When you think of six-pack abs, people generally think of things like sit-ups, crunches, Russian twists, and flutter kicks. These are all classic ab exercises. But the problem is they’re work for work’s sake. And I’ll tell you a secret… Everyone has a six-pack, it’s just your rectus abdominis.
Why Should You Stop Doing Ab Exercises
The muscles in your core have a few purposes. One is movement. These muscles flex, extend, and rotate your truck.
The other purpose is to prevent movement in your truck by locking down your position. Why is this important? Because it turns your truck into a solid anchor for your limbs to pull against. Basically every movement you practice conditions your core.
As the load or complexity of a movement increases, your core has to work harder to either move through the movement or to stabilize the movement. Training complete movements will develop your core in a much more functional way than just mindlessly grinding out ab exercises.
Many natural movements do a fantastic job of conditioning the muscles in your trunk. As you get used to the basic movements just add complexity or intensity to increase the demand on your core muscles. Over time you will develop a very strong and functional core. If you’re looking for that six-pack abs look, that’s more about your diet than your workload.
Like I said earlier, everyone has a six-pack, the trick is making it visible. And that’s mostly dependent on body fat percentage. As you develop your core muscles, they will grow a little larger, but not to a major degree. If you want your six-pack to show through, then you have to lower your body fat percentage!
