When you start any new workout routine, you’re almost guaranteed to make mistakes. While it may not be possible for you to avoid making any mistakes, there are a few that you can look out for and try to avoid. Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when they’re trying to get six pack abs.

Mistake 1: Not making peace with your body. Every person has their own pre-determined body shape. You may see someone in a magazine with abs you would kill for, but it may not be possible for you to actually get them. You should really try to focus on getting your body in the best shape you can, whatever that may be. Your abs will still look fantastic even if they don’t fit the picture perfect ideal you have in your head.

Mistake 2: Trying to spot reduce. You may already know this, but just in case you don’t, it’s not possible to reduce one area of your body alone. If you want to lose the weight around your stomach, you’re not going to be able to do it with crunches alone. Ab exercises will build your muscles to get a six pack, but they won’t get rid of that layer of fat covering the muscles. To remove the fat, you have to watch what you eat and burn calories through cardio and strength training.

Mistake 3: Doing hundreds of crunches everyday. Some people have a tendency to go overboard with crunches when they’re trying to get six pack abs. First of all, when you do too many reps at once, there’s no way to focus on doing them correctly. If ab exercises aren’t done correctly, you won’t see the results you want. Also, when you’re trying to get great abs, you need to rest them in between workouts. It’s usually not a good idea to work your abs everyday. Instead you may want to take a day or two off in between.

Mistake 4: Not eating a healthy diet. It’s won’t do you any good to spend hours working on your abs if you don’t watch what you eat. Eating a lot of fattening foods will sooner or later show up on your abs, making all of your hard earned effort useless. If you want the work you put into exercising to actually matter, you should try to eat a healthy diet to keep the weight off.

These are just 4 of the most common mistakes people tend to make when trying to build six pack abs. If you’re just starting to work your abs, you may want to pay attention to the tips above on how to avoid these mistakes, so you can see results even faster.