6 things people take completely wrong with abs
Few aspects of a guy's physique demonstrate a commitment to fitness like a ripped sixpack (for example: Zac Efron's abdominal muscles), but odds are you've misunderstood it all with abdominal muscles. In contrast to e.g. shoulders or breasts, a guy's abdominal muscles are the first thing hidden by body fat - so even if your abdominal muscles are strong, you will not see them unless you have also managed to chisel away the abdominal fat above them. Maybe that’s why there are so many myths out there about abdominal muscles: different techniques, variations, exercises, and tips for solving them.
So we decided to cut into the bone and dispel six of the biggest six-pack myths out there.
See if you have misunderstood it all with the abdominal muscles, then change your game with these tips. In four weeks, the other guys will still be doing crunches while reaping the benefits of your updated exercise program.
Myth 1: The more crunch, the better
Let’s get it out of the way first: It doesn’t matter how many crunches you do.
Getting those crunches in does not always do the trick. Seeing your abdominal muscles is all about body fat, and you need 10% or less to see the six-pack. Here's a guide to the four things you need to do to gain 7% body fat.
Myth 2. You need to train your abdominal muscles every day
Exercise your abdominal muscles every day, see results, right? Not so fast. Exercising your abdominal muscles every day will not reduce the amount of body fat you carry. In fact, it can actually be counterproductive: You will eventually start overtraining, which can keep you out of the gym for a while, and therefore slow down your progress even more.
Myth 3. You can specifically target the lower abdominal muscles
Fun facts: Each of the abdominal muscles is part of the same large muscle, the rectus abdominus. This means that they all work together, even though they look different on your body.
Despite being connected via several different nerves, there is no way to isolate any part of the abdominal muscles. Fortunately, you focus on exercises that train that part of your abdominal muscles, just as you can highlight different parts of other muscle groups with different lifts. Certain movements - such as the hanging knee lift - hit the lower abdomen harder while still training the entire abdominal muscle.
Myth 4. You do not need weight to train your abdominal muscles
Let go of the weight and you will feel good, right? As with all muscles, abdominal muscles require some form of stimulus to grow - and without being large enough, your abdominal muscles will not be visible. Movements like weighted situps and resilient leg lifts will build the abdomen better than any unweighted version of the crunch.
Myth 5. The only way to train abdominal muscles is by bending forward
The best abdominal exercises out there do not involve a crunching movement at all. Movements such as the overhead press, front squat, deadlift and pullup hit the abdominal muscles harder than anything else that involves crunching forward, also called "spinal flexion". Plus, spinal flexion puts the back in a terrible position, which can lead to serious injury. Switch crunches to more overhead presses and watch your heads turn this summer. Alternatively, you can stay completely still. Exercises such as the plank and the side plank make many demands on your abdominal muscles, even if you are not moving. (It is called an isometric exercise.)
Myth 6. Cutting water weight will help abs-pop
If you believe in this myth, then your body is smarter than you are. Yes, a temporary water cut will help your muscles show up. But as a long-term strategy, dehydration will not help much. Water cuts water from the skeletal muscles before anything else because water is essential for several bodily processes that are much more important than flexing your abdominal muscles. In the end, you will just end up dehydrating yourself and it will just lead to a significant drop in performance.
