Are you a skinny person, wondering why you do not have visible abs? You go on the internet and search ‘how to get abs’ and find out that the most popular advice is,

“Just lose body fat, abs are made in the kitchen.”

You get angry, you are very skinny in the first place, and the stupid influencers are telling you to lose more fat. The biggest problem with the advice “abs are made in the kitchen” is that it just assumes too many things. It assumes at every skinny guy has visible abs. It assumes that the person asking for help is some obese guy, above 25% body fat. It assumes that the person is genetically gifted with big abs.

Genetics play a big role in this. Some people have good abs genetics which allows them to have visible abs without training. The fitness industry is dominated by bodybuilders who have great genetics and they get visible abs without training them directly. Also, they take steroids which allows them to build muscle without even training.

In the modern era of bodybuilding, abs do not matter and many Mr. Olympia winners have a bubble gut. The bodybuilders focus on other muscles and because of steroids, their abs grow significantly with the indirect stimulus from compound movements and easy exercises like crunches. Normal people do not have the same genetics as bodybuilders and that is why losing body fat will make them weaker, look terrible without getting visible abs. There are many beggars and homeless people who are extremely skinny to the extent that their ribcage is visible, yet they do not have visible abs. Why? Cause they do not have the required muscle size.

People with average genetics will have to train their abs to make them visible and the training should include hard heavyweight exercises. Easy exercises like crunches, bicycles, reverse crunches are excellent for beginners. But as you progress, you need to add weights or perform harder variations. You cannot do the same thing for a lifetime and expect to grow. Doing hundreds of crunches will not stimulate growth. It is like doing hundreds of reps on the bench press with 40/50 pounds. There are many big bodybuilders on YouTube who can lift multiple plates, but when it comes to abs, they end up doing easy crunches and Russian twists. Almost all YouTube abs workouts contain such beginner-level exercises even when the workout is for advanced athletes. Abs are not special, train them the same way you train other muscles.

Perform hanging leg raises with weights, weighted crunches, standing crunches, dragon flags, human flags. A single set of the dragon flag till failure per week is much better than hundreds of crunches. A dedicated abs workout is not needed, instead, a few sets can be sprinkled across workouts. Also, give the abs some time to develop, like other muscles. Do not expect results in few weeks or months, falling for the scam YouTube video titles. It may take years to get the abs big enough even with harder exercises, just like other muscles.

Now, the second part, body fat percentage. On YouTube and social media, the common recommendation is to get below 10% or 5% to make those abs visible. However, single-digit body fat percentage is not healthy nor sustainable for 99% of the population or more. At this level of leanness, immunity goes down, strength goes down, hunger increases, testosterone drops. You may look ripped at 5% body fat, but you will not feel great. For women, it will be below 18% body fat that these negative effects will be noticeable. Going below 10% just to see your abs is bad advice no matter how many social media influencers are claiming it to be true.

15% body fat is much better, healthier, and sustainable for the majority of the population. Genetics play a big role here. A small minority of people will be comfortable at 10% body fat. Some will be comfortable at 15% or 20%. Not everyone can sustain sub 15% body fat. There is no law which states that abs will be visible only under 15% or 10% body fat. There are strongman competitors who are at around 20% body fat and yet have great abs. AlphaDestiny had visible abs when he was at 18 to 20 percent body fat. This goes against the popular claim that one needs to be below 15 or 10% body fat to get visible abs. If a person has developed thick abdominals, they will be visible at higher body fat percentages. The people who train their abs sub-optimally, or those who do not train them at all will have to go below 15% or 10% body fat to see their abs. But, the people who train their abs the correct way will have visible abs at close to 20% body fat. This will take years. Just like other muscles, abs will take time to develop. But, once they are big enough, they will be visible even when you bulk. Yet, there will be some people who do not have the genetics to get thick abs. For them, the solution is to get to the lower range of body fat percentage. Also, women cannot get big muscles. They will have to get to around 20% body fat after serious training to see their abs. But, this will not be healthy for many of them, and many women will have to be happy with a flat belly.

Visibility and definition of abs and other muscles will improve when a person goes sub 15% body fat or maybe 10% for a photoshoot. However, average people do not have the same standards as bodybuilders. For them, even Vin Diesel has a six-pack. For them, even Dwayne Johnson has a six-pack. They will be happy with decent muscle definition while being able to enjoy food and be healthy, strong at 18% body fat.

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