If you go to any bodybuilding forum, you will see that a large portion of the topics is dedicated to the quest for ripped six-pack abs. This is hardly a surprise. We have been living in the era of the six-pack abs for a long time, my friend. The image of defined abdominal muscle is being pushed on a daily basis through advertisement, muscle magazines, Hollywood movies and more.

Many people in the industry speculate and use the six-pack epidemic to sell gimmicks. It started decades ago with the useless ab equipment advertised on TV. Today, the same thing continues. We have guys like the Mike Chang who continue to make millions on the back of the ignorant noobs.

At the end of the day, everybody wants a set six-pack abs, preferably, yesterday.

Therefore, “How long does it take to see my abs?” is a million dollar question.

The answer is quite simple, as it always is. It will take as long as it takes.

On many occasions, nature shows us that balance is achieved in all areas. A thing may change its form, but it continues to live in a new body. Nothing in nature is lost. The calories you take cannot evaporate into the nothingness. You can cheat in the human world, but you can’t cheat nature. Thus, when you eat too much, the extra energy is stored in the form of fat.

To get your six-pack abs to show, you need to lose body fat. There is no need for specific ab exercises. They can help you build strength and some hypertrophy, but muscle definition is 99% dependent on the number of fat cells around your navel area.

The fatter you are, the more time it will take for your abs to surface. If you are 35% body fat, you are looking at 6-10 months of dieting to acquire some definition. If you are only 15% body fat, you can have visible abs in 2-3 months. Yet nobody can calculate that process with extreme precision.

Ultimately, the secret behind the successful discovery of your six pack abs under those layers of fat is called a caloric deficit. You will have to consume less food than needed to maintain your weight and/or increase your energy expenditure through activity. Truth be told, dieting is better than simply adding cardio.

It’s About Forming New Habits

Anyone can starve for a while and get to leanness. Maintaining it is harder and requires a lifestyle change unless you want to experience yo-yo effects all the time. In brief, many of your eating habits will have to change permanently so that your results can become permanent too.

Natural Abs Vs. ”Roid” Abs

Undoubtedly, naturals can acquire ripped abdominal muscles. Yet the 3D cuts common for modern fitness models and bodybuilders are rarely seen on a natural. The abs of a natural bodybuilder are flatter and less 3D. In addition, the natty abs look less intimidating because their owner carries less overall muscle mass than a roid user since the natural potential for growth is lower. This affects the overall perception of the abdominal region too.