Posted by Chip
“Is there an ab workout for me to get abs?” is probably one of the most common questions trainers get. Unfortunately, there are some trainers out there willing to sell “ab programs.”
The real truth is that visible abs is more about how lean you are. When losing body fat, you tend to lose it proportionally; unfortunately, the body deposits body fat disproportionately (for men, more often than not, body fat stores disproportionately around the waist; for women, the hips, butt, and thighs). So, the waist is often the last place where a lot of people lean out. For guys, the beginning outline of a 6 pack of abs typically becomes visible once body fat drops down to 10-12%.
There is a saying that “Abs are made in the kitchen.” Well, that’s not quite right. It is more accurate to say that “Abs are made in the gym and are revealed in the kitchen.”
Old fashioned core training, like planks, and adjusting the diet to lose excess body fat is what will show a good pair of abs. You don’t need an excessive amount of ab training as too frequent heavy ab and oblique training can lead to creating a blocky waist. That’s why you typically don’t see a lot of physique competitors doing a ton of side bends.
Train hard. Train smart.
