Ripped, chiselled abs are the holy grail of several fitness enthusiasts. They tell the world that you’re strong and lean. And six pack abs are not easy to achieve. Athletes aside, most individuals have abdominal muscles which are veiled by a layer of fat. Some of it is near the exterior of the skin (subcutaneous fat). Some of it is hidden within the abdominal cavity itself (visceral fat). The more fat that you have, the longer it will take to shed it and then to showcase six-pack abs.
It Depends On The Person
How long it takes to develop six-pack abs varies from person to person and is based on both current body fat levels as well as approaches to nutrition and exercise. Generally, it takes longer to develop six-pack abs than most people would like, so make sure that you practice patience. For you, it may take somewhere from months to a year or more, depending on how much fat you need to lose as well as how you go about getting rid of fat and building muscle through nutrition as well as exercise.
After all, chiselling your core necessitates simultaneously growing the rectus abdominis muscle (which is colloquially known as the six-pack muscle) and reducing the amount of subcutaneous belly fat that sits between that muscle and the skin of your abdomen. If you do both, you’ll be able to see your abs in the mirror.
The Best Way Of Reducing Your Body Fat Level
Lowering your body fat percentage may be a long and painstaking process. Research published in a scientific journal notes that the average woman has about 40% body fat and the average man has about 28%. Women naturally carry more fat – as opposed to men – because of the hormone oestrogen.
Most men and women need to lose at least half their body fat in order for their abs to show. Fitness experts report that a 1% body fat loss per month is safe and attainable. Given these figures, it could take a woman – with average body fat – around 20 to 26 months in order to achieve the appropriate amount of fat loss for six-pack abs. The average man would require about 15 to 21 months.
Research has found that strength training has a number of different health benefits, particularly when it comes to burning fat. In one study, strength training lowered visceral fat in 78 people who suffer from metabolic syndrome. (Visceral fat is the kind of dangerous fat which surrounds the organs in the belly.)
Another study demonstrated that 12 weeks of strength training – together with aerobic exercise – was more efficient at reducing body fat – as well as belly fat – than aerobic exercise alone. Resistance training may also assist with preserving fat-free mass, which can increase the number of calories that your body burns at rest. Ten weeks of resistance training could assist with increasing calories burned at rest by 7% and may reduce fat weight by 1.8 kg.
Performing body-weight exercises, lifting weights or making use of gym equipment are a few easy ways to get started with strength training.
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