What is the body fat percentage that will break my abdominal muscles? How to reduce body fat and how to work out!

While it is important to work out in order to break the abdominal muscles, it is more important to lose body fat percentage. First of all, we need to understand the condition of abdominal muscles for each body fat percentage in order to set a goal of what percentage we should drop. In this article, we will introduce abdominal muscles for each body fat percentage, what is important to reduce body fat, and how to train abdominal muscles!

Supervision

Taizan Matsuura

In 2016, he began working as a trainer as a member of Beyond Gym’s start-up staff. Served as store manager of the Horie store in Osaka, Japan; in 2017, he reached the pinnacle in the Mr. Japan contest, after which he went independent. In October 2022, he founded Waffle Gym in Tachikawa, Tokyo. He is always ready to propose muscle training menus that meet the needs of customers.

Abdominal muscles begin to be visible at around 15% body fat!

Abdominal muscles start to appear thin and broken at around 15% body fat. If the muscles are hypertrophied, they can be seen even at 18~20%. Then, they appear to be well defined at around 10%, and at 3~7% if you are competing in a physical beauty contest. Although it depends on the amount of fat, the stretch of the skin, and the size of the abdominal muscles themselves, it is common to aim for 10~15% when aiming for a six-pack. Incidentally, in the image below, the body fat percentage is roughly 13%, which gives a healthy impression.

Maintaining body fat below 10% all the time is also not good for the body!

Some people argue that maintaining a body fat percentage below 10% for a long period of time is detrimental to one’s health. To begin with, body fat is an essential part of the body, maintaining body temperature, producing hormones, and acting as a cushion to cushion shock. It is said that reducing such body fat can lower immunity and disrupt hormonal balance. Therefore, from the standpoint of health and appearance, it is recommended to maintain a body fat percentage of 10~19% unless you are participating in a contest.

Check the condition of abdominal muscles for each body fat percentage!

Here are the abdominal muscles for each body fat percentage. Please use this as a reference to determine your current body fat percentage and where you should set your goals.

Body fat percentage of 30% is severe obesity

A body fat percentage of 30% in men is considered severe obesity, a condition that can lead to various health problems. It is a condition in which doctors recommend weight loss and a drastic review of all aspects of one’s lifestyle is necessary. With a body fat percentage of 30%, it is obvious that no matter how hard you work out, your abdominal muscles will never look ripped, but you will easily see the effects of weight loss. The advantage is that it is easy to motivate yourself because your body will change in a flash.

Body fat percentage of 25% is considered moderately obese

A body fat percentage of 25% for men is considered moderately obese. It is at a level where one can grasp the fat around the abdomen firmly with both hands, which places a heavy burden on blood vessels and organs and can easily lead to illness, as well as joint damage. If you pay attention to your lifestyle, you can easily reduce your body fat percentage from 25% to 20%, so let’s start with light exercise and diet moderation.

Body fat percentage of 20% is mildly obese

A body fat percentage of 20% is a state in which the shoulders and chest are normal, but only the abdominal area is flabby. If you have a tendency to have fat on your face, a body fat percentage of 20% will give you a rounded face and a double chin when you pull your chin back. It is said that the risk of disease tends to decrease when the body fat percentage falls below 20%, so in order to maintain good health, try to keep it below 20% for now.

Vertical lines of abdominal muscles become visible at 15% body fat percentage.

Generally speaking, it is said that the vertical line of the abdominal muscles becomes visible at a body fat percentage of about 15%. If you have been working on your abdominal muscles, they may appear well broken. There is subtle fat around the abdomen, which can be pinched with the thumb and forefinger, but gives the appearance of being nipped and toned. It is also the healthiest body fat percentage.

Abdominal muscles are ripped at 10% body fat.

A six-pack is clearly visible when the body fat percentage is reduced to 10%. If he is working hard on muscle training, the muscular definition of his entire body, not just his abdominal muscles, will appear. If you are an average person, you should not go below 10% body fat to maintain your health.

At 5% body fat percentage, blood vessels float in the lower abdomen.

When body fat percentage falls below 10%, blood vessels begin to float around the shoulders and chest, but when the body fat percentage drops to 5%, blood vessels even float in the lower abdomen, where fat tends to remain until the end even if it is squeezed out. Of course, it depends partly on diet and muscle training, but a certain amount of carbohydrates and abdominal muscle training will cause blood vessels to float like lightning. For the average person, this is Too Much, so if you don’t intend to enter a contest, you don’t need to drop this much. Incidentally, the term “vascularity” is used in bodybuilding and physique circles.