Q: I read somewhere that in order to get a six pack you need to have a fat body percentage about 9%.If u are at this point and u dont have muscles but u are just thin can u get a six pack ?Or do u need to build muscles first and then get it?

A: The 9% figure is correct -- the six-pack appears somewhere in 9-10% body fat range. It is possible to just be thin and have a six-pack. Some teenage guys have it naturally like that. Some adults with good genetics who are into running can be like that, but it's not something that most adults would be able to accomplish through cardio alone. For most adults the more likely way of getting the six-pack requires at least some muscle mass to facilitate fat burning.

So if you're an average guy with 17% body fat, a small gut, and no developed muscles, your best bet of getting the six-pack would be through diet and weight training. A typical scenario would involve several stages:

1. Go on a healthy multi-meal maintenance diet with weight-training for a couple of months. Your weight won't change, but you will lose a little fat, build a little muscle, and raise your metabolism a bit. You might end up with 15% body fat at the end of this stage.

2. Switch to a fat-burning diet, continue weight training, and very slowly (1 pound/week or less) lose some weight in a few months. End this stage at 12%. The reason this stage has to end typically is that your metabolism eventually slows down and fat loss stops.

3. Switch to a muscle-building diet, continue weight training, and VERY VERY slowly (2 pounds/month or less) gain some weight in muscle. End this stage at 13-14% with significantly more muscle and much higher metabolism.

4. Final assault on the six-pack: switch to a fat-burning diet again, continue weight training, go for slow weight loss again. You will hopefully make it all the way to 10% body fat before your metabolism slows down too much.

If your metabolism shuts down before the six-pack appears in stage 4, then you'll have to repeat stages 3 and 4 again. And so on. So basically you'll be zig-zagging between cutting (losing weight and fat) and bulking (gaining weight and muscle) stages till you hit your six-pack goal. Not all people will be able to achieve the six-pack in the end, but absolutely everyone can significantly lower their body fat in this manner.