Many guys, especially younger ones, don't like the idea of getting below a certain weight.

I like to use the scale as a tool...

Not to hit some arbitrary number.

Recently, I gave workout advice to a novice lifter who picked up my program 12 weeks transformation journey. He wants six pack abs but he weighs 160 pounds and doesn't want to get lighter than this.

The thing is...

Six pack abs are more about fat LOSS than muscle gain.

What I mean by that is...

Sure, you need to make sure you work your abs in some way to have muscle density and tone.

But to make 6 pack abs visible, you are going to need to lose body fat.

When you lose body fat, you typically will lose scale weight to make that happen (unless you simultaneously gain muscle).

The young guy who doesn't want to go below 160 pounds is 24 years old.

He has a small frame and is skinny fat.

His goal is to get lean for a trip to Mombasa he is going on in late May.

This only gives him about 3 months to get ready.

Can he realistically have 6 pack abs in 3 months?

Well, he already has 4 pack abs with just a bit of fat covering his lower abs.

• I'm guessing he will need to lose 10 pounds to get 6 pack abs.
• Probably 15 if he wants sharp 6 pack abs.
• This will put him at 145 pounds.

He is 5'8", which is the same height as Zac Efron.

Zac weighs about 160-165 when he is in prime ripped condition.

Zan has also lifted hard for years.

This 24-year-old guy wants similar stats as Zac without all the years of hard work.

He doesn't have time right now to build muscle.

If he wants to get lean in 3 months fat loss is going to have to be his main goal.

He will wind up between 145-150.

Then if he wants to look closer to the way Zac looks, he can train hard after the trip.

Perhaps next year he will closer to this goal.

He really shouldn't worry about the number on the scale.

If he loses 15 pounds, his physique will look a lot more impressive.

Who cares if he is 145 pounds.

People have no idea what you actually weigh unless you hop on a scale in front of them.

One final thing...

Guys in particular probably need to get a lot lighter than anticipated to get the look they are after.

I RARELY tell men how much I think they need to lose when they ask.

Guys who think they need to lose 10-15, often need to lose 25-30 pounds.

If a guy says "I am just 10 more pounds aways from being ripped."

I will always something like "Could be. Once you lose 10 pounds you will know for sure."

But

In my mind, I know they have 30+ pounds to go.

As far as women go.

I NEVER tell them how much I think they need to lose.

For one thing, this is harder than projecting weight loss for guys.

Also, this is a trap I've learned to avoid :)