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shanzacoach
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 166
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 Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 9:05 pm Post subject: Six pack: Should a gymnast's abs show? |
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i read that a female gymnast needs about 14% body fat for her abs to show. For males it's about 8%.
Does a gymnast really need to have such low body fat that they get a six pack? |
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trampoline-doc
Joined: 22 Aug 2005
Posts: 114
Location: usa
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:31 am Post subject: |
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| i think its more that they just end up with one cause of how much the work out, the kind of workouts they do, and usually gymnasts eat rather healthy. i have seen some gymnasts without them but they have never been really all that good of a gymnast (lack of a good solid conditioning program in my mind.) you have to also remember how a persons body looks depends a lot on genetics also. we sometimes have "six pack contests" in our gym but thats more of just my way to get the kids to do more conditioning... a six pack isnt really our goal its more just get stronger and the six pack is more of a side effect for some kids. |
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Coach Blair
Joined: 09 Jan 2003
Posts: 1492
Location: Bay area/Sacto
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:55 am Post subject: |
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Showing off the abs is more of a factor about cutting your body fat down. This isn't any different for any fitness or sport regime.
You'll find many male gymnasts are around or lower than 8%. Just the nature of the apparatus. |
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shanzacoach
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
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TipGuy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 2441
Location: Marin County, California, USA
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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Let's see. Gymnasts just standing at a beach relaxed, vs "fitness competetors" posing specifically for competition. Very different situations. Also the fitness competitors are training and eating specifically for look. Gymnasts train and eat for function. Muscular development and definition is a side effect not the goal.
A six pack is about cutting body fat, thin skin and genetics.
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TipGuy
Webmaster DrillsAndSkills.com |
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shanzacoach
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 166
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| TipGuy wrote: | Let's see. Gymnasts just standing at a beach relaxed, vs "fitness competetors" posing specifically for competition. Very different situations. Also the fitness competitors are training and eating specifically for look. Gymnasts train and eat for function. Muscular development and definition is a side effect not the goal.
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I can't really figure out what this has to do with my question. Side effect or not, their abs are still showing...or are they? Do they show enough to count as six packs? Since the gymnasts are relaxed and their abs are showing, does that mean they have lower body fat than 14%? Or are their abs really not showing enough to be considered a six pack - according to a body builder or fitness competitor - and they have a higher body fat than 14%. Roughly. Since the fitness competitors that I saw who reported they had 13 and 14% body fat in their profiles didn't seem to have six packs does that mean the information I found on the general needed level of body fat in order for a six pack to show in a female was incorrect? Or perhaps it means that the fitness competitors do have 13 and 14% body fat but they don't work their abs enough to get a six pack to show through. Perhaps that is the case and the gymnasts simply have lower than 13 or 14% body fat so that their six packs show while they are just standing around and the fitness competitors' don't even show while they are working out.
Also, my main question was does a gymnast really need a 14% bodyfat which is what would cause her abs to show. The first question is basically about whether a gymnast's abs showing due to low body fat is really a good sign. The second question which I thought of when I found the pics was is this what 14% body fat really looks like? Because as you can see the abs of the gymnasts are showing which, according to the website I got my info from would mean they would have to have a body fat of 14% or lower. But they don't seem to be showing all that much. Do those count as six packs? On the other hand, the fitness competitors abs aren't really showing and we do know their body fat if we can trust the data on their profiles.
I'm sorry for all the repetition. I'm just trying to make my question as clear as possible. |
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TipGuy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 2441
Location: Marin County, California, USA
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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Whether or not abs show at a given body fat % depends on several factors. I can find two people at identical body fat % and similar lean body mass that have completely different looks when it comes to abs. The 14% is a guideline, and a rough one at that. Gymnasts do an enormous amount of ab conditioning so will have substantial size to their abs vs many other sports. You'll notice many top competitors actually bulge a bit in the ab area. The main reason a gymnast would want to cut bodyfat would be to reduce excess mass. At a point reducing bodyfat will decrease performance drastically. A certain base level is required for athletic performance. What this baseline in varies by individual. As far as counting as six packs is a subjective question, can't really answer that. If they show, they show. Some female gymnasts below 10%, but this is the point where it can be detrimental depending on the individual.
Does that answer your questions?
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TipGuy
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shanzacoach
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 166
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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| TipGuy wrote: |
Does that answer your questions? |
I think so. Around 10% is too low. 14% isn't too low. In general. So abs that show wouldn't automatically be a bad sign. When I saw 14%, I thought, wow that's low. But it's not TOO low. |
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TipGuy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 2441
Location: Marin County, California, USA
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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Bodyfat % is only one indicator. There are people well below 14% that have excellent hormonal function. If your diet is super clean, you're getting plenty of rest, etc you can be lower than others that don't have everything dialed in as well.
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TipGuy
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shanzacoach
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 166
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| Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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| TipGuy wrote: | | Bodyfat % is only one indicator. |
About. Around. In general. Roughly. I realize that solid figures can't be applied to every person because every person is different. I think sticking with ballpark figures just for the sake of conversation is okay. |
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