, if you still have a layer of fat on your belly, it will obscure the abdominals.
  • jadebuilding
    jadebuilding Posts: 90 Member
    Agree with those who said that abs are made in the kitchen. :) No matter how little you weight on the scale, if you still have a layer of fat on your belly, it will obscure the abdominals.

    The only problem for me is that the stomach area is where my body likes to store fat, so I'm afraid that if I lose enough to show abs, I will be totally flat-chested & buttless. :( Not sure if I'm willing to make that compromise, frankly, but if there's a way around it, I'd sure be glad to hear it!
  • BluejayNY
    BluejayNY Posts: 301 Member
    When I worked out my abs or was young (teens and early 20's) I remember seeing them from 117-125. I am 116 now and do not see them. I am 5'6. If I were 116 and 18 years old, I would be seeing them. At 28, not so much.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Weight is a factor but not what makes or breaks the point of showing off abs. 1) Abs are created in the gym. You have to do a lot of abs exercises. I'm talking like 200-300 reps (about 4 sets of 25 reps of 2 or 3 abs exercises). Some of my favorite are captain's chair, reverse crunch, leg lifts, ball crunches, etc. 2) Abs are revealed in the kitchen. No matter how hard you workout or how little you weigh, in order to reveal those abs you have to eat clean

    :huh:
  • I'm 5'6" and mine were visible when i went down to 100 lbs( if not lower) but now that i am 110 they are no longer visible. Of couse it has to do with how much you train, my body fat was lower back then, i was exercising 2 hours a day too and i was eating healthy so obviously those were the main factors since now i am binge eating o unhealthy foods \nd exerciing twice a week.
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
    I'm 5'5" and 126 lbs and my upper abs show. I'm around 19% BF. No idea what I'd need to be to have super defined abs.
  • DymonNdaRgh40
    DymonNdaRgh40 Posts: 661 Member
    Agree with those who said that abs are made in the kitchen. :) No matter how little you weight on the scale, if you still have a layer of fat on your belly, it will obscure the abdominals.

    The only problem for me is that the stomach area is where my body likes to store fat, so I'm afraid that if I lose enough to show abs, I will be totally flat-chested & buttless. :( Not sure if I'm willing to make that compromise, frankly, but if there's a way around it, I'd sure be glad to hear it!

    I feel the same way! I'm 5"5.5 and currently weigh 150lbs. My upper abs and obliques are showing, plus I have the outline from top to bottom. Those lower abs are what I'm working towards. I don't want to get too small, but I'll see where I'm at once I get down to 140lbs.
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
    Weight isn't much of a factor. I weighed 115 I am only 5'1 and I had 16% body fat and had a crazy 8 pk going on before getting pregnant again. I am 115 today (3 months post partum) however only at 20.5% body fat… still working on that. You can see in my picture my abs are showing but not well however my weight is the same because I need to loose a lot of fat and gain a lot of muscle. Body fat is really what you should be tracking. I find that after 19% body fat with me I can see a 4 pack nicely, 18% my 6 pack, and at 17% or under my 8pk. It has to also do with you and your body. You can't tell your body where to loose the fat so you can see the abs. You might have to get down to 15% body fat or you can see them at 21%. There is not fits all to this. It also has to do with how much you are working your abs as well. You can’t see what’s not there muscle wise no matter how lean you are.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    5'6, 118 and still not much ab definition. There is a bit of a V, but that's about it, unless I flex. I'll just keep working on it and hope I can see them by next summer!
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
    I'm 5'5 and I have what I think is the beginning of abs, but I have not lost any weight by the scale that is. So I will have to say my current weight 198
  • How do you guys get down so low in weight??? I am 5'7" and can't get down lower than 150. Already as it is I am between sizes 4 and 6, and I went to the doctor have no fat under my abdomen (had testing done for something else). I would love to get down to 135 but for whatever reason my body won't allow it.

    I have a clean diet, I am vegetarian and don't eat processed foods nor processed carbs. Help?
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    delgadodelgad- if you are in a healthy weight range, with a healthy diet, wearing small sizes why do you feel the need to drop weight? It seems to me that you are at a perfect place for you, and it's not like we walk around with our weights tattooed on our foreheads.
  • grentea
    grentea Posts: 96 Member
    In my case it's genetics. I'm 5'4 and 138 lbs. My abs are visible at this weight and so are my ribs! I carry all of my weight in my lower body. I don't do any ab work and I'm kinda afraid of what my abs would look like if I did! I would probably have a six pack, which is totally not what I'm going for.
  • pandorakick
    pandorakick Posts: 901 Member
    I'm at 1.65 m / 5'5" and 54 kg / 118 pounds and only have some of my obliques showing. The rest is still hidden under what must be my biggest store of remaining bodyfat. If only some of that fat went into my boobs instead....

    ETA; I have been at 48 kg / 106 pounds during an unfortunate episode about 11 years ago but can't remember having showing abs even at that weight.
  • alysa521
    alysa521 Posts: 137 Member
    Agree with everyone who says weight has nothing to do with it. I currently am 5’7’’,148 lbs, and 20% body fat (via bodpod test). My four upper abs show, my lower two do not. I need to be around 18% for them to show. For reference I weighed 127 lbs in college running marathons and none of my abs showed because of what I ate and the lack of strength training.

    The best thing I have done to help my abs become more defined in focus on strength training and crossfit. Deadlifts, squats, clean and jerks, and snatches have done more for my abs and core then all the crunches/sit ups I have done in my life.
  • VelvetMorning
    VelvetMorning Posts: 398 Member
    I'm 5'3 1/2, 5'4 if I stand reaaaaaaaaaaaallly tall, so this is -kinda- close. Anyway, I don't really exercise but my avatar is my stomach now at 105-108 pounds (my fluctuations). I'm showing some definition despite doing nothing, but I do eat a veeeeery low fat diet, so that might also be a contributor. Good luck! :-)

    Edit: Oh! In the morning you'd swear that I do 100 sit ups a day! :P This picture was taken in the early evening after having dinner...so I guess I show all of the time. Lucky genetics!
  • its not a weight for me, but body fat percentage. Like, they clearly popped at 15% and are visible at 20ish%.
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  • kprep
    kprep Posts: 11
    I'm 5'8, 9% body fat, about 95 lbs, work out all the time, and don't have abs. It's completely genetics :)
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