Many people start a fat loss program because they are looking to develop six pack abs. More specifically, they are looking to get rid of their abdominal fat so their abs become visible. And the only way to reduce abdominal fat is to reduce overall body fat.

So you are probably wondering what body fat percentage you need to reach before your abs will show. That depends on two things: gender and genetics.

Women naturally have a higher body fat percentage than men. Even worse (for guys) men tend to accumulate their fat around their bellies, meaning they need a lower overall body fat percentage before their abs are visible. A woman doesn't need to get her body fat percentage down as low as a guy for her great abs to be visible.

Your genes affect the fat distribution on your body. For some people, any excess body fat is distributed around their frame. For others, it seems that every extra bit of body fat goes right to their belly or butt. This means that two people whose abs are clearly visible may have body fat percentages that differ a good bit.

There aren't any good tests around that will tell you what body fat percentage you personally need to achieve to have six pack abs. The only way to find out is to try and see what happens. You need to keep pushing your body fat percentage down until you have the abs you want.

Yes I know. I still haven't told you what body fat percentage you need to reach to see those abs. As you just saw, there are a few factors that affect things, so the best I can give you is a range of percentages taken from a range of sources. Here are the approximate body fat percentages you need to hit to really show off your abs:

Men: To make your entire six pack of abdominal muscles visible, you'll need to get your body fat percentage down to somewhere below 11%. If you get it down below 8%, you'll almost certainly have a clearly visible six pack.

Women: You need to get your body fat down to somewhere under 17%. 14% would be even better. These are higher numbers than the guys have to hit, but remember that you naturally have a higher body fat percentage, so your job is just as tough as for the guys.

Those numbers are difficult to reach, but not unattainable. Depending on whose results you use, the average American male has a body fat percentage of between 17 and 26%.

The average American female has a body fat percentage of between 22 and 36%. You have your work cut out for you, so make sure you pick a solid program and stick with it.