If you're often on Instagram, it's the vertical line running down the middle of the abdomen you've seen in people's pictures. It's more pronounced on some people at the top of the abs, while on others, the “ab crack” runs straight down most of the stomach to the belly button.
Can everyone get an ab crack? Is an ab crack something we should be aspiring to? In a word, no. It's quite simply result of genetics, lots of core work and a very strict diet, and all three of these things need to be present to achieve the ab crack look.
According to Allure, the ab crack is a vertical line extending from the ribs down the torso, often seen on very thin models like Bella Hadid and Jasmine Tookes.
But what is an ab crack? It's simply a defined vertical line that runs down the center of the stomach. The "trend," if we can even call it that, boils down to a body being both extremely lean and genetically inclined. Called the linea alba, those with ab cracks typically have a body fat percentage of under six percent.
Every persons situation is different but some common causes include: Significant abdominal wall stretch e.g. pregnancy. Poor core strength. Muscle imbalances.
Some people might be genetically blessed with a crack; others, not so much. Having very low body fat will show off the line, but working out to that point doesn't guarantee that you'll be rocking Emily Ratajkowski's abs and crack.
Surgery: In severe cases, surgery may be necessary to repair the separation. But in most cases, diastasis recti can be treated with exercises and physical therapy. Abdominal support: Use additional abdominal support to decrease separation of the muscles.
Women: Abs may be visible (or need a few more weeks)
At 15 percent body fat, you are in a very healthy place. Guys, your muscles are starting to show, you see definition in your arms, your legs, and now have a lower fat to muscle ratio. At this rate, men are probably 4 to 6 weeks shy of their goal.
For men, your abs will typically start to become visible at around 15%. But at 12% is when you start to really see some good definition with your six-pack. And at 10%, your six-pack is clearly visible and well defined. For women, I wouldn't recommend a “clearly visible six-pack” as being the goal.
Is It OK to Have an Ab Crack? There's nothing inherently wrong with someone having an ab crack line — unless they've had to resort to unhealthy means to achieve it. Even if you have an ab crack and haven't had to work for it, it might not be healthy in the long run.
Diastasis recti happens when the connective tissue between your rectus abdominis (six-pack) muscles is stretched, creating an abnormally wide distance between the muscles. This separation can present as a bulge, usually of the upper abdomen, that you may notice when you cough, sit up in bed or lift something heavy.
You can have strong abs and not have a flat stomach, and vice versa. Exercising your stomach through targeted abdominal exercises can get them stronger, but depending on the exercises used, and your nutritional habits, your efforts might not be contributing to belly fat loss.
Then, even rarer than the 2-pack is a total of 10 or even 12 abdominal muscles, meaning 5 or 6 bands of the connective fascia. These statistics are the same for men as for women, with the most common being 6-pack for everyone.
Genetic Differences
In other words, the ab cracks you see on social media are likely the result of extreme fitness and DNA. There's no lower-body regimen or diet trick that will guarantee you an ab crack.
The body fat percentage needed to see your pack of abdominal muscles falls somewhere around 14 to 20% for women and 6 to 13% for men. However, the ideal body fat percentage for abs can look slightly different per person, depending on how you carry weight, where you typically store fat, and your fitness routine.
“While a strong core is important for stability and functional movement, visible abdominal muscles should not be the sole measure of fitness. In fact, for some individuals, a pursuit of six-pack abs may indicate an unhealthy relationship with food or an overly restrictive diet.
A good body fat percentage for a female, might be around 20-30%, and for a male, 10-20%, however for athletes, this is likely to be lower, potentially 15-20% and 6-10% for females and males respectively.
Yes, it is possible to get ripped abs. It will require a combination of diet and exercise. You will need to make sure you are eating a healthy diet that is low in fat and calories and high in lean proteins and complex carbohydrates.
The only difference is that abdominal muscles are particularly strong and can take a fair amount of punishment before they need to rest and heal, and they heal slightly faster than most other muscles, but only slightly.
Key facts. Abdominal separation is when the 2 long, parallel muscles in your stomach separate from each other. This is a common thing to happen in the second half of your pregnancy. Abdominal separation usually gets better by itself.
“Genes influence your physiology. Having symmetrical or asymmetrical abs has to do with your genes,” says Tamir. There are other factors that can influence how your ab muscles look, too, including conditions like scoliosis or training as a unilateral athlete, he adds.
The linea alba is made up of collagen and elastin fibrous connective tissue. It brings the two sides of the rectus abdominis (the left and right sides) together and helps hold and control the abdominal wall. Think of it as an oval rubber band.
Diastasis recti occurs when the connective tissue between the outer abdominal muscle is stretched too far. If you look at a fit person with a six-pack you will notice an indentation line through the center running up and down, this is called your linea alba.