With the amount of information available on the internet, it’s no wonder that it’s incredibly easy to stumble on misleading information.  This is especially true when it comes to exercising.  There are several ab workout myths that are continually circulated.  You can avoid these myths just by knowing what they are, so here are some of the most common ab workout myths and the truth of what actually works.  

 

  • You have to work your abs everyday.  Some people think that the only way to get six pack abs is to do an intense ab workout every day.  Fortunately, this is just a myth.  You don’t have to work your abs everyday to see results.  In fact, it’s actually much more effective to take a day or two off in between workouts.  In order to build muscle, you have to give the muscles plenty of time to rest.  If you’re worried that you won’t see results unless you do something everyday, find other exercises you can do on your off days that don’t work your abs like cardio or upper/lower body exercises.  This way you’re still working out, but you’re giving your abs a rest.

 

  • Hundreds of crunches will give you the best results.  This is another widespread myth.  Getting great abs is not about the number of crunches you can do.  It’s about the quality of those crunches.  If you’re not doing your ab exercises correctly, then you won’t see the best results.  It’s extremely hard to do them correctly when you’re trying to do too many.  So try to focus on doing 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps instead.  This way you can make sure each rep is done properly, and you’ll see better results from your effort.

 

  • Sit ups are a great ab workout.  While sit ups do somewhat work your abs, they’re not the most effective exercise if you want to get ripped.  Sit ups focus more on the strength of your abdominals than making them more defined.  This exercise also doesn’t focus strictly on your abs.  It actually requires the work of other muscle groups as well. This is not what you want when you’re trying to get a six pack.  So choose exercises that will focus solely on you abdominal muscles. 

 

  • You can still eat whatever you want.  This is completely not true.  You may get away with it for a while, but sooner or later the food you eat will catch up with you.  Usually it shows up as a layer of fat that covers your once chiseled abs.  If you want great abs, you have to eat foods that won’t turn into fat around your stomach.  This means you should eat a balanced diet with lean protein, high fiber carbs, plenty of vegetables and fruits, low fat dairy, and the right amount of good fats.  You should limit high fat and high sugar foods to a minimum.

 

These are not the only misleading myths about six pack abs.  However, these are some of the most popular ones.  Now you know that you’re abs do need rest in between workouts, quantity is not as substitute for quality, sit ups are not the best exercise, and you do have to watch what you eat.  Knowing this information will put you ahead of the curve to make sure that you do everything correctly, so you can see great results.