Should I lose fat before doing abs? (2023)

Should I lose belly fat before doing abs?

In order to have defined abs or a six pack, you need to get rid of subcutaneous fat from your abdominal area. Bottom Line: Exercising your abs will help them become strong and muscular. However, you won't be able to see them if they're covered by subcutaneous fat.

“People achieve better results when they do core exercises at the beginning of their workout instead of the end,” says Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., coauthor of The New Rules of Lifting for Abs. Your core—the dozens of muscles between your shoulders and your hips—contracts first in every exercise, he explains.

ACSM-certified exercise physiologist and head of fitness at Trainiac Geoff Tripp, CSCS, told POPSUGAR that keeping your body composition as lean as possible will enable your muscles to show more, abs included. Getting rid of fat in the abdomen will help, though you can't spot reduce, nor can you spot train.

If your goal is better endurance, do cardio first. If your goal is burning fat and losing weight, do strength training first. If you want to get stronger, do strength training first.

No matter how strong your ab muscles are, they're not going to show through unless you have a low enough body fat. That specific body fat number though, is individual. Morton says that you'll typically need to be below 15% body fat for a six pack, though he stresses that it's different for everyone.

Lowering your body fat level

Most men and women have to lose at least half their body fat for their abs to show. The American Council on Exercise says a 1 percent body fat loss per month is safe and achievable.

So how often should you train your abs? 2-3 exercises 2-3 times per week is plenty to maximize development without overdoing it. If you are already working out 3 times per week you can just tack 1-2 ab exercises on to the end of your workouts.

Consider saving your ab workout for the afternoon or early evening, as your risk of back pain may be higher if you perform intense ab exercises first thing in the morning. Additionally, an afternoon workout will be more effective at maintaining your body's healthy circadian rhythm than saving it for right before bed.

They need some rest in-between exercise bouts as well. Doing some crunches or planks at the end of every workout leaves your midsection in a constantly overworked state, preventing any results you'd like to see. To get results and prevent overtraining, focus on hitting your core two to three times a week post-workout.

10 to 14 percent

This range of body fat is still lean, which means your abs will be visible. But it's also considered healthier and easier to obtain than the 5 to 9 percent range.

At what weight will I see abs?

You should be able to see visible abs at around 17% body fat for men and 24% for women. Keep in mind they won't be well defined and you may only see the top 2 or 4 abs at this point. For a shredded 6-pack, you'll need to get below 10% for men and below 18% for women.

For men, if you're around six to 17 percent body fat, your abs should be noticeably visible. For women, the range is 14 to 24 percent body fat. Definition will start to show on the higher end (17 percent for men, 24 percent for women), and your abs will become more sculpted as that number lowers.

Morning exercise may be best for belly fat loss in women, and evening workouts better for increasing upper body strength, according to a new study.

Post-Workout Swelling

When you exercise, your heart rapidly pumps blood to your muscles and organs, and this can cause your stomach muscles to temporarily puff up and look larger. Exercise also causes microscopic tears in your muscles. The process of healing these tears is what causes bigger muscles.

Crunches:

The most effective exercise to burn stomach fat is crunches. Crunches rank top when we talk of fat-burning exercises. You can start by lying down flat with your knees bent and your feet on the ground.