Abdominal Misconceptions

The abdominals (the rectus abdominus and the obliques) are the muscles that most everyone associates with the core, and the abdominals are the muscles that most inexperienced people at the gym either over-train or don’t train effectively.

Two common misconceptions in ab training are that you can train abs just about everyday, and the crunch is the most effective exercise. There are also other misconceptions associated with ab training, and I’d like to address some of them here.

First of all, the abs are just like any other muscle. They require rest periods to recuperate and grow. You should not train abs everyday.

You also don’t need to get in hundreds and hundreds of reps to train your abs effectively. Again, the rectus abdominis and external obliques are just like any other muscle. Getting them stronger and bigger requires added resistance (i.e. weighted exercises). You should shoot for 8-20 reps per set and gradually increase the resistance.

There is also a common belief that training the abs will inevitably get you a 6-pack. It may, but in order to see that 6-pack, you need to lose the fat around the stomach. Training abs all of the time won’t do this.

The misconceived practice of training a particular area of the body in order to lose fat around that area is called spot reduction, and its practice is rooted in fallacy. Your body won’t lose fat around a particular area just because you devote more time training it. You lose fat where you are genetically predisposed to do so. Some people lose fat around their waist first, some lose it around their thighs first.

You can’t choose where you want to lose fat first, your body does that. So, in order to see results around your mid-section, you must follow a good diet and burn excess calories. And in actuality, the abdominal muscles are such small and minor muscles that training them doesn’t really burn that many calories. Walking burns more calories than ab exercises.

To see more results out of your ab workouts, you need to do exercises that recruit the hip flexors. Muscles function best when working with other muscles, so getting the hip flexors involved in working your abs will stimulate the muscles more. Exercises like the bicycle and hanging leg tucks to this.

Also, you can’t work the full range of your abdominal muscles with the standard crunch. In order to do this, your back has to arc about 30 degrees backward so that your abs are in a stretched position, and you can’t very well bend backward when you’re lying on the floor. This is why you should incorporate either crunches on the decline bench or the Ab Bench. These two pieces of equipment allow for a full range of motion.

Now that I’ve dispelled some common ab myths, let’s review. 1. Abs are just like any other muscle, they need rest. 2. They also need increased resistance to grow. 3. Spot reduction is bull. 4. Caloric defecit is required to shed fat so that you can see the abs. 5. Recruit the hip flexors in your ab routine. 6. Also, do exercises that allow for a full range of motion.

Hopefully you’ve taken something away from this and won’t find yourself working hard on your abs and seeing no results because of ineffective training principles. Train right and train hard and you’ll get that 6-pack. Happy training!