Body fat percentage and genetics for abs

If you are at a low BF% like you say you are and still can't see abs, you may not have the muscle base to support them. Similar to a fashion model who is very low BF% but has very little ab definition.



Your options would be either to run a bulk to build them up then cut to reveal them, or if you do still have fat covering them you can try recomp (eating at maintenance and strength training)

If you are not completely ripped at 5'4" 110 lbs, you are lacking muscle mass. Abs are abdominal muscles. Having visible abs requires more than a minimum amount of muscle mass. If you want visible abs, you need to eat more and build muscle mass.

JennB1989 wrote: »

MeganAM89 wrote: »

I'm not trying to be a huge downer, but are you positive that your body fat percentage is what you think it is? I think it's incredibly hard for women to attain a body fat percentage between 15-20%, and those are generally top athletes.

singingflutelady wrote: »

Around 13% is essential fat for women so there is no way you are 9.5% and it is very unlikely you are 15% with no visible abs

I'm 5'4 and 110lbs. I am active at least 60 minutes a day and that isn't including my walk to and from work (ends up being another 30 minutes). I didn't think the scale was right when it said 9.5% but I am pretty low in body fat. The scale says to use athlete mode if you are activate more than 9 hours a week and if your resting heart rate is under 60bpm. According to my FitBit my resting heart rate is 40bpm. I technically fill the requirements to use the athlete setting but again, I didn't think it was right when it was under 10%. I am more likely to be closer to 15% though.

Scales that claim to measure your body fat are not even close to accurate and can be affected by hydration and a variety of other things. I can weigh myself on my expensive digital scale (which claims to do BFA) in the morning and evening and get variations of 5-8% between the readings.

Honestly, at your height and weight, if you aren't seeing ab definition, then you're probably closer to 20% body fat. Your weight is low enough that you'd definitely be seeing them at 15% IMO unless you are carrying absolutely all your fat storage in your stomach, as 15% is fairly low even for an athletic woman (it's what you see from a fitness model or even some bikini competitors.) 10% is right into very lean, bodybuilder kind of shape where you would see six-pack abs clearly and it's not something women tend to maintain long-term (more something that would be for show prep and shows only.)

If you want to see your abs, I think the best thing you can do is either a bulk/cut cycle with a full-body progressive lifting program or (slower) continue to eat at maintenance and add the same lifting program in order to build muscle and lose body fat. It's certainly possible that you might carry more fat than most in your stomach and that is partially genetics for sure, but if visible musculature is important to you then making those muscles larger is going to be more effective than trying to go any lower with your weight.

For the record, I'm your height and about 8 pounds heavier (and I do carry weight in my stomach) and I have definition in the top four abs, which is why it seems surprising to me that you would have no visible abs at a lower weight. I've never done an accurate body fat analysis like a DEXA or even BodPod, but from calipers I suspect I'm in the neighbourhood of 20%, certainly not lower. I don't lift much but I run about 30 mpw.

(ETA: and ultimately, the number doesn't really matter anyway, what's significant is that you won't see abs without more muscle there at least and possibly less fat too. It's not worth getting hung up on your BF% if you don't look visually the way you'd like.)

lorrpb wrote: »

JennB1989 wrote: »

sardelsa wrote: »

If you are at a low BF% like you say you are and still can't see abs, you may not have the muscle base to support them. Similar to a fashion model who is very low BF% but has very little ab definition.



Your options would be either to run a bulk to build them up then cut to reveal them, or if you do still have fat covering them you can try recomp (eating at maintenance and strength training)

Thanks. I've seen pictures of bodies with the body fat percentage next to them but it has always been of super cut people and I've never seen the comparison you just posted.

HOW is the BF of people in the pics determined? Never seen that discussed!

Don't know, but would guess multiple tests with hydrostatic, DEXA, Bodpod and do some sort of weighted average of the measurements. Perhaps compare to post mortem exam of a cadaver.

Or they just posted the pictures on some forum and had random people give their opinions.