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A six pack probably pretty healthy for a guy.
A fat abdomen is correlated to a lot of other health risk factors in men. If you have a 6 pack you have low visceral fat, which means you don't have high cholesterol, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, heart disease risk, etc.
I had easily visible abs when 7-8 years ago. I was 6'0 150ish lbs and had very low body fat. I hated the way I looked..
When I broke my back I did rehab and then got into lifting weights and the gym. I put on a clean 40 lbs but my BF hovers around 10-15 % now. You can still see my abs but they're not as ridged as before. I feel way more secure in my body now though.
I don't really pay attention to what I eat, when I'm bulking I eat a lot, when I'm cutting I stick to fairly clean foods and cut out sugars and whatnot. Genetics does play a part on where your body stores fat, but it's attainable for everyone with a little work.
Is having a six pack as healthy as it's cracked up to be?
It is maintaining a "healthy EGO"! LOL
Other than that I don't see how, since more people work dressed in clothing which usually covers that particular area!
PS I don't mean that instead, people should have bellies big enough to cover the sun, but being "obsessed" with that is more vain that's healthy! IMO
First of all, a 6-pack isn't obtainable for everyone. Not everyone genetically has a 6-pack. Some have 4, some have 8. It really depends how their abs are set up. Our current Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath, blatantly only has a 4-pack then one large muscle below. It's clear his linea alba doesn't go all the way down dividing the abs. See link:
If a six-pack is attainable for you, great. As long as your life is balanced, and usually happy. And you do other things besides go to the gym or work out. Everyone has a six-pack. It's just not visible on most of us. The six-pack craze just makes me sad.
I grew up female, therefore I could never be happy with my body. I could never be thin enough or pretty enough. And what the fashion magazines put out there as perfect is just not attainable for most women. You can never be good enough. If you wear a size 6, you need to starve down to a 4. And if you are a 0, you are working towards 00. And yet, I have read the average size in the US is a 14. Probably true because I see many people larger than a 14. Sigh. Women these days are supposed to look like young boys with boobs.
Speaking from a life-time of experience, I hate seeing men walking down the impossible body-image path. It's been a disaster for women and it will be for men too. I always admired the fact that men just accepted themselves for who they were. Yes fitter is better, but find the middle ground.
All those people you see in the magazines are not just regular folks. Fitness is their JOB and what pays the bills so they work out 40 to 60 hours a week. For the rest of us who have regular jobs and responsibilities, 40 hours a week working out is just not going to happen. And then there's food. Those perfect people are probably not doing most of their own food prep and shopping. It would take too much out of their workout schedule. And the older you get, the more time and effort it will take to maintain that six-pack/perfect body. And old age always wins in the end. Just because Jack Lalanne had a six-pack at 80 doesn't mean I WANT to see it. And again, his body paid for his life... It was his job.
I am more than size, a number on the scale, or a percentage body fat. It's great to want to improve yourself but have realistic goals. Don't set yourself up for failure.
Where does one even start about this..
You being female has nothing to do with not being happy with your body. It is your own low self esteem, period.
The average size in the US is a 14.... That example is TERRIBLE. Over THIRTY PERCENT OF THE US IS OBESE, AND OVER 60% IS OVERWEIGHT.
Being average in the US is FAT, so it's not something that people should strive for OR BE COMFORTABLE WITH.
Next, no one works out 40-60 hours a week. Even bodybuilders taking steroids out their mind that recover at rates a normal person could never fathom, don't exercise that much. The body needs rest and recovery. At MOST, they lift maybe 2ish hours/day around 6 days/wk, and do another 1-2 hours a day of cardio leading up to competitions, that leads to about a MAX of 24 hrs/wk exercising. MOST people can get by with far less, even competitive bodybuilders.
Next, they are virtually ALL doing their own food prep and shopping. Do you think fitness actually pays for about 90% of the people in magazine or the industries? I have friends featured in top tier magazine ads, and they barely get paid peanuts. MAYBE the top 1% of fitness/aesthetic/bodybuilders making 100k/year. Even then, that's pushing it. I don't know about you, but most people that make over 100k can't hire a personal chef or someone to do their grocery shopping.
Let me put it very clear to you. Your post above just full outlines why you are not comfortable and feel negative about your body. It's full of excuses of why you can't be a certain way. Then again, some people let their bodies go so much, it is impossible for them to ever obtain their ideal physique. But, they can still improve greatly.
This is what REALLY bothers me with your post. Over 4 years I went from about 170lbs to 215lbs, and my bodyfat remained the same, if not losing a bit. People always tell me I should compete, and I look not too far off from a lot of fitness models type people, in terms of physique.
Over the last 4 years, I have worked 50hrs/wk on average. Often 60 or even 70 hours/wk. 2-3 days a week I cook ALL my food for the next 2-3 days. I eat 6x/day. 3-4 of those meals are pre-cooked, so, I took around 12 meals at a time. All balanced and weighed, etc. It takes maybe an hour and a half, and then my cooking is done for the next 3 days.
When I started, I lifted 5-6 days a week. I found the time because i made it a priority. If you don't want to make it a priority, then fine, so be it. But don't come on here, basically insulting people like me, downplaying MY HARD WORK, because you simply do not care enough to be where you want to be. I work like everyone else. I work more than damn near everyone else, yet I can do it. I made sacrifices, vacations can be a struggle planning all my meals., but I make it work and it's not that bad. In fact, I love it. Now I lift 2-3 days a week and am still slowly building because I've got near to where I want to be.
That's all I have to say, but your attitude is poor at best, and pretty embarrassing if you ask me.
oh, you know, i'm just pointing out that your post is wrong, nothing big.
Most of the Fitness models today ARE bodybuilders.. and the trend right now for them to get bulkier and bulkier.
I shoot these people at least a few times a month.
Only wrong if taking out of context which you did quite well.
My point which you missed is that the original post of this thread has to do with getting a six pack (or 4 pack ). Defined abs. That's the point. Not taking to the extreme like the first pic i posted or even some of these others.
Defined abs or what the average person tends to think of as a "six pack" is attainable to most people with a little hard work and dedication.
Can't say I can see 6 separate abs in that second pic i posted of the FITNESS MODEL, but I would still consider that a six pack, or definied/toned abs, which I think most women here would probably kill for. But with a different mindset, it's not so unattainable.
Great abs are attainable for just about anybody (with a few exceptions) problem is, not everyone has the willpower to go that far. And that's just the reality of it.
Irrevelant. The topic is health, not appearance. Core exercises spare you from long-term injury, whether you have an unattractive gut or not.
But the quote I was referring to made it a point to say that core exercises can help someone get visible abs. That's not necessarily true.
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). Defined abs. That's the point. Not taking to the extreme like the first pic i posted or even some of these others.
