Q: i am 15 years old and i am not satisfied with my physique. i can sort of see my abs but i want them to pop out and to get a 6-pack. What do i need to eat on a daily basis and how should i exercise. I have dumbbells and can possibly buy some more equipment if necessary.

A: The reason you cannot quite see your six-pack is because of the layer of body fat covering it. This is very normal -- far more people, including your age group, cannot see their six-packs than those who can. So you should not expect getting to the six-pack stage to be easy or fast.

The only way to do it is to achieve lower body fat (below 10%). For an adult this would normally involve losing weight, but a teenager such as yourself has a big advantage over adults -- your body is still growing and this growth in itself is extremely energy-intensive and is the best fat-burner in the world. All you have to do is give your body 'reason' to build muscle and burn fat over the next couple of years and you should get to that six-pack stage. This means eating a lot, but with very healthy food choices as opposed to junk like sweets, pizza, fast food, or sodas. It also means staying very physically active by playing sports, weight lifting, and other activities (biking, skiing, swimming, hiking, etc). Do those two things consistently and your body will repay you by keeping you in top shape, six-pack and all.

The exact training and diet programs are not that important for you now, just eat healthy foods and stay active in every way possible. If you are not sure which foods are healthy and which aren't, read my Nutrition article. If you want to learn about weight training, read my Weight training article which will also have some sample programs. Remember to NOT push yourself too hard for now while you are still growing. Stop your sets before the point of exhaustion. You do not want to risk injury, especially while you are still growing. And again, more importantly that any specific weight training program is that you eat well and stay generally active. Good luck!