A photo of a lean physique with a nicely defined six-pack is the fastest way to go viral, but do you truly know how those alluring click-bait muscles are developed? Does having the appropriate diet matter in the end? Is training the only factor? Is there the ideal diet and exercise regimen to get rippling abs?
The truth is that there are many misconceptions on how to achieve the ideal midsection. Here are seven of the most popular claims about abs, along with judgments on whether or not they are accurate.
1. In order to stimulate your abs, you must exercise them daily or at least every other day.
False: You won't need to train your abs that frequently because many of the exercises you do for your other muscle groups indirectly target your stomach. Your core is required for stability during exercises like squats, deadlifting, and standing military presses, so every rep also works your abs. [1]
Your abs require time to recuperate from exercises, just like any other muscle group. You won't experience the expected growth if you don't constantly target them. Still, you should work out the rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques, and related muscles directly, ideally twice a week. Since your lower back is also a part of your core, make sure to exercise the erector spinae and serratus muscles.
2. Abs training will reduce body fat, particularly in the stomach.
False: Countless crunches are performed by millions of people every day in the mistaken belief that they will target the body fat around their waists. Trying to reduce body fat in just one specific area is a myth. You lose body fat throughout your entire body, not only in the area around your waist. Lack of core exercise might affect your posture and compromise your total functional strength. [2] Just keep in mind that it won't reduce your waist.
3. For your abs to be seen, you should have roughly 10% body fat.
True: If your stomach is coated with a layer of visceral body fat, the fat that is stored beneath your belly fat, you will never see the rewards of your hard work no matter how many ab workouts you perform. Your physiology and genetics both play a role in how thin you must get to be able to see your ab muscles. [3] The distribution of body fat varies from person to person.Your abs won't necessarily reveal more or less than those of a friend or family member just because their body fat percentage is similar to yours. However, in order for those ripples to be fully visible, you typically need to have a body fat percentage of at least 10%. [4]
4. Having abdominal muscles is a sign of health
True and False: A slender, defined midsection does indicate a person's commitment to exercise and a healthy diet. On the other hand, many people who combined too much cardio with insufficient calories were able to achieve a six-pack.
The combination of strong abdominal muscles and little body fat is referred to as having a six-pack. Finding a good balance between the two is the trick. Functional fitness, not sculpted abs, should be your aim. You might achieve the second aim if you accomplish the first, but being healthy doesn't require a six-pack.
5. Anyone can get six-pack muscles.
True: Have you ever heard someone claim that they were "born" with a flat stomach? As a trainer, I constantly hear it. The majority of people lack the discipline necessary to maintain six-pack abs, but that doesn't mean they can't acquire it. In actuality, anyone can achieve a defined midriff if they can constantly work hard and eat healthily. However, each person will have a little different physique with regard to those abs. Some people have six-packs, while others have eight-packs, ten-packs, or even four-packs, all thanks to genetics.
6. Your waist will become smaller after working out your midsection.
True and False: Less body fat around your core does make your waist smaller, and you can definitely get a smaller middle with the appropriate nutrition. However, exercising your midsection—especially with weights—won't make it smaller if you already have low body fat. In fact, it might enlarge it.
Your abdominal muscles are just like any other muscle in your body. You can thicken your midsection by weightlifting or engaging in any other type of strength and conditioning program, which will teach your ab muscles to grow bigger, stronger, or both. This is particularly true if you regularly exercise your oblique muscles.
7. Your midsection will become smaller if you use a waist trainer.
False: You notice that your favorite rival is wearing a waist trainer and assume that it will work for you as well as it seems to be working for them. Yes, but the athletes who wear them are already following tight diets and workout routines; their small waists are not the consequence of miraculous accessories, but rather of hard effort.
There is no proof that waist trainers, although being worn and promoted by more and more athletes, actually reduce the size of your waistline. Of sure, wearing them can give the impression that your waist is smaller, but that's about it.
Waist trimmer belts can raise and maintain your midsection's body temperature as you exercise, which might help you lose some water weight there, but only momentarily and with negligible results. Additionally, if you use waist trainers to lose weight rather than ab exercises, your core muscles may get weaker. Waist trainers make a lot of promises but fall short, much like so many other miraculous treatments.
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