Let’s face it, having some kind of muscle definition in the abdominal area of our bodies is a goal that every single one of us has. A strong core will not only look good and impress everyone around you, but it’ll also improve your physical performance, prevent lower back pain, fix your posture, and make you develop a slimmer waistline. Although 8-pack or 6-pack abs look impressive, starting with a goal of a 2-pack and working your way up is a good idea, but what do 2-pack abs actually look like? How can you achieve them? What body fat percentage is required to get them? And how can you achieve a 6-pack after getting them?
That’s what we’re going to find out in this article.
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What Do 2-Pack Abs Look Like?
Everybody knows what typical 6-pack or 8-pack abs look like since they’re pretty common among fit people, but seeing someone with 2-pack abs is quite a rare sight since it’s not as apparent as the other two.
Their position in the abdominal section will vary depending on the genetics of each person, but they’re usually located below the chest and at the top of your midsection.
During my body transformation journey, I slowly started developing my abs since I didn’t have any to start with even though I was skinny with a low body fat percentage. The first “pack” that I managed to achieve was in fact a 2-pack.
For me, it was located right under my chest since that’s the area that usually has the lowest amount of body fat compared to the rest of the abdominal section.
In addition to that, I used to be obsessed with crunches which mainly work the upper abs.
Here is a visual representation of what 2-pack abs look like compared to other types of abs:
How Can You Get 2-Pack Abs?
Although getting 6-pack abs is much harder than getting 2-pack abs, doing the latter is still challenging and requires the same amount of discipline and sacrifices as any other “pack”.
With that being said, it’s a good idea to set your expectations to a bare minimum until you get used to the lifestyle that you’re about to get yourself into. A goal of 2-pack abs won’t seem hard to reach so that’ll keep you motivated throughout your journey.
Just like any other “abs goal”, getting a 2-pack will require two essential things:
Low Body Fat Percentage
Having a low body fat percentage represents 70% of what will make your abs visible. No matter what types of exercises you do, you’ll never gonna be able to see your abs unless you cut down the fat in your midsection.
The best way to achieve that is by staying active and changing your diet accordingly. Unlike what other “fitness experts” might tell you, there isn’t a secret formula or a magic pill that will instantly cut down your fat, it’s just not possible. Everything that looks impressive in life requires a lot of hard work and discipline to achieve. That’s the exact same reason why impressive things are rare and getting abs, even a 2-pack, is no exception to this.
Learn to stay active, walk every day to school or to work or to any destination that isn’t too far, practice some form of physical activity like a sport or weight-lifting, Go on runs two to three times per week to practice your cardio, and you’ll eventually get rid of any extra layer of fat that’s covering your 2-pack of abs.
In addition to that, your diet will play a huge role in either prolonging the time that it will take you to achieve this goal or making it significantly shorter. Here is one of the most accurate diets that you can follow.
Here are some additional tips:
- Try to reach a calorie deficit every day
- Follow a high-protein diet
- Get more sleep
- Prioritize your cardio
- Eat more healthy fats
- Avoid too much sugar
- Drink more water
Regular Training
Although regular training only plays a 30% role in making your abs visible, it’s still a good idea to train your abs on a daily basis to make them pop out more. If your main goal is to achieve 2-pack abs, make sure to prioritize crunches.
However, I recommend that you train your whole abdomen section using a variety of exercises. Not only will this make your upper abs pop out, but it’ll also get you used to exercises that target your entire core. And those types of exercises are what you need to eventually reach 6-pack or even 8-pack abs.
Do these types of exercises every day (if you can) and until failure for 4 sets and have a 30 seconds break between each set and a 1-minute break between each exercise.
Eventually, with a low enough body fat percentage, you’ll slowly be able to see your abs developing over time.
What Body Fat Percentage is Required to See 2-Pack Abs?
The body fat percentage that’s required to see 2-pack abs is about 23 to 25% for women and 16 to 22% for men. However, that entirely depends on many factors such as genetics, height, and how fat is distributed in your body.
The upper abs which represent a 2-pack will be the easiest to make visible since that area has the lowest amount of body fat compared to the lower abs. But as I mentioned in the beginning, genetics and other factors will play a huge role in determining this degree of difficulty.
If you’ve been cursed genetically, you’ll probably need to work a lot harder than most people in order to make your abs visible, even if it’s just a 2-pack.
Here is a visual representation that explains why it’s so much easier to make your upper abs visible compared to other areas in your abdominal section.
How You Can Get 6-Pack Abs From a 2-Pack
If you already have 2-pack abs, then be sure that you’re on the right track towards getting a full impressive 6-pack and it’s going to be much easier to achieve this goal, especially if you trained hard for that initial 2-pack.
There are two possible scenarios in this case:
You’ve Never Trained Abs Before
If you’ve never trained your abs before but somehow, you naturally have a 2-pack, that simply means that your genetics are outstanding and they’re begging you to train them.
Having a 2-pack naturally, indicates that your body is capable of decreasing its fat percentage with ease (basically, you have a fast metabolism).
With that being said, you’ll easily be able to achieve 6-pack abs if you just change your diet a little bit, start being active by practicing some form of physical activity such as weightlifting, and train your abs on a regular basis.
You’ve Trained to Achieve a 2-Pack
If you worked hard to achieve 2-pack abs by lowering your body fat percentage and training them constantly, that means that you’re ready to move on to the next step of 6-pack abs, and it’s gonna be so much easier to achieve them now that you’ve developed healthy habits and gotten used to training them.
If you just continue to work hard and follow the same routine that allowed you to achieve a 2-pack, you’ll be getting a 6-pack in no time. That’s because the only difference between having 2 abs and 6 abs is time, patience, and discipline.
Conclusion:
With this, you now understand everything there is to it about 2-pack abs. You learned what they looked like, how you can achieve them by lowering your body fat percentage and training them on a regular basis, and how you can get 6-pack abs from a 2-pack.