12% bf but no abs...???

hey guys been dieting down for bout 2 months now, i went down from 25% bf to 12.3% according to a bf test but I still cant see my abs, do I have to diet down more, I mean my arms are really cut, i have lots of veins popping out, but still no abs, gettin kinda frustrated... what to do, i still continue to hit the weights for 1 hour and then 25mins of cardio 5 times a week rigth after lifting, do i need to revamp my workout routine, i find that its impossible to do cardio first thing in the morning, on empty stomach, passed out (literally) tryn that, any other suggestions, i am currently taking hydroxycut, no gear, thanks for any help guys!!!

General rule of thumb is that abs start to become visible at 10%bf. Make sure that you are working out your abs in a manner that will add size to them....use weighted reps!

Lets see a pic bro

weighted reps will help like sigrabbit mentioned and still got to go a little lower bf. if you still cant see em. dont give brotha, in time. just keep the hardwork up

bf may be a bit too high. also may be holding a lot of water there. post a pic if you can.

my theory is that people have to be "blessed" with abs. As hard as ive tryed to get the six pack it just doesnt happed...i can cut down and see them when i flex, and you can see the outer ridges, and the obliques pretty well but for some reason they never get to defined...its probly just b/c of bf, but theres that fine line some cant cross (like myself) where you burn muscle away if you slim up to much.

My buddy has ripped forearms and still can't see his abs. He just naturally stores all his fat in his waist. It really sucks for him. I think he'd have to go down to like 8% at least to see his abs.

I took one of those electric bodyfat calculators at the local drug store. You enter in your weight, age, height and if you're male or female and hold on to handles and it measures your mass or something.

Well it said that I was at 21% bodyfat :) Funny because I've got veins showing on my abs right now so it must be way off. Those calculators are a wee bit squewed. Do a 7 point pinch test. It's way more accurate or post pics up here.

Everyone lose BF in a different order. I lose fat from my abs last, i didn't begin to lose fat off my abs till like 10%BF and started to see some upper abs around 7-8%BF but didn't get a 6 pack until 5% or so, but was holding alot of water.

I read in MuscleMag last month that some people just have "stubborn fat" areas.. Some men have them in their abs and especially lower abs, like I do. Women often have it in their legs/butt.

The article said guys that hold their fat in their midsection have to cut down to 7-8% or even lower to really see their abs. It's a genetic thing.
I don't think it means they won't every show, it just means you have to get a lower BF% and work harder to get there.

Bottom line: stick with it, use weighted reps, watch your diet, and do some slow cardio to burn the fat without losing muscle.

Or you could try a CKD diet like I am to get at that stubborn fat.

Agreed with all the others. The fact is that some people collect fat genetically in different places than others. I have a six-pack right now, and I'm at about 12% bf. My fat collects on my "love handles," instead of on top of my abs though. It's purely genetic. The good news for me is that I have a six-pack. But the fat that collects on the outside makes me look "wider" which makes my arms look smaller.

My six pack is still visible at like 14 percent bodyfat, I'm pretty much blessed with good genetics and I'm very thankful.

I have a 6-pack @ 8-10% bodyfat and I can't stress enough how helpful weighted crunches were in getting that deeply-etched, washboard, look.

bump your cardio up, 25 min isn't quite enough

Your not doing abs more than 2 x's a week are you? Think of abs as anyother muscle. You want em big 8) the bigger they are the deeper the cuts. Also make sure your really concentrating when busting em up. Squeeze them and pop a couple.

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Originally Posted by chamkila

hey guys been dieting down for bout 2 months now, i went down from 25% bf to 12.3% according to a bf test but I still cant see my abs, do I have to diet down more, I mean my arms are really cut, i have lots of veins popping out, but still no abs, gettin kinda frustrated... what to do, i still continue to hit the weights for 1 hour and then 25mins of cardio 5 times a week rigth after lifting, do i need to revamp my workout routine, i find that its impossible to do cardio first thing in the morning, on empty stomach, passed out (literally) tryn that, any other suggestions, i am currently taking hydroxycut, no gear, thanks for any help guys!!!

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I can see two possiblilties. It's your abs not being develped enough, or you cary your bodyfat primarily around your abdomen.

For me I can see my abs at around 14% bodyfat but I'll have no definition on my legs and no vascularity in my arms. Yet I'll have crazy veins on my chest, shoulder's and a bit on my abs.

My legs are my stubborn area, but each time I diet it changes. This year my arms were leaner while at 165 lbs than last year at 145 lbs. It seems that my legs are getting leaner yet this summer. Oddly when I gain weight back now it doesn't seem to all go to my legs first anymore. More and more of it is going to my abs.

Cardio, weighted crunches and diet are what you need. You may have to come down to 8% bf, which will make you very loopy since you were at 25% before.

Other alternatives for getting those abs out of course are Lypo and GH.


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