Body Fat Percentage
Homicidal_Squirrel
Adventurer
I think there are several possibilities.
1. All 7% of his body fat were was concentrated in his gut.
2. horrific accident that required surgery, and ruined his abs so they didn't show.
3. He is exaggerating about his body fat percent, or the amount of muscle mass he had.
4. He may have made a mistake about his body fat percent.
More than likely, it is possible that the correct answer is the first one. Everyone's body is different. Some guys can show abs while having a bit higher percentage of fat. Some guys require a bit lower body fat to show off their abs.
Also, some people who have been fat, and lose a lot of weight, can have trouble losing fat in certain areas. Even though they are in great shape, they may have areas where they just can't get rid of all the fat, or enough of it.
It's a bit of #1- all the excess fat on my body was deposited on the front of my torso- plus a bit of the loose skin issue. Result: ripped arms & legs, doughboy front torso.
And it didn't matter how many crunches, twists, etc. I did, it simply wouldn't go away. My MD suggested lipo might be the only way to rid myself of it, but I declined (for a variety of reasons).
And it didn't matter how many crunches, twists, etc. I did, it simply wouldn't go away. My MD suggested lipo might be the only way to rid myself of it, but I declined (for a variety of reasons).
Indeed.
I think the stomach is a primary fat collection zone on a guy. So I expect anomalies around that area, despite the guy being fit by any other metric.
In both my underweight era, the good shape era and my current slightly rounder era, I've never had six pack abs (and I never had a massive weight loss).
It seems to me, that six pack abs are the men's version of unrealistic body expectations.
Homicidal_Squirrel
Adventurer
Nah...
It's not unrealistic to think you can get a six pack. You just have to dedicate your self, eat right, and exercise properly. Yes, some people have a harder time than others, but it's not unrealistic. Not by far.
It does take quite a bit of work (or some luck - I got them once because I managed to give myself food poisoning...)
I think as I get older I question more why it matters to people, though. What advantage does one get from six-pack abs which are worth the lifestyle compromise? I used to try hard to stay in really good shape, but these days I'm happy with just being a healthy weight. It's not like I'm a model or a movie star or anything; it just doesn't affect me on a daily basis.
So when I hear "unrealistic expectations", I tend to see that not as it being unrealistically difficult to do, but that the media presents it as being unrealistically important, and portrays it almost as an expectation.
It's plumage.
Just like the male lyretails and peacocks have ridiculous tailfeathers- which DO impact ability to evade predators- to attract mates, 6-pack abs do attract a certain section of the human female populace.
It also turns some off. My Mom hates the ripped/muscular look. Good thing she married Dad- no chance of THAT!
Homicidal_Squirrel
Adventurer
If you got them from food poisoning, it's obviously not very hard to get them.
Actually, good abs are a sign of a strong core, which has several health benefits. Aside from signifying that you have low body fat, and all the health benefits that you get from that alone, having a strong core helps to mitigate certain pains. You are less likely to end up with back pain, which as I'm sure some people here know, can be debilitating. You are less likely to injure yourself doing certain activities. This can be beneficial at work or at home. You also have better balance, among other benefits.
So yeah, abs are good. They do provide benefits.
