As a trainer, I come across a lot of gym-goers who are still struggling to lose those last 15 or 20 pounds. While they`re working diligently in the gym, I still see many whom are doing their old high school routine. It goes something like this:the chest press machine, the leg press machine, and then a few sets of the crunch machine.If this resembles your beach body workout, then you definitely want to read this article. I`m going to finally put an end to any misconceptions, myths and other weird stories you`ve heard around the gym about revealing your six pack!

Myth number one – Crunches are effective.

Look around the gym, and you will see people doing endless neck breaking crunches until they feel that burn. So why are they still sporting that muffin top?! Ah, yes, it’s simple – because crunches don’t work!

Before we tackle how to work your core, we must first define what the core is, and what its role is. Your core is composed of several muscles including the erector spinae, rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, and the external and internal obliques.

These are the main muscles, however there are many other muscles involved as well. All these muscles work in unison for one purpose to stabilize the spine. As we walk up stairs, run down the hall or simply bend to pick up a box, our core is there to stabilize our spine from snapping. Another key role of your core is to link your upper body and lower body together. This has many practical and functional components and is the root of all of our movements. Think of your core as a cylinder drum full of energy –it is what allows us to transfer energy from our lower body to our upper body.

Now that we know the core’s function in the human body, we can use this to apply it into exercise. What exercise(s) best mimic real life functions? Better yet, what exercise(s) best emphasize the importance of core stability? If you guessed the squat and/or deadlift, then you are correct. Let’s use the squat as the example. When a load is placed on your back, it puts a demand on your spine. Basically, your spine wants to snap. This is where all of your core muscles come into play and help stabilize your spine to produce the squatting movement. Instinctively, our core engages simultaneously and helps keep us upright so we do not injure our lower back. Any weight-bearing exercise or movement that places a demand on the spine will activate your core muscles much more than a crunch. What’s more, performing the squat or deadlift will use far more muscle groups than a single crunch, therefore creating a greater calorie expenditure.

Myth number two – you need to work your abs every day!

This one I love! The old myth goes like this: if you want a 6 pack, work your abs every day, because your core isn’t like every other muscle in your body. Last time I checked, your core is physiologically just like any other muscle in your body. If you’re doing countless inefficient crunches then yes, you will need to work your abs every day, but why waste your time? We want to train smarter and more efficiently. So, if you are performing your structural movements during your workouts (deadlifts, squats, lunges, push press) then no need to work your abs every day. If you want to finish off a few of your sessions with a few “fluff” exercises like reverse crunches, by all means, go for it, but don’t let that be the extent of your core training. So, with this in mind, you only need to work your abs twice a week, if you are doing it properly.

Myth number three – working your abs will burn off the fat around your midsection

We’ve put men on the moon, we’ve made countless medical advances, yet we still think that doing crunches will burn off the fat around the midsection. Let’s get real people! The fact that I still get asked if crunches will burn off fat still boggles my mind. To reveal your abs, you simply need to be in the single digit body fat percentage for men and in the low double digits for females. I truly believe this is partly the abs crunch machine’s fault, as well as any trainer who puts their client on that machine or any other abs machine for that matter. To end this myth, read this carefully: you cannot spot reduce your midsection!

Myth number four – you need to do countless hours of cardio to reveal your abs

So, while cardio is a great calorie burner, it can also burn away all your hard-earned muscle you’ve been meticulously training for. So why do it? Other than general warm up, general conditioning and/or high intensity training, cardio should be kept to a minimum, or at least that’s what I think and I am the first one to admit that cardio isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. To reveal your abs, or virtually any muscle, you must first build it, and then reduce the fat to show it (this is what we like to call, cut, shredded, toned, whatever word you like to call it).

But, my next point is this: people strive for the six pack way before any of their other muscles have been developed. What do I mean by this?

If you haven’t developed your chest, back, shoulders, legs, what makes you think your abs are suddenly going to pop. You have to think of your body as synchronized system that builds muscle according to its demands. Your core will have no reason to become strong and or defined if it has no use for it. If you don’t squat, you won’t get a strong core; if you don’t perform weight-bearing activity, your core will not develop to its full potential; if you do not reduce your body fat, you will not see the definition. Get my point?

So, there it is ladies and gentlemen: core 101. The take away message of this article is to get people thinking outside the box, and stop taking a two-dimensional approach to their training. As you can see, this topic is multifaceted, and it’s not until we can master all of the components of fitness and nutrition that we will finally reach the pinnacle of fitness the six pack. So, remember, stop doing crunches and focus on the big weight-bearing movements such as the squat and deadlift, and incorporate them into a periodized workout program.

This will ultimately help build lean muscle, as well as increase metabolic rate. With an increase in metabolic rate, take advantage of it with a well thought out nutrition plan to maximize your fat loss and muscle building. Also allow yourself the most important factor of all: rest. Kick your feet up, grab your favourite protein shake, and keep on reading my articles. Not only will you give your body a rest to build your muscles, you might also learn something new!