20 Myths About Six Pack Abs | Find out the truth about six pack abs

20 Myths About Six Pack Abs | Find out the truth about six pack abs:

Myth 2: Training your abs increases abdominal definition

In order for your abs to become visible, you have to first lose body fat. No amount of crunches, ab machines,squats, deadlifts or other forms of exercise will increase the definition of your abs as much as a healthy diet targeted towards losing fat.

Truth: Strong abs are more visible but if there are layers of fat on top, exercising becomes almost irrelevant when definition is the goal.

Myth 3: Everybody can have a six-pack

The form of your abdominal musculature is entirely dependent on your genetics. Some people have six packs, others 8 or 10 packs. However, there are also people with 4 packs. It all depends on what you mother and father gave you.

Truth: Abs come in all kinds of different shapes.

Myth 3: The Pavelizer by Pavel Tsouline is a good way to train your abs

Pavel Tsatsouline is a hypocrite. He criticizes abdominal machines, unless it’s promoted by him. Where is the logic? Truth be told, almost all specific ab equipment is a rip-off and a waste of money. There are plenty of great exercises that do not require any equipment and can strengthen you abs for “free”.

Truth: The Pavelizer is a gimmick and is designed to make the Russian “guru” Pavel Tstsouline richer and you poorer.

Myth 4: Six pack abs always look good

Many people believe that when they finally get to have a six-pack, they will look good. This is not always the case. Skinny people with six-pack abs don’t have any muscle mass on them and simply look anorexic and malnourished.

Truth: People always look better when they are leaner, but for some having a six-pack requires to get into anorexic mode due to the low levels of muscle mass they possess.

Myth 5: You can be big and have a six-pack without using anabolic steroids.

Many ignorant beginners fall for the trap set by the supplement companies. The latter use the bodies of steroid users to promote stupid products, and many people are starting to think they can be 240 lbs /110 kg while having visible abs naturally. It’s impossible.

Truth: You can’t have big muscles and visible set of abs at the same time, if you are anatural bodybuilder.

Myth 6: Products like Hydroxycut will give you the wanted six-pack abs

You can take all the fat burners in the world, but if your diet is not good, you won’t lose any bodyfat and you abs will remain covered. Fat burners and all the related products are not as effective as you may think. In fact, they are highly ineffective. The companies use enhancedfitness models to promote suspicious supplements. Christian Boeving, who at one point was the face of Hydroxycut, got fired immediately for admitting along with Hydroxycut he was also using steroids to develop his physique.

Truth: Diet is the most important think when it comes to “shaping your abs”.

Myth 7: The workout program insanity will give you abs

While Insanity is a really good cardio program the factor determing if you are going to have visible abs is your diet. You may do Insanity but if you eat at McDonald’s five times a day your abs will remain an underground celebrity for a long, long time.

Truth: Exercising is beneficial when “shaping your abs” but diet is still KING.

Myth: 8: 50 Cent go his six-pack abs from doing sit-ups

In many movies the rapper 50 Cent is presented as a guy who loves his sit-ups and pull-ups. However, his shape has not been developed solely by training. He was caught using GH (growth hormone) and anabolic steroids.

What did you expect? How is the guy supposed to find time to train when there is so much money to be made and “bitches” to be “fucked”.

Truth: 50 Cent is training but also relies on PED (performance-enhancing drugs) to develop his musculature and aesthetic physique.

Myth 9: Abs can be isolated

There are many “experts” out there who claim that the different portions of your abs can be isolated. It’s actually a misconception. Abs act as one unit and all parts are used when an exercise is being performed. Isolation is a myth.

Truth: There may be some exercises that place higher emphasis on some portion of the ab muscle, but in the end of the day the whole thing functions as one complete unit.

Myth 10: Training like the popular fitness models will give you insane abs

Virtually, all famous fitness models such as Matt Ogus, Mike O’Hearn, Jeff Seid, Simeon Panda and many more to count are using PED to achieve their looks. You can train like them all your life, nothing is going to happen.

Truth: Fitness models use steroids to get big and shredded.

Myth 11: Deadlifts and squats will make your abs super big and spoil your physique

Contrary to popular belief, deadlifts and squats do not make your abs crazy big. Of course, when you are able to deadlift three times your bodyweight your abs will be thicker, but you will still look proportional. The famous IFBB pros from today have distended stomachs because of all the GH and insulin they use. It has nothing to do with deadlifts and squats.

Truth: Squats and deadlifts strengthen your abs but you will still look proportional and symmetric..

Myth 12: Mike Chang’s six-pack shortcut workout is the fastest way to get shredded abs

Mick Chang’s a scam. Plain and simple. He uses annoying marketing tactics to sell you stupid programs and supplements that are not very effective. Getting abs has always been done the same way – by diet and exercising. There are no shortcuts or Chinese secrets that will get you there faster. Hard work is the answer and paying for overpriced products has nothing to do with it.

Truth: Mike Chang is a con man, marketing whore and his program is over hyped.

Myth 13: Women can achieve the abs of famous female CrossFit competitors naturally

The CrossFit epidemic has taken over the world and many females have lost contact with reality. There are thousands of CrossFit motivational photos on Facebook showing female competitors who have a full set of visible and deep abdominal muscles. Consequently, women are starting to believe that they can achieve that look without the use of anabolic steroids. Nothing could be further from the truth and females were never meant to look “dry” and “shredded”.

Truth: Having a deep and razor sharp set of six-pack abs as a women is insanely hard unless you are on gear.

Myth 14: Six pack abs are the symbol of health

Many consider six-pack abs the symbol of health and well being, but it’s not true and there are plenty of anorexic males and females who prove it. Having visible abs is not a symbol of health.

Truth: Being healthy does not require six-pack abs.

Myth 15: Visible abs equal strength

While six-pack abs look impressive, having visible abs does not mean you have a strong midsection. You can have “invisible” abs that are also pretty strong. A good example would be a heavyweight boxer or a sumo fighter. Their abs may be hidden from the eye but they are plenty strong compared to the average human being.

Truth: Just because your abs are covered by fat, it does not mean they are not strong.

Myth 16: High repetitions is the best for abs

Contrary to popular believe performing high repetitions is not the best thing for your abs. Countless reps tire the lower back and a trauma may occur. The best way to train your abs is with medium volume and resistance – between 10-12 reps per sets.

Truth: Performing high repetition sets when training your abs tires the lower back and injurries may occur.

Myth 17: Abs should be trained daily

There is no need to train your abs daily. In fact, its counterproductive and the lower back may be hurt again. Training your abs a few times a week will provide plenty of stimulation.

Truth: The abdominal muscles may be tough, but most core exercises also target the lower back which is the muscle that requires the most time to recover. Split your ab sessions.

Myth 18: Twisting to the left or right at the top of a sit-up will make your obliques stronger

Nothing could be more untrue. Rotating at the top of a sit-up will only hurt your lower back. You obliques receive very little stimulation during “the rotating” sit-up. There is almost no resistance.

Truth: Moving from left to right during sit-ups is dangerous and you may hurt your back. Instead try the suitcase deadlift. Your obliques will hurt the next day.

Forget Sit Ups — Try This 3-Minute Ab Challenge

Forget Sit Ups — Try This 3-Minute Ab Challenge

by Emilia on September 14, 2013

 

by Jason Klein

The “crunch” and the “sit-up” are becoming extinct.

You’re probably wondering how that’s even possible. After all, these movements are staples. They’ve been around forever.


They’re going extinct because folks are finally catching on to the fact that exercises like these are the cause of a LOT of lower back issues.

And here’s the worst part… You don’t even need them to get that six pack of your dreams!

That’s right. there’s absolutely no reason to stress out your spine if all you want is a great set of abs.
Now don’t get me wrong. Diet plays a huge role here too. Great abs are truly “made in the kitchen.” But part of this is trainable too, because those abdominal muscles are… well… muscles.

You need to strengthen them just like any other body part if you want them to tone up and stand out.
And that’s what I want to share with you today.

I’ve got an awesome 3-minute ab challenge that has been labeled “deceiving” by top strength and conditioning coaches. It’s pretty tough. But it works. And hey, you get it over with in just 3 minutes. You can do anything for 3 minutes… right?

Ready to give it a try?

Let’s go through a sequence that my clients love to call the 3-Minute Ab Annihilator!

The Exercises

1. Prone Iso-Ab Position



This is your starting position. Notice that my body is straight and neutral.

My glutes and abs are flexed, and my spine is in a straight line from crown to tailbone.

When you focus on contracting your muscles in this specific way, you WILL experience accelerated results.

2. Prone Iso-Climber (alternating)


Here’s the part that makes this challenge a Challenge…
The goal is to try to touch your knee to your elbow while maintaining a neutral spine. Your body will shift, and that’s perfectly fine and natural. Just don’t rest your knees on the ground or you’ll lose the effect.

3. Prone Knee Drives



This one can be a little awkward if you don’t focus on form. The goal is to push your knee through towards your chin. This is an alternating movement, so make sure you change left to right as you go.
So those are the exercises you’ll be performing. We’ll put it in motion in the video below:

Remember, this is challenge. It’s 3 minutes in total. Once you start there’s no stopping — unless you absolutely need to rest for a few seconds.

And please hold in the Prone Iso-ab Position if you begin to tire out.

A few points to keep in mind

The most common error I’ve seen from working with hundreds of clients is that, when they get tired, they tend to lower their hips toward the ground.

Don’t do this. It causes excessive strain on the low back.

You can avoid “the sag” by keeping your glutes and abs flexed the entire time. Remember, it’s better to rest your knees on the ground, pause for a second, and then continue through the exercise than it is to sag at the middle.

Abs are the same as any other muscle group. For this reason, I recommend that my clients DO NOT work abdominals heavily every day. Your abs need time to recover and grow.

Now get off the computer and give this a try!

I guarantee that the 3-Minute Ab Annihilator will challenge you no matter what your fitness level.

You may also enjoy:

1. Can You Handle This Killer Pull Up Challenge?
2. TWO-MINUTE yoga trick to improve your day
3. Pilates Butt Burn for a Beach-Ready Booty

How to Develop Six Pack Abs

How to Develop Six Pack Abs

First of all, crunches, sit-ups, etc. are ineffective for developing 6-pack abs.

So why do people insist on doing hundreds of them? Because some very effective marketers have implanted this idea in their heads in the hopes of selling them useless ab exercise products.

So why don't crunches, sit-ups, etc. help you develop six-pack abs? First we have to understand exactly what a six-pack ab is.

The muscle that makes up the abs is the rectus abdominis. And it responds to exercise the same as the other skeletal muscles. I repeat, the ab muscles respond to exercise the same as the other skeletal muscles! 

To increase the size of the muscle fiber and make them stronger, do an exercise that you can do no more than 12 reps of before failure. This is a good general rule for ALL skeletal muscles.
To do sarcoplasmic development (i.e. make them larger for bodybuilding), do an exercise that you can do at least 8 of and no more than 15 reps before failure.

Me at 7%
Body Fat

The one big (and important) difference about abs is that for most people they are covered by a thicker layer of body fat than must other muscles. Therefore, in order to see them (no matter how developed they are), you must get your body fat down. For most men with typical fat distribution, at about 10% body fat, you will start to see a "4-pack." At 8% body fat, you will see a full "6-pack." Below that, the definition starts becoming really defined.

The picture of me on my website is at about 7% body fat.

So why is doing hundreds of crunches, sit-ups, etc. basically worthless for developing 6-pack abs?

• You can not "spot reduce" body fat (except by surgery). The myth is that if exercise your abs, you will reduce fat directly from around your abs. This simply IS NOT TRUE. Your body removes fat according to a predetermined pattern that is based on genetics, age, and health. Unfortunately, the abs are usually one of the last places that the body removes fat from. Doing crunches and situps does NOT remove fat from the midsection any more than other exercises.
  
• Abs are a relatively small muscle group, exercising them burns much fewer calories than exercising the legs (a large muscle group) making ab exercises ineffective for removing belly fat (or any fat for that matter). The fastest way to exercise away fat from your midsection is by exercising the large muscles groups (i.e. the legs). This means doing exercises such as cycling, running, squats, steppers, etc.
  
• Doing an exercise that you can do more than 15 reps of won't stimulate a muscle to grow larger. And I repeat, because this is important, the abdominal muscles respond to exercise the same way other skeletal muscles respond! For the same reason that doing 20 or more reps with bicep curls won't make your biceps any bigger, it also won't make you ab muscles bigger! Remember, the abs are muscles just like other muscles.

Doing ab specific exercises is not necessarily bad, but you must do them in a way that accomplishes something useful. And about the only thing useful that you can accomplish with an ab specific exercise is to make the muscle bigger - and how do you make a muscle bigger? Do an exercise that you can do no more than 15 of before failure. So if you can only do 15 or less crunches before tiring out, then that's okay. Otherwise, they are not doing much to develop your abs.

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click to enlarge

Study Finds Squats and Deadlifts Are Better at Developing Abdominals A study published in the January 2008 issue of the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" found that the squat and deadlift activated more core muscle than fitness ball abdominal exercises.  While there are exceptions, in general, fitness ball exercises and balance pad exercises don't stress the ab muscles enough to stimulate muscle growth.

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So What's The Best Ab Exercise?

To have 6-pack abs you must do two things: Develop your abs and more importantly, lower your body fat. So what's the best ab exercise? Probably a food journal and cardio exercises such as cycling and running. But seriously, to actually develop the ab muscles, forget fitness balls and balance pads and stick with the real core exercises such as squats and deadlifts. Squats and deadlifts (when done without a belt) require great core and abdominal strength and really work the abs.

The abdominals work in concert with the back muscles to hold the spine erect during exercises such as deadlifts and squats.

In fact, for most people, the limiting factor in how much they can deadlift is their core/ab strength. Watch someone bend over and pick up 400 pounds and tell me they don't have core muscle. It's their core and abdominal strength that allows them to transfer the power from their legs to the arms and holds their back erect during the lift.

The transfer of power from the legs to the arms is what core strength is all about. And of course a key component of the core muscles are the abs. If you want to develop your ab muscles, do dead lifts, squats, and dumbbell rows. If you want your ab muscles to be visible, lower your body fat.
 

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Summary

• The abs aren't magic special muscle, they're muscles just like your biceps. To make them grow, follow the same rules for training as you would your biceps. Low reps, heavy weights.
  
• Doing high rep ab exercises does little to strengthen your abs or make them larger.
  
• To see your abs, you must reduce your body fat. Diet and exercise are the best way to reduce body fat. To burn the most calories per hour, you must exercise your large muscle groups, such as legs.
  
• Doing high rep ab exercises burns very few calories, and therefore, will do little to reduce body fat.

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References:

Squats and Deadlifts are regarded as the Best Ab Exercises for
overall abdominal development for Six Pack Abs.
http://www.body2shape.com/Best-Ab-Exercises.html

When you are lifting heavy during your squats, lunges, deadlifts, and the bench
press, you will be using the ab muscles to a great degree
http://www.hulsestrength.com/ripped-abs-ripped-abs/

Deadlift heavily taxes the abdominals and obliques
http://ezinearticles.com/?Five-Reasons-Why-You-Should-Deadlift&id=2398753

How to get Cut and Jacked (forget sit-ups) - from RawBrahs