Can you get abs in 30 days? Experts unpack the TikTok claim

health

by Brooke Kato

Absolutely not!

As people rush to gyms to build their ‘beach bodies’ for the summer holidays, experts say it may already be too late. Despite what fitness gurus on social media may promise, there’s no quick-fix solution to building muscle or losing weight. So you can skip the 30 day abs tutorial.

In fact, experts say it’s nearly impossible for most people to develop visible abdominal muscles in a month.

Dr. Michael Frederickson says, “Depending on your current weight, genetics, and approach to diet and exercise, it can take just six months to burn off excess fat, or it can take one to two years or more. Even if you follow a strict diet and exercise routine.” said the director of physical medicine and rehabilitation who is a sports medicine doctor at Stanford University. USA Today.

Core-strengthening exercises like squats, lunges, mountain climbers, planks, and crunches can build muscle, but experts say diet, stress, and genetics are the main factors in whether you’ll develop washboard abs in the future. House told the same media.

The trick to training the visible abdominal muscles, which consist of the external obliques, internal obliques, rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and pyramidal muscles, which stabilize the spine and pelvis, is to train the muscles and reduce body fat.

To see your abs, men need to drop their body fat percentage from 10% to less than 15%, and women need to drop from 15% to 20%. To determine your current body fat percentage, you can consult a registered dietitian or use an online calculator, but the latter is less accurate because it does not take into account other health factors.

Frederickson cautioned that when it comes to losing body fat, only 1% of body fat loss per month is safe.

“If you start with an average body fat percentage and follow a disciplined diet and exercise plan, it can take three to six months before you start to see noticeable changes in your abdominal contour,” says Dr. says certified psychologist Austin “Ozzy” Gontin. A reporter from the San Diego Marathon Clinic told USA Today.

“However, if you start with a high body fat percentage, it will take longer to reduce the fat to the point where you can see your abs.”