Top 7 Abs Myths

Myth 1:
The abs are a bunch of knotted muscle masses. Actually, what's commonly known as the abs is one muscle, the rectus abdominis. It runs from the bottom of the ribcage down to the pelvis. The reason it looks like a six-pack of muscles is that vertical and horizontal tendons create sections. The tendons are the dividing lines you see

Myth 2:
You need to do hundreds of reps to get great abs. Wrong! The rectus abdominis is a muscle like the biceps, pecs, delts and so on. To get a deep, etched midsection, you have to build it. You won't get a peaked paunch from a belly full of muscle because the rectus abdominis is relatively flat, and it's held tightly by those tendons mentioned above. Nevertheless, to get those tendons to sit deeper so you have unmistakable delineation, you have to build enough ab muscle that it rises above the tendons. And how do you build muscle? With progressive resistance adding weight to your ab exercises whenever possible and eight to 20 reps per set.

Myth 3:
For best results train your abs every day. Nope. Again, the rectus abdominis is a muscle just like chest, lats and so on. If you train your abs intensely through a full range of motion, they need rest to recover and regenerate. Never train abs more than three nonconsecutive days a week

Myth 4:
The crunch is the best abdominal exercise. That's like saying the leg extension is the best quad exercise. Sure, it isolates the target muscle, but most bodybuilders know that isolation exercises aren't the best movements for adding muscle. As for the abs, a recent EMG study showed that even the bicycle exercise, pedaling your legs in the air while you are on your back, provides more electrical response, or fiber activation, in the rectus abdominis than the flat crunch. Muscles are designed to function best in tandem with other muscles, and with the abs that means bringing in the hip flexors. Other exercises that provide muscle teamwork are hanging kneeups, incline kneeups and incline situps.

Myth 5:
Training abs consistently with a perfect, efficient program will eventually give you the six-pack you desire. Not if you have a layer of fat blanketing your midsection. So lay off the six-packs if you want to get a six-pack. If your bodyfat is above 12 percent, your abs will be hidden no matter how developed the rectus abdominis muscle is. You have to diet away bodyfat in order to see your developed abs.


Myth 6:
Training abs with more sets and reps will burn bodyfat to reveal a perfect six-pack. Sorry, spot reduction only occurs in fairy tales and wishing it were true doesn't make it so. You don't burn the fat on your stomach by doing lots of reps on ab exercises, period!
With persistence, the right training routine and a good cyclical diet, midsection perfection can be yours.

Myth 7:
If you have a bad back, training the abs will worsen it.
Wrong. Training your abs will strengthen your back!