Abs muscles – myths and harsh reality

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-09-21

1. The abs can be "upper" and "lower"

The rectus abdominis (the abs) does not have an upper and lower part. The fibers of this muscle run vertically along its entire length. Therefore, when you train your abs, the fibers contract equally both at the top and at the bottom. This means that when you work on your abs, they will always be engaged evenly throughout their length.

However, there is no smoke without fire. The issue is that when you perform any leg raises (for example, in a support position), it is more the hip flexors that are engaged rather than the abs. These are located near the lower part of the abs. Thus, it may seem to you that you are working the lower part of your abs more. When you twist, the actual abs engage, which creates the feeling that you are training the upper part. But, I will reiterate that this is all an illusion.

2. It is harder for women than for men to achieve defined abs

This is true. However, it is not the abs that are to blame, but physiology. Women have less testosterone than men. Testosterone is responsible for muscle growth and fat burning. This makes it harder for women to build muscle and lose excess weight all over their bodies, not just on the stomach.

I would even go further. Normally, men should have about 15% body fat. Women should have between 18% and 20%. Abs become visible when body fat is around 10% to 12%. Thus, a defined set of abs in women is actually a deviation from the norm.

3. To lose belly fat, you need to do ab exercises

Remember, muscle toning does not lead to fat loss. This applies to the entire body as a whole and to the abs in particular. This is the first point. Second, the body will never remove fat from just one specific area. You cannot force it to do that. Such are the laws of physiology. Therefore, if you want to lose belly fat, you will have to lose it from the whole body. And to achieve that, you need regular aerobic exercise.

4. To get abs, you need to do many reps every day

This is not entirely accurate. The definition of muscles depends primarily not on the size of the muscles themselves but on the thickness of the fat layer. It is indeed necessary to work on your abs. However, this will not reduce subcutaneous fat.

The abs are just like any other muscle. The same training principles apply to them as to other muscles. In other words, training your abdominal muscles a couple of times a week for 3 to 4 sets will achieve the same effect as doing 10 sets every day. So if there’s no difference, why waste extra effort?

5. I want to build my abs, but I don't want to lose weight

Many people are relatively thin but still have fat on their stomachs. They don’t want to lose weight but want to make their abs more defined. In point #3, I essentially said, "If you want beautiful abs, lose weight." But that’s not entirely accurate. A beautiful body is built not only on the absence of fat but also on the presence of muscle. Of course, you need to train all muscles, not just the abs. By strengthening your muscles, you will prevent their breakdown. Thus, in this case, what you need is strength training with high intensity.

Getting rid of fat while preserving muscle is quite difficult. But that’s a whole different story.

Conclusions

To achieve beautiful abs, two components are needed. The first and most important is to get rid of excess subcutaneous fat. This can be achieved not through daily “torture” of the abs but through proper nutrition and regular aerobic exercise.

The second component is, of course, to train the abs. But do this 2 to 3 times a week for 3 to 4 sets with 15 to 20 repetitions. This will be more than enough. Further increases in repetitions will not speed up the results.