The Fastest Way to Get 6 Pack Abs (Using Science)

Name: The Fastest Way to Get 6 Pack Abs (Using Science)
Uploaded: 2026-04-12T13:45:03.000Z
Duration: 26 min 16 s
Channel: Jeremy Ethier

Jeremy EthierApril 12, 202626m

Topics18

Fat Loss Targets for Visible Abs0:00 Weekly Fat Loss Targets and Timelines1:00 Science-Backed Plan: Diet3:00 Training to Preserve Muscle5:01 Cardio: Prioritizing Walking7:01 Early Progress and Adjustments8:01 Shift Work and Sleep Challenges9:31 Fat Distribution Differences12:01 Tracking Progress and Water Retention13:30 45-Day Progress Check15:00 Muscle Gain and Continued Progress16:01 Challenges at Advanced Leanness18:01 Gender Differences in Abs Visibility19:01 Hunger, Sustainability, and Maintenance21:00 Retesting Strength After Weight Loss22:29 Final Body Fat Results and Transformations24:00 Participant Feedback on the App25:01 Earning the Trip to Mexico26:00

In a Nutshell

Luke and Nicole, starting at 29% and 33% body fat, achieved visible abs in 90 days by following a science-backed plan: a 500-750 calorie deficit diet with high-volume low-calorie meals, 4-day full-body strength training to preserve/build muscle (gaining 5lbs and 3lbs lean mass), 10k daily steps for cardio, and sleep optimization despite shift work. They lost 25lbs and 20lbs of fat respectively, dropping to 15.6% and 19.5% body fat—faster than typical timelines—while gaining strength (e.g., Luke's pull-ups from 14 to 21). Key takeaways: target 0.7-0.9% weekly bodyweight loss, prioritize muscle preservation over aggressive deficits for sustainability, track morning weights to ignore fluctuations, and maintain via activity and monitoring post-goal to avoid regain.

AI-Generated Notes

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This is how much fat Luke has to lose to get six-pack abs. And this is how much fat his wife Nicole has to lose for her abs to pop. For most people, this could take anywhere from 6 months to over a year. Testing out a plan that should get them abs in a fraction of the time. Results completely shocked us. >> Bro. Look at this. Oh my god. << For most guys, you don't start to see clear ab definition until you're below 20% body fat. Depending on how thick your abs are, you'll start to see a full visible six-pack around 15% and below. For women, the sweet spot is typically between 25 and 18%. Only 2% of the population ever get lean enough for their abs to truly pop, male or female. That's because most people underestimate just how much fat they have to lose. >> I think my body fat's like 23. << >> If I had to guess, I would be like low to mid 20s. << Luke, your current body fat percentage is 29.2%. >> Holy crap. << >> Oh, that sucks. << >> And for Nicole, 33%. << >> Oh no. << Women naturally carry 10% more body fat compared to men. So 33% body fat for a woman is basically the same as what 23% would be for a man.

In order for both of them to see their abs as fast as possible, this is how much fat you guys are going to have to lose every week. >> A week. << So this is a little bit over a pound, which is going to be your target. And this right around a pound per week. Based on Luke's current weight and body fat, to get down to 20% where his abs will first start to show, he needs to lose about 20 lb of pure fat. You could lose 20 lbs in a month. But if you want to keep your muscle, there is a limit to how fast you should go. Research from Dr. Eric Helms shows that the sweet spot is losing about 0.5 to 1% of your body weight per week. Personally, like to stay right in the middle, around 0.7% of body weight per week, but Luke wants to get abs as fast as possible, so we're going to try to push it. Setting his target at 0.9% per week, which for him comes out to about 1.5 lbs of fat loss per week. At this rate, he should reach 20% body fat in roughly 90 days and 15% in 140 days. If Luke builds muscle while dieting, which is absolutely possible when things are dialed in, his body fat percentage will drop even faster, meaning he could start seeing visible abs in as little as 60 days and might be able to get closer to 15% body fat by the end of the 90 days. Applying this exact same approach to Nicole, just adjusted for her numbers. To find out roughly how long it'll take you to see your abs, pick what picture best matches your current body fat. Here's how long it'll take you to get to 20% and 15% as a man. And for women, here's the equivalent. But again, these timelines could be shorter if you end up gaining muscle using the right plan. But regardless, it's not going to be easy. In the next 90 days, if you can get to 20% or below, and Nicole, if you can get to 25% or below, I'm going to send you both on an all-inclusive trip to Mexico. >> No way. You serious? << >> That's insane. <<

To get Luke and Nicole abs in the fastest timeline possible, they're going to need a science-backed plan comprised of three key parts. Starting with their diet. This is where most people screw up. They assume cutting calories means less food. But with the right food choices, you can actually eat more food for fewer calories. >> So, what we have here is kind of a rough idea as to what your full day of eating could look like. << >> I don't eat anywhere near this. << For Luke to lose 1.5 lbs per week, that's a daily deficit of 750 calories. But if we simply cut all those calories from only his diet, his hunger just wouldn't be sustainable. So, instead, he'll be aiming for a target of 2,000 calories a day, which puts him in a deficit of 500 calories. This alone is going to lead to around a pound of fat loss per week, but we are going to speed that up a little bit faster with an exercise that I'll talk about shortly. As for Nicole, she'll be aiming for 300 to 400 calorie deficit, but because she's so much lighter than Luke, that means her daily calorie target is just at 1,600, which looks like this. Luke and Nicole both work rotating day and night shifts in nursing and law enforcement, which just makes consistency with their diet even harder. So, their plan needs to include quick, healthy snacks they can grab on the go and something actually satisfying waiting for them after a long shift. For you, hungry girl. >> Oh, yeah. << This right here, this whole thing, >> that's insane. << Is like 300 calories. So, this is sugar-free Jell-O, fat-free Greek yogurt mixed with protein powder, and then just a ton of strawberries. And then for you, candy. >> There's no candy on here, but I do have a solution. Come here, Master Dennis. << >> Oh, try these. Dude, << >> it's like lemon lime. << >> Is it literally just frozen grapes? << This is frozen grapes and I added a bit of stevia, which I got you guys, too. And then lime is the key. >> With lime, that's it. << It gives it like a little bit of sour. And these tasty recipes should be enough to keep them on track with their diet.

But their diet alone is not going to be enough. If Luke and Nicole lose muscle on this plan, it's actually going to take them longer to get abs because more of the weight that they lose isn't actually fat. This is where the second step in their plan becomes essential, training. Most people think getting abs means long ab circuits and tons of cardio. But in reality, the most effective way to build them is strength training. Because when you're feeding your body less than it needs, your body needs extra energy. And it can get it from two places, your fat or your muscle. And if you're not lifting weights, it's going to burn both. Strength training tells your body to keep the muscle and burn the fat instead. But there's a catch. You have to train your whole body. Vicki learned this the hard way. She's currently doing an ab experiment and she lost five pounds in a month from only dieting and training her abs. But only two of those five pounds were fat and the rest was muscle loss. So her body fat actually barely changed. But what's interesting is the only place where she did not lose muscle was her abs, which again was the only muscle she was training. Which is why for Nicole and Luke, I built them both a 4-day workout split using our Built with Science Plus app that will hit every single muscle using two upper body workouts and two lower body workouts per week. And on day one, I tested their max push-ups and pull-ups. So, by the end of the transformation, we'll see if they got any stronger. But as a police officer, I want to add a bonus test to see just how good he is at catching a would-be criminal. >> You ready for the health thing? << >> Okay. << >> All right. Holy. << >> Okay. << >> Got him. << >> All right. So, that was a minute. <<

And this chase brings us to the final component of Luke and Nicole's plan, cardio. But rather than going all out, I actually want the majority of their cardio to look like this. When I was younger, I thought the only way to get six-pack abs was through intense cardio, things like sprints and circuits. And to be fair, they do work. I'd use them myself to get really lean, but they are draining. They require a lot of willpower, and they're just not something that most people can stick to long term. And that is where walking comes in. It's low effort, easy to recover from, and when done consistently, it keeps your daily calorie burn high without you burning out. And so, right now, Nicole and Luke are averaging about 5,000 steps per day. I want them to push that up to 10,000, which should increase their daily calorie burn by roughly 200 calories and help speed up their fat loss. And this extra activity should help Luke with his police work as well. Hopefully, compared to running down Dennis, this abs plan should be a piece of cake. >> Technically, day two of the challenge. I know I'm going to work hard and I know I'm going to have a good attitude with all of it and I know I'm sticking with it, so I'm excited to crush it. << And Luke and Nicole both committed to seeing this plan through.

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The Fastest Way to Get 6 Pack Abs (Using Science)

Fat Loss Targets for Visible Abs00:00

Weekly Fat Loss Targets and Timelines01:00

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