Many would argue that abs are the most wanted muscle on any physique. But what’s realistic when it comes to abdominal endeavors? I decided to write about the 7 myths I hear most often.
Hopefully, this clears up any misleading information.
Most Common Ab Myths
1. I Must Train Abs for Hours for Them to Be Defined
Absolutely not! Long workouts provide no additional benefit to your abs. It will only cause you to get weaker as a result of overtraining.
It should take less than 20 minutes per abdominal training session. Less is better!
2. Fat Burners Will Help Me Burn Fat Around My Abs
You’re better off buying two candy bars instead. Although they can be effective, fat burners do not target specific areas of the body.
Fat is burned throughout the entire body. Plus, the “best” fat burner is the food you eat! It’s all in the diet!
3. I’ll Have to Go on a Strict Diet to Get Good Abs
Nope! Through the use of simple diet modifications, anyone can turn their abs into a chiseled work of art. Use my basic, but highly effective abdominal dieting techniques: Cut sodium, cut calories, lower fat, lower sugar, exercise, and drink water.
There are still ways to enjoy what you eat using these modifications. You don’t necessarily have to “diet.” You just have to know when you can eat certain foods. Be creative. It works!
4. If I Use Weights With Abdominal Exercises My Abs Will Show Up Better
Don’t waste your time! Weights provide no additional benefit to your abs. Abdominals will never bulge like the leg or pectoral muscles will. Abs “barely” increase in size when you train them.
To get your abs to show up better, you have to sculpt them. The sculpting of the abs is done through strip-away-fat dieting, not heavier weights!
5. I Can Eat Fattening Meals Because if I Workout, I Can Burn it Off
You might as well add three more candy bars to the two I mentioned earlier. Most people don’t workout long enough to burn even half of the calories they ate. The unburned excess will more than likely become fat.
You can combat this problem by working out on an empty stomach. This allows your body to burn its own fat as fuel, since carbohydrates aren’t readily available.
Check out this article on eating tips to lose weight.
6. Sit-ups Are Bad for Your Back
Not necessarily. How bad can they be? We do them everyday to get out of bed. Who said you had to touch your elbows to your knees for them to be effective? Why not come half way up, then back down? This still allows constant tension on the abs.
I say, “If you perform them correctly, they’re perfectly safe.” Bottom line: The only reason I don’t recommend them is because they’re a waste of form when you can do crunches and get the same results.
7. If I Do Hundreds of Sit-ups Everyday, I’ll Have Ripped Abs
You can do 200 sit-ups a minute and still wouldn’t have abs. It’s because exercise doesn’t define abs. It only makes them more prominent once the fat has been removed from around them. The kitchen is how you get ripped abs!