# belly at 8 percent body fat???



## fefa987 (Mar 13, 2013)

Hey guys, I was wondering .... I've been working out for two years now. My body fat is at 8% and yet my abs don't really show. I generally find that my body looks more of the ones in the 12 - 16 percent body fat range, but especially around my belly it all seems to gather, covering my little sixpack which I used to have before I started hitting the gym and working out. Any suggestions (you can obviously see me in my avatar...) ... am I normal for 8 percent body fat or shall I lose more fat in order for my abs to show or do I have to work harder....? Cheers Tim


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## jaycue2u (Jul 23, 2011)

How do you know your 8%?


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## musclekick (Aug 6, 2012)

from your avatar op, it looks like you do have a 6pac?


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## fefa987 (Mar 13, 2013)

@ Jaycue: My personal trainer measured it. @musclekick: Yes I do, but its rather hidden than in good and lean shape.


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## Hotdog147 (Oct 15, 2011)

Lots of people under estimate BF, you're not alone!

8% is completely shredded, if you don't have full abs on show then you are no where near 8%

You're probably using a machine in your gym to get measured??? They are not very accurate at all


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## griffo13 (Dec 7, 2009)

from your pic id say 12-14


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## zak007 (Nov 12, 2011)

yes a agree your not 8% most likely the machine that tested you was inaccurate


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## fefa987 (Mar 13, 2013)

Cheers guys!


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## zak007 (Nov 12, 2011)

fefa987 said:


> Cheers guys!


best thing for you to do is go to bed forget about being 8% and take the red pill


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## Big_Z (Nov 21, 2012)

Hotdog147 said:


> Lots of people under estimate BF, you're not alone!
> 
> 8% is completely shredded, if you don't have full abs on show then you are no where near 8%
> 
> You're probably using a machine in your gym to get measured??? They are not very accurate at all


Completely agree.


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

if your 8% im fcuking 10% .


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## Dux (Nov 29, 2011)

Ah, the continued obsession with bf%

How about get to where you're happy with how you look, and whether the scales say 5% or 15%, it doesn't really matter.


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## Hayesy (Aug 15, 2011)

My abs didnt show until i was 6-7 mate....could be water....


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## Bull Terrier (May 14, 2012)

zak007 said:


> best thing for you to do is go to bed forget about being 8% and take the red pill
> 
> View attachment 113909


What's in it? DNP??


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## Hotdog147 (Oct 15, 2011)

Hayesy said:


> My abs didnt show until i was 6-7 mate....could be water....


You must be using one of them daft machines too then! :lol:

You're lean no doubt but 6-7% mate? Come on now!


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## Hayesy (Aug 15, 2011)

Hotdog147 said:


> You must be using one of them daft machines too then! :lol:
> 
> You're lean no doubt but 6-7% mate? Come on now!


Haha H your prob right but who knows how accurate these things are nowa days...i had one tell me i was 14% AND i paid 2pound to have a go at that haha....


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## Hotdog147 (Oct 15, 2011)

Hayesy said:


> Haha H your prob right but who knows how accurate these things are nowa days...i had one tell me i was 14% AND i paid 2pound to have a go at that haha....


It's just a fukcing number anyway! Some people seem obsessed with it! You look decent and if you're happy then who gives a fukc what some machine tells you! :lol:

Bod Pod is very accurate though but this is quite costly and IMO not worth the cost!


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## Hayesy (Aug 15, 2011)

Hotdog147 said:


> It's just a fukcing number anyway! Some people seem obsessed with it! You look decent and if you're happy then who gives a fukc what some machine tells you! :lol:
> 
> Bod Pod is very accurate though but this is quite costly and IMO not worth the cost!


the mirror will do for me, is you cant see your abs fukin run more or lower cals/carbs...

This is all just advice dooooo watever da faaark u wanna doo


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

if your not using at least a Bod Pod then your BF is wrong, just after i had shingles i had mine done via a bod pod and it came back at 18% on my scales at home which has a athlete mode came back as 14% and you can see my Abs and my legs are separated.....


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## Bulk1 (Apr 12, 2007)

Carb timing is most likely the prob.. even if your eating the right stuff.


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## scott.taylor (Jun 18, 2012)

There's a guy in my gym who seems to think he's 14% he showed me his stomach and I told him to add at least 5% on lol. Guys a fatty.

Weird how these people believe they are lean when they are clearly fat.


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## huarache (May 28, 2012)

Hayesy said:


> the mirror will do for me, is you cant see your abs fukin run more or lower cals/carbs...
> 
> This is all just advice dooooo watever da faaark u wanna doo


So to see your abs you gotta lower carbs and calories? What if you wanna preserve muscle while cardio ing?

I'm pretty lean but always have such bad bloat


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## bobbydrake (Nov 19, 2012)

I eat pretty low carb and have gone from probably 18% ish bodyfat to 11% last week (with a poliquin biosig)...I can see my abs (most of the time) but they do look better in certain lighting lol. Just a couple more percent lower now...


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## nick-h (Nov 17, 2011)

most of those bathroom scales will say in the instructions for bf measurement not suitable for body builders


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## Hotdog147 (Oct 15, 2011)

bobbydrake said:


> I eat pretty low carb and have gone from probably 18% ish bodyfat to 11% last week (with a poliquin biosig)...I can see my abs (most of the time) but they do look better in certain lighting lol. Just a couple more percent lower now...


Not another one!


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## bobbydrake (Nov 19, 2012)

Hotdog147 said:


> Not another one!


Ha - 'fraid so!


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

Abs are not the only way to estimate bodyfat.......when you are asumming a bf% then look at how much lower back fat you have and how your legs are separated, i had my bod pod carried out with my 2 training partners (@CJ and Terry) CJ's abs are not as visible as mine yet he was 3% lower than me......plus i am not sure why so many are fixated on it when it is done by hand grip or stand on scales or calipers as they are wrong and most of the time not even close in fact the hand grip and step on scales without an athlete mode can be influenced by water you drink (have it done then drink a liter of water and get it redone you will be fatter  )

10% for men with muscle shows more than just your abs, you will see back detail, muscle striations in the chest and leg seperation


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2013)

I took my BF measurements with one of them machines once. It displayed UFC !

I thought it was MMA fighter setting or something but in fact it was just saying U FAT CVNT !


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2013)

Pscarb said:


> Abs are not the only way to estimate bodyfat.......when you are asumming a bf% then look at how much lower back fat you have and how your legs are separated, i had my bod pod carried out with my 2 training partners (@CJ and Terry) CJ's abs are not as visible as mine yet he was 3% lower than me......plus i am not sure why so many are fixated on it when it is done by hand grip or stand on scales or calipers as they are wrong and most of the time not even close in fact the hand grip and step on scales without an athlete mode can be influenced by water you drink (have it done then drink a liter of water and get it redone you will be fatter  )
> 
> 10% for men with muscle shows more than just your abs, you will see back detail, muscle striations in the chest and leg seperation


Why do guys struggle with leg separation who have visible abs? My legs are the last thing to come through way after my abs are visible


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## Hayesy (Aug 15, 2011)

sckeane said:


> So to see your abs you gotta lower carbs and calories? What if you wanna preserve muscle while cardio ing?
> 
> I'm pretty lean but always have such bad bloat


low carbs worked for me mate...and i was hammering in hiit as well....i prop lost a lil bit of muscle but that's to be expected...


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## El Toro Mr UK98 (Nov 11, 2011)

Pscarb said:


> if your not using at least a Bod Pod then your BF is wrong, just after i had shingles i had mine done via a bod pod and it came back at 18% on my scales at home which has a athlete mode came back as 14% and you can see my Abs and my legs are separated.....


I cant agree with this fully and its just my opinion but having a calliper test done by someone who is very experienced and who is using GOOD callipers is a fairly acuret way of checking... no doubt bod pod is best but the calliper test when done correctly is pretty reliable.

I get mine done every 5 weeks by my friend who is polliquin certified and she has been doing it for years and with her other half been a successful body builder in the late 90s to 2003 time she has been arround the sport a long time.

Her callipers cost a fortune and she has to have them re calibrated every 6 months too plus the initial poliquin training is quite intense..

jmo but i dont always think its as black and white as it looks... agree the gym machean ones and scales are [email protected] though


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## fefa987 (Mar 13, 2013)

Dux said:


> Ah, the continued obsession with bf%
> 
> How about get to where you're happy with how you look, and whether the scales say 5% or 15%, it doesn't really matter.


Agreed!

Nevertheless, I was told that I'm 8 percent after being measured by a PT (yet doubting it as I already said in my first post) so before I go lower without any knowledge of what I'm doing and possibly harassing my health I asked for advice.

I have been struggling with years of anorexia and will be careful with my body size as I've worked **** loads to get to the size I am now.


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## Dux (Nov 29, 2011)

fefa987 said:


> Agreed!
> 
> Nevertheless, I was told that I'm 8 percent after being measured by a PT (yet doubting it as I already said in my first post) so before I go lower without any knowledge of what I'm doing and possibly harassing my health I asked for advice.
> 
> I have been struggling with years of anorexia and will be careful with my body size as I've worked **** loads to get to the size I am now.


Mate, whatever you're doing appears to be working, keep going off what you see in the mirror.

And I wouldn't worry about anorexia, you seem to be a long way off that


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

Monkey_ass said:


> Why do guys struggle with leg separation who have visible abs? My legs are the last thing to come through way after my abs are visible


no idea it is just like guys who have striated quads but have no proper visibility in the midsection



El Toro Mr UK98 said:


> I cant agree with this fully and its just my opinion but having a calliper test done by someone who is very experienced and who is using GOOD callipers is a fairly acuret way of checking... no doubt bod pod is best but the calliper test when done correctly is pretty reliable.
> 
> I get mine done every 5 weeks by my friend who is polliquin certified and she has been doing it for years and with her other half been a successful body builder in the late 90s to 2003 time she has been arround the sport a long time.
> 
> ...


i wont argue with this but my point was about the general gym guy who picks up a pair of calipers and takes his BF...


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

The best way to get your abs to show is to develop them as you would any other muscle. If you build big, strong abs they'll show through at 15% never mind 8%...


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## El Toro Mr UK98 (Nov 11, 2011)

Pscarb said:


> no idea it is just like guys who have striated quads but have no proper visibility in the midsection
> 
> *i wont argue with this* but my point was about the general gym guy who picks up a pair of calipers and takes his BF...


Couldn't agree more, I think it comes down to the quality of the callipers and the person taking the readings.... wouldn't want to argue with you anyway mate, I respect you too much for that


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## stone14 (Mar 24, 2005)

fefa987 said:


> Agreed!
> 
> Nevertheless, I was told that I'm 8 percent after being measured by a PT (yet doubting it as I already said in my first post) so before I go lower without any knowledge of what I'm doing and possibly harassing my health I asked for advice.
> 
> I have been struggling with years of anorexia and will be careful with my body size as I've worked **** loads to get to the size I am now.


fats taken from were ever your body decides to take it, some store fat in some places more than others, my fat around my belly button and rear oblique area is the last for me, maybe you just store abit more on your stomach or are holding abit water, but from your op id guess your 12-14% bf imo.

your best off posting a pic of a couple poses, plenty guys compete on here, somes already posted, they will give you a better bf% guestimate than a general pt guy, depends how hes measured it but id say 8% is wishfull thinking


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## stone14 (Mar 24, 2005)

i think this chart is pritty accurate tbh.


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## Hayesy (Aug 15, 2011)

Pscarb said:


> no idea it is just like guys who have striated quads but have no proper visibility in the midsection
> 
> i wont argue with this but my point was about the general gym guy who picks up a pair of calipers and takes his BF...


My legs have never been striated at all, would be great if i could get them down...i hold a lot of water in my legs


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## fefa987 (Mar 13, 2013)

Dux said:


> Mate, whatever you're doing appears to be working, keep going offhat you see in the mirror.
> 
> And I wouldn't worry about anorexia, you seem to be a long way off that


Thanks man, very appreciated!

Each meal is still a struggle as stomach and bowel gotta get use to food again (they still like to reject it every so often) but positive comments is what keeps me motivated.


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## huarache (May 28, 2012)

Hayesy said:


> low carbs worked for me mate...and i was hammering in hiit as well....i prop lost a lil bit of muscle but that's to be expected...


Ok cool, ha I can't afford to lose any look at me ha


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

Hayesy said:


> My legs have never been striated at all, would be great if i could get them down...*i hold a lot of water in my legs*


Water or Fat?? if it was just water then they would be split in the morning first thing and not at night especially if you have truly visible abs.....


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## freddee (Mar 2, 2009)

If you want to waste some money go on one of those machines and put in you are 20 years old, then go back on and say you are 40, my bet is your fat% will double!!!!


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## loganator (Mar 19, 2011)

eveyone is different ...my abs and obliques pop thru soon as i start loosing fat but my legs are through last wheras my mates legs come though first even though he can be carrying quite a lot on the midsection ...all down to genetics i suppose


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