Fact or Fiction?

Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT necessary to work your abs every single day.   The rectus abdominis (commonly referred to as “abs”) is a muscle, and should be treated as such.  By this, I mean it needs recovery time, just like your chest or back.  If you work it everyday, you will not allow the muscle to recover, and you will sacrifice your results.  Even a bodybuilder, whose success depends largely on the hard-to-attain six-pack, does not work his or her stomach everyday.  I have had several people tell me that they do “200 crunches a night.”  They proceed to tell me that their workout is great, because although their stomach is big, it’s “hard”.  What woman wants a fat, hard stomach?  Work your abs 2-4 times per week, depending on your goals.  This will firm up your muscles without overtraining them.

Another myth is that you have to add weight to your exercises in order to see the six- pack.  It’s true that adding weight to your exercises will make muscles bigger, as that is the whole concept behind weight training. This may be a desired effect for bodybuilders, but I don’t know too many women who want their waist measurements LARGER.  It’s often debated, but unless you want to be a bodybuilder, keep the weights light (5lbs or less), or use none at all.  There are other ways to increase the intensity of your workout. For example, shorten your rest time between sets, change the order of your exercises, or hold each repetition for a few seconds. 

I often see women working out with a thick, tight belt around their waists.  The idea here is that they will sweat in the stomach area and lose weight there.  Unfortunately, you cannot spot reduce.  Sweating is your body’s way of cooling off, not losing fat.  Although I wish you could, you cannot sweat out fat. 

What Does Work?

Okay, so you’ve been doing your crunches correctly, but you’re wondering where your six pack is.  You’ve got it, you just don’t see it because it’s covered by a layer (or layers) of fat.  To remove the fat and display those beautiful abs, add in cardio 3-6 times per week and change that diet.  It’s a simple formula, but not easy to do. 

Just last week, a young lady asked me how to “get her stomach down”.  She told me she knows how to do crunches, but she wasn’t sure what else to do.  I told her to add in cardio and proper diet.  She asked for tips.  So I gave her some free but very valuable advice.  I gave her the secret used by all the fitness models you see in the magazines.  They all have beautiful midsections, and they all do the same thing.  Here’s their secret: THEY WORK FOR IT. 

Take Janet Jackson, for example.  She has displayed washboard abs that, for the longest, were the envy of many women.  Although there was controversy on whether or not she removed a rib, IT DOESN’T MATTER.  Removing a rib would only make the waist smaller, not flatten the abs and give her a six pack!  She had to work for that.  With her busy schedule, she had to incorporate exercise and proper eating habits into her life to make it work.  More recently her habits changed and she gained weight, with or without one less rib.  You won’t get great abs just thinking about it, wishing for it, or waiting until the first of the month to start your new program.  You will have to leave your comfort zone, and you might as well do it now, because waiting doesn’t make it any easier.

Changing Your Lifestyle

Another woman told me she lost 50 lbs, knows how to eat right, did it for a while, but keeps stopping.  She wants to get back to it, but gets busy with work and life.  This is a very common situation, but anyone who finds herself in this position needs to re-evaluate her priorities.  I don’t mean work out while neglecting your kids.  I don’t mean skip work because you have to work out.  I mean, if you really want this, you need to work it into your life.  You go to work because if you don’t, you won’t get paid.  The trickle down effect is, if you don’t, you won’t be able to pay your rent or mortgage, or be able to take care of your family.  So, even though you don’t want to, you go to work.  If you really want to look better (and in my opinion that’s more fun than going to work), you need to fit it in.  If you don’t live according to your goals, you won’t get what you want.  If you don’t study, you won’t do well on the test.  If you don’t stick it out in law school, you won’t become a lawyer.  If you don’t eat right and exercise, you won’t get a flat stomach.  Period.  That’s life.  You reap what you sow.  I know it sounds harsh, but it’s true.  The way you look is a result of the way you live most of the time.  You must make a conscious lifestyle change and stick to it. 

The bottom line is, there is a simple solution to getting the midsection you want:  Ab work + cardio + proper diet.  The only way to make this formula work is to adjust your lifestyle accordingly.  Decide what you want, decide how badly you want it, then remove the poor habits that got you where you are today.  Remember, if you don’t do your best, you won’t look your best.

Copyright © 2007 by A.M. Birmingham, ISSA CFT