Are visible abs worth it?
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SoHowLongIsThisGonnaTake wrote: »jseams1234 wrote: »Dunno - I get visible abs at a relatively high bf% so it's always been one of those things that I don't pursue as a goal like some other guys. It also means I can maintain them without any real sacrifice. Luck of the draw I guess.
This is what I'm counting on.
Most people do the low body fat route and that is unsustainable for most people because your hormones.take a hit. I don't think it's worth a man losing his libido and a woman losing her period just to have abs, and both obsess over food and get potential eating disorders.
BUT, if you notice, some heavier muscled people have visible abs at higher body fat. That IS a sustainable way, if you want to lift heavy.
Here's a pic of a woman with very defined 6 pack and not super lean:
Thanks for sharing. This woman looks amazing!3 -
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It's worth it to me. I'm coming up to 55 and along with extreme vanity have that curmudgeonly mindset that kinda enjoys the challenge!...but hey each to their own!4
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I got em. Figured at 48 yrs old it was impossible. It wasn't. I'm pretty lean now. Libido is just fine but I'm not 5%. For many guys you can see them at 15. For women I've read at 25 they begin to show. Those seem like very sustainable numbers.
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I’m 52. 5’8 and about 155. Not really much more than a start on ab definition.
I’ve been as low as 152. I figure I’d have to be in low 140s (or less) to get there. I think the effect of such a low weight on other areas of my body would override any benefit of having abs.
But hey KHMcG... ya look great!
I’m 50 - I’ve always had abs unless I take a bulk way too far. Even now at 225 I’ve got abs - profile pic is about 220. Now, I’ve taken a cut too deep and to the point many guys push when they get hyper focused on that six-pack but at that point most of them look DYEL in a shirt. I’d rather look yoked the 95% of the time I’m out and about.
... besides, like you - when I get below 12% or so bad things start happening, mostly to my joints. 1 -
If you have good ab genetics then yes. For me it's not worth it because I have *kitten* abs even at a low bf%.0
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StargazerB wrote: »I'm curious on how others feel about wanting visible abs. Is it worth the sacrifice to get there? And is it sustainable, especially for women, and healthy? I go back and forth with if I want to diet down enough for visible abs, most of the time I feel it's not worth it, I like to eat too much.
That depends 100% on you. I think it's worth it to do it at least once to determine what it takes to get there. After that, you can decide if it is worth it to maintain and or do it again...8 -
Lol, I haven't seen a 6 pack since my competition days. And for me the 12-16 weeks of prep were tough and some days tortuous. Anyway, I'm nowhere near 15% right now which is where my abs start to come in. Personally, I've just been staying physically healthy and still keeping up as much strength as I can. At 56, there's not a lot of vanity left in me to want to try to get down to 10%.
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I tend to get the six pack when I'm training really hard for what most would consider an idiotic sport (indoor rowing). I'm 189 now and have visible abs. At the low 180s (I'm 5' 10"), I have really defined and developed abs -- I'm 55 years old.
To me, most of the year (and for vanity reasons), it's not worth it. My wife actually does not like the look! She likes love handles a bit of a thicker waist, assuming my chest and shoulders are bigger than the gut!
But I'm starting to train hard for a race at the beginning of next year and my workload is rapidly increasing. I tend to get decently cut when I train hard. Even if my abs were ripped, I'm not going to put a pic up. The shirt doesn't come off unless it's for the Mrs.
Something to me worth it more (when my waist is thin) is men's clothing shopping. Perhaps it's because I'm so ungodly cheap, but you can buy a whole wardrobe for like $200 on clearance at Dillards in the Fall if you wear a 32 waist and XL Tapered shirts. Thank God the average men can't wear that size and the clearance racks are flooded with this size. My wife was so jealous last year when I got like 10 shirts and 6 pairs of shorts for $150 the weekend after Labor Day.4 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »I tend to get the six pack when I'm training really hard for what most would consider an idiotic sport (indoor rowing). I'm 189 now and have visible abs. At the low 180s (I'm 5' 10"), I have really defined and developed abs -- I'm 55 years old.
Same for me. We are the same height, at the moment I weigh and have been maintaining with relative ease 180lbs. Abs are pretty defined but in no way would I say I am ripped. For me I have to weigh sub 175 to be really defined. At this point in my life performance and how I feel outweigh my desire to be shredded. I am 48...
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I go back and forth about whether to make an attempt—I’m 5’4” and pear shaped, so at 125-7 there’s definitely oblique showing and maybe the top 2 are semi visible. But get close to mid cycle OR TOM and bam, I look 5 mo pregnant overnight. It’s only getting worse as I get older, so I have no idea how much I’d have to lose to compensate for all that bloating. Not sure I’d make the effort for it to be invisible 2 weeks a month 🙄
I’m almost 39 and no one but my husband would ever see this miracle should it occur, and he would prefer me a bit softer, so I’m not sure it’s worth it for my own personal “got it!”
Maybe. However...I’ve had 4 giant babies and lower abs don’t look remotely possible without surgical help bc of loose skin that won’t go away (youngest is almost 5, so I’m losing hope there). Not to mention that staying below 127 is not easy for me—it’s definitely constant logging and significant exercise (pre quarantine I was lifting/working out 1.5 hrs a day 6days a week and achieved that 2 pack. Not sure I have time for anything else. And adding more ab work to hope building muscle will help makes me nervous, since doing direct ab training a few years ago caused some, er, issues I’d prefer to neither exacerbate or elaborate upon).
So...my personal is it worth it equation is leaning towards no.3 -
Abs are made in the kitchen" is a true statement. I don't think having abs is worth STRESSING over, but if you have them, it's a good indicator that you're healthy and eating the right stuff, therefore, the results were worth the overall change.1
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Abs are made in the kitchen" is a true statement. I don't think having abs is worth STRESSING over, but if you have them, it's a good indicator that you're healthy and eating the right stuff, therefore, the results were worth the overall change.
This is such a wrong way to think about it. Plenty of people with abs are not necessarily healthy and eating the right stuff (what even is that), and conversely people without them are not unhealthy.
Having abs simply means you have a low enough body fat for them to show (unless you are genetically blessed). Tieing abs into health and eating well is not a smart thing to do.
PS I am fairly certain that to get abs, I'd have to be a fairly ridiculously low body fat percentage, because I carry my weight in my stomach and breasts. I eat healthy, heck I'm training for a marathon. And I am content that I will never have abs.9 -
Abs are made in the kitchen" is a true statement. I don't think having abs is worth STRESSING over, but if you have them, it's a good indicator that you're healthy and eating the right stuff, therefore, the results were worth the overall change.
This is such a wrong way to think about it. Plenty of people with abs are not necessarily healthy and eating the right stuff (what even is that), and conversely people without them are not unhealthy.
Having abs simply means you have a low enough body fat for them to show (unless you are genetically blessed). Tieing abs into health and eating well is not a smart thing to do.
PS I am fairly certain that to get abs, I'd have to be a fairly ridiculously low body fat percentage, because I carry my weight in my stomach and breasts. I eat healthy, heck I'm training for a marathon. And I am content that I will never have abs.
I store my fat in my lower belly, butt, hips, and thighs. I start to look stick thin in my face chest and arms if I lose too much.0 -
Powerful and stunning.
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I got em. Figured at 48 yrs old it was impossible. It wasn't. I'm pretty lean now. Libido is just fine but I'm not 5%. For many guys you can see them at 15. For women I've read at 25 they begin to show. Those seem like very sustainable numbers.
Yeah. But you've got like an 18 pack. This question was about 6 packs. Now if you don't mind, please stay on topic.9 -
I think I’d have to get down to c12% body fat to have a six pack (I didn’t have one at 15%). I’m c20% now, have some oblique definition but if I cut it will impact on my ability to throw weights above my head 🤣5
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claireychn074 wrote: »I think I’d have to get down to c12% body fat to have a six pack (I didn’t have one at 15%). I’m c20% now, have some oblique definition but if I cut it will impact on my ability to throw weights above my head 🤣
You look amazing without them!1 -
Yep it’s a long term goal for me to have a 6 pack. I’ve no idea whether it’s sustainable for me.
It’s gonna take me a while to get there and see.0 -
I get visible abs very easily They show at a BMI of around 23 I think. It's just how my body fat is distributed. I'd not want them to be fully visible as my weight would have to be too low, and hence my maintenance calories lower. Something purely esthetic vs good food? I know what I'd chose. Plus my face starts to look too thin and unhealthy at a BMI below 22. I see my face more than my abs.2
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