The great myth of the perfect six-pack stomach.
Ripped abs.
Hey, let's go further and shoot for the eight-pack stomach you fitness buffs! We all want them, and have heard of so many different techniques, diets and gadgets to help us get 'em.
Well, let's go ahead and make this article simple and straight-to-the-point, loaded with the information that never seems to be that easily together in one place: 1.
Stop doing crunches.
Seriously.
Never do another crunch ever again.
You are most welcome.
2.
Hey, guess what? You do have abs! Yes, really, you do.
In fact, we all do.
Unfortunately, for most of us they're covered in layers of fat.
Which brings us to..
..
3.
Proper diet is your Number 1 friend when it comes to great abs.
Look at some of our articles in the nutrition section on the perfect day of eating.
4.
Abdominal exercises, varied and with weights/resistance for the most part.
That is your prescription, and you will replace your 5 minutes of crunches you used to do at the end of your workout with a solid 10-minute effort comprised of at least 6 sets of 8-10 reps.
Per workout.
Abs are muscles.
Time to treat them as such with respect.
5.
And to round it off and put some polish on them, cardio! And not just any cardio, we are talking intervals and only for the last 10-15 minutes of your workout.
Summary for great abs: Diet/Nutrition, Abdominal Exercises with Weights, Cardio.
Great Abdominal exercises you can Google to find images: Two Arm Cable Crunches w/Rope, Woodchoppers with Single Cables, Medicine Ball Torso Twist Sit-Ups, Hanging Leg Raises w/Dumbbell and round off with Planks (no weights needed) and Bicycle Twists (no weights needed).
How many muscles make up your abs? Way more than you think! There's a whole host of partying going on with muscles, connective tissue, etc.
Just like you have to hit your chest, back, legs and arms with different exercises to hit different points, you have to do the same with abs.