subject: Ab Workouts and Six Packs – Are They Just A Myth [print this page] Almost everyone that I talk to believes that by doing 1000 crunches or sit ups a day, they are going to achieve a six pack in no time. I tend to try to talk them out of thinking and when I tell them the truth, they really can't seem to believe it. They don't understand because they have been led down a road by these infomercials and goofy abdominal machines that you can have a six pack in just 4 minutes a day 3 days a week. However, I cant blame these people because they don't have the knowledge base that I do when it comes to exercise physiology and nutrition. They are also surprised when I tell them this little fact as well.
And that is that every human being that is born, whether they are 15, 80, or a 100 pounds overweight, they all have a six pack. The "six pack" muscles are really called the rectus abdominus and it is actually made up of just one muscle with tendon insertions, that's what gives the muscle its six pack look. They are so such thing as lower abs, upper abs and side abs. It's all just one muscle.
Now when it comes to doing sit ups and crunches 1000 times a day, this is probably the worst thing you can possibly do for your lower back health. By doing sit ups, you placing a lot of pressure anteriorly on your lumbar vertebrae, which were never developed for flexibility and mobility. They are made for stability.
One of the best ways to get a six pack is through basic exercise and nutrition. I would even go as far to say that nutrition is 80% of the game, while exercise is only 20%. You will get most of the results outside of the gym and in the kitchen. In fact, that is where you put most of the weight on so it would only make sense that the opposite is true.
A good exercise program would be a total body training program focused on weighted movements using
compound lifts. They would be high intensity and fast with you only being in the gym for 45 minutes to an hour at a time.
Your nutritional program would have you be eating 5 to 6 smaller meals throughout the day with a makeup of most protein, healthy fats, and healthy carbs from fruits and some grains.
In conclusion, performing a ton of crunches everyday is not going to get you to your goal of having a flat belly anytime soon. It is only going to get you closer to having misplaced vertebrae.
