The truth about visible abs and men's health!

[Robertcw]

People often associate abs with ultimate fitness. Covers of men's health magazines always have a man with very low body fat % right on the cover

Arms + ABS, 20lbs gone!

Seduce her with style! Eight pack abs! One night stand!

Lose your Gut! Two women at once!

These magazine covers are actually quite disturbing.

Aside from promoting essentially all the behaviors I see women on this very site complain about often. Fuckboism. Objectification of sexuality. Fitness levels changing personality somehow. Vulgarity.

The level of strict dieting to get to this point is just... bad for mental health and arguably isn't actually healthy in the first place. There's absolutely no reason why 15%- 20% body fat isn't good enough to be strong and healthy:

Same guy at different body fat %'s

A lot of guys try to go for 10% or less for dramatic abs. But here's the problem, go under 8% and you start killing yourself. The body needs essential fat for organ health before it begins eating the organs in leu of fat storage. And if you have no fat deposits, at all, then how will you tolerate physical activity without losing muscle mass? Eat a ton of carbs?! It isn't realistic or practical.

Ultimately your body knows what it needs. You should eat to your appetite, not to your ideal reflection in the mirror. Enjoy your food, train and be happy.

🤘🏼

[Dongtai]

How do you know they’re all unhealthy though? Have you actually had any formal interviews with guys who have abs and got your own research or did you just pull stuff up online?

Yeah there’s people who starve themselves but there’s also people who just take care of themselves and love to be fit. Abs are muscles. They can be built. You don’t get them by starving. You actually lose muscle when you starve yourself. You can tell the difference between someone who starves themselves and someone who is building their body. The build is different.

I’m not denying that there are people who starve themselves. Some people do cheat either with steroids or starving themselves. But there are people out there who just look good and do everything the right way to look that way.

We should start encouraging eachother to do things the correct way instead of knocking the people who look successful at it. Achieving those magazine looks take time, effort, patience and dedication. It can be done without cheating but it’s HARD. That’s why they’re on magazine covers. It’s an achievement not everyone has what it takes to get it. It doesn’t mean they got it by harming themselves. Maybe they earned it?

Like I said I would actually interview these people or fit guys. You appear to be at a gym in your picture. Find some people with abs both male and female, interview them and find out how they got abs. Some people actually earn the look they walk around with and it does them a disservice to say “Oh. Well they must be starving themselves.” No. Maybe she had high standards for herself and meets them. Maybe she works out regularly and only eats what her body needs and doesn’t overdo it.

[Robertcw]

Yes, however how else do you have zero external body fat? Calorie deficit is the only way unless maybe you have maintenance calories down to exact numbers.

[Dongtai]

Nobody has zero body fat. Google starving people in third world countries. That’s as close to zero body fat that you’ll get.

You don’t get a body like the ones in the magazines overnight. It’s a process. Those people have been working out and eating correctly for years. They also have the advantage of time and money to access prestige workout regime and healthy foods.

But even a regular person can get that look. But you have to be consistent for a long time. A cheat day a couple days a week can hurt you. If you go half a year or even a couple of months of consistent working out and healthy dieting you’ll see progress. Calorie deficit is for people who are trying to lose weight. You’re supposed to try and lose 1-2 lbs a week. There’s 5 weeks in a month so imagine trying to lose 30 pounds. That’s 6 months assuming you’re consistently losing 1 pound a week. It’s the same for gaining muscle. It doesn’t happen overnight, it’s time and dedication.

So if you already have bad eating habits and aren’t used to working out regularly it’s not going to be easy. You’re basically rewiring your brain. That’s why it should be a lifestyle choice to be fit not a goal of “getting a nice body”. Naturally your body will be good if you regularly workout and eat healthily. It’s should be like brushing your teeth. Something you must do not something on the side.

Just because those bodies aren’t common doesn’t mean they were built by unhealthy means. It’s possible to just be a healthy person who works out regularly. It’s just more common not to so people will point out potential negatives instead of being inspired to change their habits.

[Texaskid1]

Well said.

But I wonder if people with that look are hungry all the time. I have been eorking out for years and U can never perfect the diet. There comes a point where I am hungry all the time and that effects my mood and energy levels.

[Robertcw]

I think you're off slightly. I think it's just that a lot of guys know what different body fat % are and aim to stay in a healthy region while growing muscle tissue.

These photos are taken at unhealthy body fat %'s. 10-15% is where you want to be. Anything under 10% can start to be damaging to organs. Anything sub 10% is starting to get dangerous.

[Pejtu]

If u think that the guys with abs are not on steroids u are fkn stupid :D

Because as a gym member since 5 years myself going there 3 times a week i do not have abs visible like the 10% fat guy , after steroids its only possible to achieve that , and if u care more about good look in the mirror then well ur life if u die i dont give a F
MEABY u can ge this kind of abs when u are not eating as much as you should and u train fkn 7 times a week few hours for months if not at least a year , then meaby yes

And side effects of steroids are - brain damage , smaller dick and balls ( thats 100% truth ) , erectile dysfunction , basically u cannot get hard on its not possible for this kind of guys , and many many more

I once heard a story when a really cute looking girl left her boyfriend because his dick was smaller then her finger ( yes he took steroids for 9 years ) and she said that she left him after 8 months because of that
Secondly i know many personal trainers or other older gym fanatics that told me face to face they are doing steroids and if i wanna buy some too so yeah - no thanks

[Robertcw]

Dude, we completely agree.

[sejla]

I follow kpop and the abs thing is a big thing in the industry. How they get the abs is a bit scary because I know part of it is calorie restriction. Many end too. My fear is that they are not taking enough food in and the right kind of food and they could have long term health effects from it. When people are young they can get away with not eating right or they think they can but it can hit them like a wall when they hit 40, 50 or 60.

Now if a man is eating a well balance healthy diet and enough calories and can be fit then I don't have a problem with it. Some men just are more prone to having lean muscle mass so they can look buffed without having to eat restricted food diets.

[Robertcw]

Doesn't surprise me with the Koreans. Easily one of the most superficial and vapid cultures in the world.

They probably are starving themselves for the abs. Plastic surgery in Korea is also extremely common especially among kpop stars.

[sejla]

I don't think Koreans are any more vapid than Americans. Americans were doing the starving thing in the 90s and it isn't uncommon for American actors to go under the knife or do injections when aging sets in. But yes they do more of it and it is the entertainment company management who pushes the plastic surgery in most cases.

They do the abs because it sells tickets at concerts.

[Robertcw]

Okay let's say Korea and California are roughly on the same level if vapidness. But for the South and the East coasts, bo way. Most of America is extremely casual blue jeans everywhere chill with the friends on the couch sort of living -- which I like.

[Robertcw]

And even then, plastic surgery isn't common among teens and 20's in California like it is in Korea.

[sejla]

I wonder if it has always been the promoted fantasy.

[Robertcw]

🤷🏻‍♂️Yeah there's something too it. Though the painting depicts more bodyfat than Connor has in that video.

But I suspect it has something to do with our persistence hunter origins. If tou were to go out jogging everyday until an antelope or deer gave up and crashed from exhaustion you would probably come back looking skinny on a deficit prior to eating. Which means you'd probably have abs everyday at least in between meals.

If you didn't then you weren't capable of finishing the hunt. That's my preliminary take on this phenomena, for now.

[PurpleBear14]

I totally understand @sejla! When i noticed Suga was starting to gain wight and lookin a bit chubby i was so happy!! =) I don't care about the abs. Just be healthy!

[sejla]

@PurpleBear14 A chubby military G-Dragon made me happy too. I really like Suga. He's like a cat. Snarky sometimes but cuddly when he wants to be.

[Luv2BRealExotic13]

A lot of people aren’t aware of, that at least the men you featured in this article have nutritionists, dietitians and trainers. They’re eating high protein diets. Consisting of both meat and veggies and they have low intakes of carbs, additives, salts and sugar. So it isn’t about how much one is eating it’s about what they’re eating. Why is there an attack on abs? Women like physically fit men. If we complain about sexual objectification it’s against men bc men take it too far with harassment, physical contact and sometime assault whether you acknowledge them or not.

[Robertcw]

I know but it's just a fact that body fat % below 10% is dangerous to health. It can only be sustained short term before organ damage occurs.

15% is fine. Abs are still visible at 15%, and organs are safe as well.

[Oram52]

Its genetics no doubt. But I'm not starving myself, I eat healthy balanced diet. I want abs that's why I put effort in and aesthetics is also reason for wanting abs, there is absolutely no doubt most girls love abs. There is nothing wrong with striving to be your best even if physically for purely aesthetic reasons.

No one needs to start. Find a balance. Majority of people don't have a problem with that. Just because there are people who may get carried away for whatever reason doesn't mean we have to completely discard everything.

You are right we do need to listen to our bodies, so sadly if someone is unable to achieve visible abs by 12% bodyfat then perhaps its best to accept that instead of putting health in jeopardy.

It takes time and dedication to look good. It doesn't mean they're starving themselves. That's just a cop out, diets never work anyway. You need to eat healthy balanced diet. People who are into fitness majority eat healthy balanced diet, that's exactly what is promoted. So I see no reason why not strive to have good body even if you don't want a six pack.

There is no such thing as Objectification of sexuality, sex and nudity are natural. I rather have sex positive society. Also I'd only date girls who keep themselves fit. It doesn't have to be extremes or binary choice.

[Mädchen]

Hugh Jackman wasn't even allowed to Drink all day besides Alkohol (cause it dehydrates the Body) when he had to shoot certain scenes in Wolverine cause it makes the muscles more prominent. That's Not what I'd call healthy. But I don't know any women that would expect this Level of muscels. A Bodybuilder once Said "I got into Body buildings cause I thought It would get me girl's but instead I got a Lot of Male attention" I think men are more obsessed with this supposed ideal of themselves. Just Like men don't actually Care about the tight Gap or whatever Shit women worry about.

[Robertcw]

True about thigh gap. However the one and only thing that has noticeably changed the flirtatious and sexual attention I get from women has been lifting weights vs not lifting weights.

When I lift, the attention I get goes up x10. It just does. When I don't lift it goes down x10. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I also enjoy achieving in weights and it makes me feel proud of myself and self-assured as well, so I get a confidence boost in top.

[alice55]

Personally I never been a fan of visible abs (I like large shoulder and muscular arms mainly) and I don't like body with low body fat (the skin doesn't look healthy and look dry, your face also look older if you don't have enough body fat).

In the pics showed I find that he look better with 18 / 20 % body fat.

Guys who have less than 10 % body fat usually only keep it for a show (like bodybuilding show) or stuff like that, if not they eat healthy and have bigger body fat (except if they have naturally very low body fat but those guys are usually the skinny muscular one not the "big" muscular one).
I know some guys that are into gyms and most of them have normal body fat the one that have low body fat are the naturally very skinny one (they can't help it) and then there's the body builder one who only have very low body fat when they got a show coming up.

[Robertcw]

"the skin doesn't look healthy and look dry, your face also look older if you don't have enough body fat" I noticed that too on myself.

[alice55]

Also I heard bodybuilder would stop drinking hours before a shows to be even more dry which is definitely not healthy at all.

[Levin]

I have 11% body fat. No restriction employed. I just work out a lot. Move a lot. Walk a lot. Eat a mostly planted based whole foods diet. Definitely don't starve myself, eat till I'm full.

As it so happens, a low body fat probably isn't that difficult to attain. It's just that people aren't willing to change what is the mainstay of their diet. From mostly refined carbs, animal products and refined sugars to complex carbs, legumes and vegetables with lower overall proportions of fat (I still eat a lot though). I'm waiting for this next bandwagon to take off, unfortunately. Nor are they willing to move much. Drive everywhere. Don't go out into nature. Fester in an office.

I'm fairly sure it's not appealing to women because it looks 'sickly'. However, what is aesthetically 'sickly' is largely defined by cultural norms, and sad to say, but most people are significantly overweight. If overweight is the norm, then the norm is overweight.

[1stPlace]

Once you understand nutrition, you're ahead of the game.

[Robertcw]

@1stPlace I still think it's hard to eat correctly. I don't mean eating processed foods, I mean eating what when in order to get the right amount of calories from the right foods while also getting the right proportion of macros.

Not so easy really. Especially if you need to eat the same thing everyday at the same times and it all costs more than $20/day. That's actually hard because of all the commitment it requires.

[Trolloween]

What truth are you exposing here? Everyone knows you need to be lean to have visible abs. There are loads of unhealthy body building practices but honestly I don't care, it's adults making their own decisions. I would still say it's obvious that any guy that is even close to making the cover of a magazine is much healthier than the average guy, who is probably overweight. Also you need to realise that body builders and fitness freaks have cycles, they aren't walking around all year at 9% body fat and dehydrated, they do that briefly for competitions. That's just the tip of the iceberg before you get to injecting various muscle I flamers etc

[CubsterShura]

THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS!! What's important is a strong core and not necessarily six pack abs.

The industry is sick. Hiring underweight models and putting makeup on their abs and editing pictures... Creating a standard unattainable for men of all different body types.

[lightbulb27]

well said and interesting. 14-20 looks healthy to me. and the 18-20 guy isn't flexing his muscles as much as the others... he could expose the outer muscles...

Questionis... what do women find attractive? I see so many way out of shape guys, and I mean basketball guts (weak psoas, etc..) with girlfriends. Girls may like certain things, but doesn't look like abs rule over wallets or personality.

same way stick figure women were portrayed for decades as healthy models of women, this is also a false realty of males.

[LoU_Hades]

It's possible to keep low body fat (below 15) with proper diet. Of course if your diet contains soy-whopper and fried malnourished chicken it's difficult to obtain healthy amount of nutrients without tons of fat and carbs.
I'm not a bodybuilder, I'm just rowing for fun since more than 10 years. But I know for good body shape is proper diet as importation as training.
I wouldn't give much about pic on the front page of Men's health, because after solarium/sun and little bit body oil, every guy who trains regularly has visible abs. Unless he is the bear type of a guy who trains and eats a lot. Those guys have often stretched lower belly muscles and abdominal wall due enormous amount of food they eat.

[Vinfet]

Good commentary. I always keep an extra 5 or 10 laying around and eat a little more salad if I'm going to the beach to lose it.

Very glad someone steps up and speaks truth. I recently passed on this very knowledge to a rookie lifter (coming from a veteran who knows barely enough to keep from getting hurt, ha) who lost a bunch of weight. Those pictures are not only photoshopped as necessary, the guys are eating specifically for that shoot and then they add a little back. Cut out the supplements on a rrgular basis while you're at it.

Most articles I've read women like a guy who looks like he works out, not a guy that looks like he eats and sleeps in the gym.

Well done

[Screenwriter]

Yep. That look implies the guy is more interested in his mirror than anyone else...

[Moonchild714]

Women have been saying this since the 70s' and Men laughed at us and said stop Whining, start Dieting and Hit the Gym!!! Now that it's being pushed more on guys now its a Problem!!! I would have been more sympathetic if you would've been more about how this is a Societal Problem towards People not just Men... Women have been talking about this All My Life!!!

[ComradeJakob]

Stop pretending like all guys believe the same thing. We're not a hive mind. And besides, i believe it's women that push gym fitness standards on each other.

[Robertcw]

Never knew! Sorry about that.

[Moonchild714]

@ComradeJakob, both genders push it on each other but it's mainly the Entertainment, Fashion, & Fitness Industries that really push the Unhealthy lifestyle. Never said all guys, I just said Men laughed at us. I don't lump people into One Category!!! Just as I'm sure you weren't saying All Women or Only Women push Gym Fitness, you wouldn't generalize like that right since you don't want to be linked to One Side...

[wmasters]

Don't worry moonchild, many men know that women love well trained bodies. It's proof of hard work and it looks really good. Depending on genetics, some men CAN actually achieve low body fat to muscle mass ratio and still be healthy. It's all in the genetics. Guys saying you practically can't do this are usually either uninformed or just hating because they can't achieve it effectively.

[Moonchild714]

Thank you @wmasters

[rjroy3]

Most top level athletes are 6-10% bodyfat and they have to be healthy to be at peak condition. I say athlete, rather than fighters or sports that are more skill based with athletic elements. Those types of sports being super ripped isn't as common. But sports that are all about pure athleticism like basketball and most football position. Dudes are jacked with low bodyfat numbers and are healthy. Not killing themselves. You have to have an issue with your hormones for that to be true. But with balanced hormones 6% bodyfat is attainable and sustainable while being healthy. You just have to be conscious of what you're doing.

[blutwolfe]

Well for starters I can tell you right now those bf% in those pics are off, and those guys in those magazines aren't that lean, that's a healthy bf%. Just because you have abs doesn't mean it's low bf% either, everyone's genetics and training are different.

The only reason you should be going below 10% is competing or you're on hormones to make up for it, or competing not drug tested. The bf% in those magazines would be fairly achievable for a lot of the population, that's why they're on there and not bodybuilders.

The cosmetic aspect of it is to each their own. Everyone has their own opinions, men's fitness is comparable to women using make up, men workout to impress other men, women use make up to impress other women.

[AynonOMouse]

From my experience in real life the people I've known with a six pack were often weak. They looked cut and on camera/photos where you can't tell the actual size of a person they "looked" fit, but in reality they were weak. Even when I was kind of fat I could do a lot more sit ups than the guys I knew with six pack abs. And as far as benching and curls go I was far past their abilities.
People often confuse looking cut (which just means very low body fat) with being strong when they have little to do with each other in reality.

[Phoenix98]

I get what your saying but you can have visible abs at double digit body fat percentages it comes down a lot to genetics.

And on that note due to my genetics I've always had between 10-8% body fat for about as long as I've been alive. And I do just fine and am a perfectly healthy individual I work out a lot, I eat a ton and have always maintained a healthy body.

I do agree though that there are people who take it way to far and do indeed go into that category of people who look healthy but actually aren't.

[Jemini_Crocket]

18 to 20 % looks the most attractive in this picture for me xD
Anyway, I've never really understood why so many drool over abs. I can understand they are nice but I personally prefer when a man is strong and muscular but not "thin", not so ripped I think would be a better word.

[sagevalentineee]

Health absolutely 100% comes first. Men (and women) should just aim to be healthy. There is no ideal body type to aspire to, and healthy is the most attractive anyway. My boyfriend's torso is like 14% to 17% photo. I don't know what his body fat is, I don't think he himself knows or cares. He works out to live a long life, not to please anybody else. I think that's perfect. He's strong and muscular but also soft and gorgeous.

[Texaskid1]

What a way of describing it.

[Oram52]

He also definitely works out to have attractive body nothing wrong with that :)
Out of curiosity do you work out?

[Robertcw]

Happy birthday by the way. Just noticed you turned 18!

[sagevalentineee]

@Oram52 Yes I do

[sagevalentineee]

Thank you! It was my birthday yesterday!

[DizzyDesii]

I don't know why abs look like ribs to me. I prefer flat tummys with little toning and no abs

[DizzyDesii]

And othing about Michael Bs cover is disturbing 😍 the Asian guys hot too. Bt yea i still dislike abs

[Corerue]

If I can see slight definition in my abs it's a win. I don't need to be chiseled like Adonis. I just need to not be carrying a spare tire of fat rolls. Lol

Those who go for the look. Good for them. It isn't super healthy but that's what society still pushes as the ideal of Sexy or Attractive.

Even women super models who are rail thin. Its gross to me. If a chick has curves, hell yes. If a chick is skinny like skeletor on purpose. No thanks, not attractive at all.

[Robertcw]

Yeah having a flat stomach is different from visible abs. For instance, you can easily have a waist to hip ratio of 0.9 as a guy and still have fat cover the ab muscles. All it takes is a tiny layer under the belly button. Not even noticeable under a shirt.

[Anonymous]

You got to know the audience things are targeted towards. Super visible abs and insane low-fat degrees of cut-ness aren't really what most girls are looking for in a dude. That look is a much bigger thing when it comes to what some segments of gay guys are looking for in a dude. So for the vast, VAST majority of guys, that aesthetic isn't really what you should be shooting for if you're trying to get with girls.

Same applies to women and their issues with advertising and fashion models and "non-realistic" body types being portrayed as ideal. Super skinny fashion models in particular aren't about an ideal body for attracting men. They're about an ideal body to act as a hanger to display overpriced clothes on. If you want to see what guys actually want, pick up the magazines they jack off to and see what the girls in there look like. Pretty different from fashion models.

[crazy8000]

What could we say.
People are self destructive, delusional, obsessed to fitt in and be the top of that tribe nonsense with a lot of justifications to make it fitt in to how it really is.

The funny thing is that majority of those people that does this suffers from mental health issues that they aren't aware of.