The secret to ABS

The secret to six pack abs... Or maybe there really isn't a secret.... Read on...

For so many of us having great abs, or a six pack has almost become a fad. A sexy slim waist, wash board abs, those "sex lines", its almost like magic, they seem to captivate the human eye. When I took a local poll asking, "What body part do you think women look at first on a man?", 9/10 of the responses were "abs" or "stomach".
Hell, if women love abs so much, no wonder so much of the male population bust their ass's to get those damn abs. Even those who do not train seriously try to achieve a 6 pack, but are they going about it the correct way? What is the correct way? Will thousands of crunches get the job done? What about those products seen on T.V.? "Get a six pack with 6 second abs in only three weeks!", or "Wear this belt as it tasers the crap out of you while you watch TV and you'll get abs in no time!" will they work? Probably not, unless you have the genetics of an ape on steroids, or are related to Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler. It seems as though many of those who are looking for a 6 pack are uninformed, and unfortunately ignorant, thus allowing the notion that getting a 6 pack is much more difficult than it really is. In this article you'll learn the truth about the abs, and how to properly go about getting a 6 pack in less time than you'd ever believe. Understanding The Muscle First lets try to understand the muscle group that is so often referred to as the "abs". The abdominal region is made up of four separate muscles, the internal and external obliques, the transverse abdominis and the rectus abdominis.

These core muscles are made up of your abs as well as your lower back. The abs assist the human body in the moving of the torso. Abs generally move in two main motions, flexion and rotation. If we are able to understand how each part of our abdominal regent moves, we will be able to sculpt our abs to their fullest extent and in little time. Rectus Abdominis

Where is it?
The rectus abdominis is a fairly flat yet wide muscle, and this is the muscle that many of us generally refer to as "the six pack". It is located between the sternum and pelvis. Though we call it a "six pack", in reality it is only one muscle. Which means they generally contract together at the same time, making it difficult to only target either the upper abs or lower abs, though it can be done with the correct exercise. How do they flex?
The rectus abdominis flexes as we move our torso in a forward motion and as we bring out pelvis upward. What exercises target the rectus abdominis?
Exercises such as the crunch, sit ups, pelvic tilt, leg raises, cable crunch, all help develop this area.

The Obliques (Internal & External)

Where is it?
The obliques are the muscles which run down both sides of our torso, one muscle on each side. The external obliques are those muscles which create that "V" shape, also known as "sex lines", which seem to drive the women crazy. The internal obliques, not surprisingly, lie internally, just under the external obliques, and are shaped like an inverted "V" and run in the opposite direction as the external obliques. How do they flex?
The internal and external obliques function in the same way, they can be exercised by means of rotation and/or lateral flexion of the torso. What exercises target the obliques?
Exercises such as the cross-body crunch, decline oblique crunch, dumbbell side bend, leg/knee raises, and plate twist all help develop the obliques.

Transverse Abdominis

Where is it?
The transverse abdominis are made up of extremely thin fibers are make up the deepest layer of the abdomen. How do they flex?
Well, the transverse abdominis is involved with abdominal compression. What does this mean? Well it means that this muscle provides fairly little movement and is useless in working out. What exercises target the transverse abdominis?
Should not be a concern, too little of movement to properly workout and will end up in a waste of time.

Nutrition & Developing Abs Often you will hear those experienced say "abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym." Many of the uninformed unfortunately believe just the opposite; sticking to a good ab routine will help them alone develop a six pack, wrong! Your bodyfat percentage plays a major role in the development of your abdomen region. Since the abdomen is made up of so many small muscles, it is difficult to see them unless your body fat is low. Generally most people begin to see their abs at around 12% bf, however every individual is different. Genetics play a fairly large role in developing the abdominal muscles. People often have different shaped abs, have different recovery periods for their abdominals and many of us hold body fat differently on our body, however in time we can all gain that sexy six pack. Generally it takes around 30 days to drop 1% body fat in a healthy manner, so the amount of time it takes to develop a 6 pack is different from person to person.

Many people are over anxious in developing their abs, so they seem to think that working them out everyday will speed the process up, this is entirely wrong.
Your abdomen muscles are like any other muscle, and should be worked the same way: hard and direct stimulation with a fair amount of a resting period in between each workout. However, it is known that the abs recover much quicker than most muscles in the human body, generally it takes 48 hours for them to rest.

A good rule of thumb with your abs is if they are still sore, continue to rest them, might sound stupid, but hey sometimes it just takes some common sense.

Will Supplements Help?

Yes supplements will help and aid your goal of getting a lean stomach or six pack, but that isn't to say that you should depend upon them to get to where you want to be. You must keep in mind that a good diet, cardio, and the right ab routine are the keys to getting that sixpack.

That is the real secret to abs... hard work... and nothing else...But they are damn worth it!