Never had a six pack but I want one!

[Anonymous]

I loved watching p90X and then insanity. I run three times a week. I am 40M and overweight by 20lb. But, I want to build six packs. Any thoughts or recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Lose weight. Everyone has a 6 pack, even people you see on My 600lb Life - it's just hidden under fat.

[Anonymous]

Abs and shoulders are the hardest to workout and require a lot of work to get defined. Sure, you could shed a lot of weight to see your six pack, but that isn't really a six pack. It's just your ribs and anorexic stomach lining.

The best way is to be at a healthy weight, and workout your abs to death until you see definition. It will require a lot of work and patience. GL.

[Anonymous]

Photos of people with six packs are usually totally artificial.

https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19547520/fake-fitness-photos/

[Anonymous]

So much misinformation in this thread.

Abs are a muscle . They are already there. You will have to do two things at once: work them out to grow them, and lose fat so they show. You can't spot train for fat loss, so some people just carry fat in their belly and cannot get a visible six pack when when in great shape. Others easily can. Depends where your body stores fat. Shoulders are not also necessarily the hardest to train or define as a PP said. It can take a lot to get giant delts but for some people who put muscle on their arms easily, shoulder work isn't difficult. Same with abs.

Overall you will need to train your abs (including compound exercises like squats and deads that work your abs in addition to isolation work) and drop a good amount of body fat in order to see them.

[Anonymous]

Seeing your six pack is really all about BMI so fat loss is your priority number one. Having the six pack pop out is all ab training. It's all about what you eat and hard work. It's not sustainable unless you want to adopt it as a lifestyle.

There are also ways to complement the six pack look by building out your lats and shoulders to have the tapered V look. You also can't forget to train your obliques.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. I am now working on lowering my weight.

[Anonymous]

Even at my skinniest and fittest, I was never able to get more than a 4-pack. As a female, it is REALLY HARD unless you are incredibly disciplined with your diet and exercise.

You're a male, so it might be easier for you. That said, how defined are your other body parts? When you're working out a lot, do the various muscles in your arms and legs show? Because those are easier to define than abs, in my experience. If at your fittest, you're not seeing tricep definition or quad definition, abs might be tough too.

[Anonymous]

I (40s, M) have always been skinny (BMI of about 21), and sometimes get fit and build up a bit more muscle, so that I can see striations in my quads and some definition above my hips (whatever that line above the hip and below the lower abs is called). I can easily feel the bumps of my abdominal muscles - that is, there's a six pack under there. Still, I've never had more than the hint of a six pack. To get to that point, you have to have some combination of very low body fat, very strong abs, and the genetics that lead to very little stomach fat.

I understand the goal, but it's really not realistic for all but the most obsessed and genetically suited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I (40s, M) have always been skinny (BMI of about 21), and sometimes get fit and build up a bit more muscle, so that I can see striations in my quads and some definition above my hips (whatever that line above the hip and below the lower abs is called). I can easily feel the bumps of my abdominal muscles - that is, there's a six pack under there. Still, I've never had more than the hint of a six pack. To get to that point, you have to have some combination of very low body fat, very strong abs, and the genetics that lead to very little stomach fat.

I understand the goal, but it's really not realistic for all but the most obsessed and genetically suited.

FYI, it's realistic for all. I swear, if you eat at a 500 calorie deficit every day and do resistance training every day plus 30-40 minutes of cardio every day, I GUARANTEE you that you'll see your abs in 3 months. It's just not practical to achieve.

[Anonymous]

Even some serious athletes don't get a 6-pack, so maybe go the spray on route? lol

[Anonymous]

As a guy, you need to get under 12% to have a six pack.

You will note that even the women at 25% or 30%, though they do not have a six pack, are still very attractive. So, if you're a woman, don't kill yourself trying to get to 12%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I (40s, M) have always been skinny (BMI of about 21), and sometimes get fit and build up a bit more muscle, so that I can see striations in my quads and some definition above my hips (whatever that line above the hip and below the lower abs is called). I can easily feel the bumps of my abdominal muscles - that is, there's a six pack under there. Still, I've never had more than the hint of a six pack. To get to that point, you have to have some combination of very low body fat, very strong abs, and the genetics that lead to very little stomach fat.

I understand the goal, but it's really not realistic for all but the most obsessed and genetically suited.

FYI, it's realistic for all. I swear, if you eat at a 500 calorie deficit every day and do resistance training every day plus 30-40 minutes of cardio every day, I GUARANTEE you that you'll see your abs in 3 months. It's just not practical to achieve.

Sure, but you'll have to remove all the excess and stretched out skin from being over weight.

A six pack isn't attainable for most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I (40s, M) have always been skinny (BMI of about 21), and sometimes get fit and build up a bit more muscle, so that I can see striations in my quads and some definition above my hips (whatever that line above the hip and below the lower abs is called). I can easily feel the bumps of my abdominal muscles - that is, there's a six pack under there. Still, I've never had more than the hint of a six pack. To get to that point, you have to have some combination of very low body fat, very strong abs, and the genetics that lead to very little stomach fat.

I understand the goal, but it's really not realistic for all but the most obsessed and genetically suited.

FYI, it's realistic for all. I swear, if you eat at a 500 calorie deficit every day and do resistance training every day plus 30-40 minutes of cardio every day, I GUARANTEE you that you'll see your abs in 3 months. It's just not practical to achieve.

Sure, but you'll have to remove all the excess and stretched out skin from being over weight.

A six pack isn't attainable for most.

Disagree. That's assuming most people are overweight to the extent that plastic surgery is required to trim the sag, which is not the case for most people. Probably if you're like 50+ pound overweight, but not the average overweight person who is probably 20 pounds overweight. Also, the PP is (40s, M) have always been skinny (BMI of about 21) so the skin sag issue won't be a concern.

[Anonymous]

Six packs are gross, just get a flat stomach.