I hear these questions all of the time:
I do crunches everyday! Where are my abs?
If I do a crunch everyday, will I have abs?
If I do crunches everyday, will I have a six pack?
Is a crunch a good ab exercise?
What exercises should I do to have abs or a six pack?
Without question, the single most important factor in the appearance of your mid-section is the amount of fat and fluid between your abdominal muscles and your skin.
You have a 6-pack right now its the natural shape of your muscles. But for most of us the layer of fat over our abs is so thick that you cannot see them.
Trying to burn fat with a crunch or sit-up is like trying to dig to China with a spoon its a complete waste of time.
There is no such thing as spot reduction. You will need to do more than just crunches and sit-ups.
Just because you work on your ab muscles doesn’t mean that you will affect the speed at which you lose fat in that area. Fat loss is a lot like scooping water from a bath tub.
If you take a cup of water out of the middle of the tub, it doesn’t leave you with a one cup dent in the middle of the tub.
It leaves you with a cup less water all over.
If you lose a pound of fat, you lose it from your entire body, regardless of how many crunches you do.
Solution
Get on a program of functional total body exercise and supportive nutrition. (Enter: The Orange County Fitness Playground)
This will help you burn as much fat as you can each day.
If you get your body fat percentage low enough, you will see your beautiful abs even if you don’t do a single crunch.
A very nice looking midsection, for a man, start showing up at around 12% body fat.
For women, it starts at about 18-20% because men store all of their fat on their belly, and women put it on their hips and thighs.
One Extra Point
Excessive toxins from conventional plant and animal foods (and alcohol) overload your liver and encourage extra fat to form around your midsection, whether you are a man or a woman.
The more toxic and/or dehydrated you are, the thicker the layer of fluid becomes, making you appear more chubby.
So, eating organic, grass fed, and free range foods will greatly affect the results of your program.
So here are some guidelines that have worked wonders for our clients!!
1. Eat every 2-3 hours or 5-7 meals/snacks a day.
2. Yes, you will probably need to eat more often to lose fat for life!
3. Serving size: listen to your body. If you are hungry 30 min. later, you didn’t eat enough. If you feel sleepy, you ate too much. If you feel great, you got it right!
Pretty simple, right?
If you’re looking for more nutrition details, then you should read this article:
How to Eat Right: A Short Tutorial on Healthy Eating
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Great Article!
This is a great way to explain the age old issue of getting abs by just doing crunches. So many people think if they do enough crunches they will get abs, but that is simply not the case. Great article on abs, getting a 6 pack, and removing the belly fat! 🙂
I’ve been looking around http://www.innovative-results.com and really am impressed by the great content here. I work the nightshift at my job and it really gets boring. I have been coming here for the previous couple nights and reading. I simply needed to let you know that I have been enjoying what I’ve seen and I look forward to reading more.
This is an oldie but a goodie. 🙂
Definitely great advice. I've been more focused on eating 5-6 times a day, smaller portions at each meal though. I feel great and I'm seeing results, finally!
A clean diet is key!
wow, interesting about the grassfed/organic/toxin thing! i already do that but thats great motivation to do more
TRUTH "You have a 6-pack right now its the natural shape of your muscles. But for most of us the layer of fat over our abs is so thick that you cannot see them."
I had a six pack, now I have a keg. Is this inflation?
Good article.
"You have a 6-pack right now its the natural shape of your muscles. But for most of us the layer of fat over our abs is so thick that you cannot see them."
"You have a 6-pack right now its the natural shape of your muscles. But for most of us the layer of fat over our abs is so thick that you cannot see them."
Ohhhhh;)
YES!! Functional movements engaging the whole body and proper nutrition makes so much more sense than boring sit-ups or crunches.
This is a great article & it is so true nutrition and functional movements are key.
The most common misconception of getting abs is that people think that they can spot burn.
Great article. are crunches still performed now-a-days…? we must remember for anyone with fat loss goals, nutrition is 80% of the equation along with 20% exercise supplementation.
Abs are made in the kitchen!
No wonder we don’t do crunches.
While spot reduction is not impossible (given the right transdermal supplements), it should be considered an aid for the avid enthusiast, not a go to for the general populace. Our body has a tendency to store fat as a means of survival from thousands of years of living on sparse means, long before the advent of agriculture. Building further on that is the fact that our bodies are designed to likewise protect our internal organs, which in the context of this article, means surrounding them with a nice layer of fat.
So yes, you abs are there. But your body will lose fat from diet before exercise, from your extremities before your midsection, and it is a process reserved for those few willing to put in the work necessary to acquire the wonders of the linea alba. While that has been a backburner goal of mine for sometime, I can remember vividly the amazing feeling of being able to run my hand over my stomach and feel the washboard abs through my shirt. Then wondering why I was wearing a shirt at all.
There are so many excercises at innovative results that engage your abs and entire body to help you reach that six pack goal. This really shows you can get abs strengthen your core and work your whole body. Great article.
That’s funny but so true, “you have a 6 pack right now!” You just have to find it.
This article is super important for those who are not educated on this topic. I come across plenty people who think if they just work on a specific part of their body then they’ll not only gain muscle but they’ll lose all the fat in the region. On the contrary, they need to do muli-joint movements, get their heart rate up, and switch systems. Overall, this is a good article for those who just don’t know yet.
Oh I fell victim to the “cardio bunny” fallacy in my teenage years! Guilty of running for extended period of time on the treadmill, only to then strictly use the “inner thigh” (hip adductor) machine to work my “inner thigh fat”, teapot crunches for the “muffin top”, and hundreds of crunches for a six pack. There is A LOT of incorrect information and misguided individuals out there, but with the knowledgeable trainers at IR, clients can step away from these spot-reducing fallacies and learn the effects of functional total body exercises to reduce overall body fat.
By incorporating a well designed workout regimen, along with the proper nutritional program, one is able to experience phenomenal benefits. This article addresses the common six-pack abs misconception. Great read.
I can kind of see my abs through the fat on my belly- but only because they have grown quite a bit from training at IR for the past 3 years and lifting on the kettlebell sport team for the past 2 or so years. Lately, ive been dropping some of the extra food from my diet and, though Ive not been hungry, have watched a few pounds drop off of my body. Its not that hard- just takes a little attention and consistency. =)
Great article on a common misconception about “Core work”. As a trainer I often get asked about how to strengthen the core. Which I then have to explain is more than just the abs! End of the Day Abs shouldn’t be a goal but an outcome of good training.
Great aricle! A majority of people continue asking what the best exercise for abs is. Really like what Justin previously said, “Abs shouldn’t be a goal but an outcome of good training” these are great 3 step process to begin to notice greater abdominals and overall health benefits.
Thank you IR for discussing this and informing clients a more efficient way to reach their aesthetic goals. Abs, along with numerous other benefits, will come when consistent movement, strength training, and proper nutrition come together.
Awesome article! I loved the analogy of scooping water out of a bathtub. You don’t get to decide exactly where you want the fat to come off. Instead, you need to work on your body as a whole and the results will come with consistent and smart training
This is awesome!! Great info especially explaining how your 6 pack is the natural state of your muscles. I loved learning the guidelines that have worked for IR clients!