Surprising Facts About Your Abs

Clark Gable took his abs to the masses (and caused a sensation) in the 1934 film It Happened One NightEverything you ever wanted to know (and some stuff you didn't) about your six-pack, beer gut, muffin top, or whatever form your belly is taking these days.

By Emily G. W. Chau, Fitbie.com

No surprise here--the six-pack is a hot topic. It's a phrase searched for more than 1.2 million times a month on Google alone. But there's more to your midsection than its six sexy segments. In fact, that washboard is actually made of one muscle, the rectus abdominis, which gets its "separations" from dense connective tissue called fascia. The muscles on the sides of your torso are also considered part of the abdominals: Your external and internal obliques help you bend your torso from side to side and rotate your upper body left and right. If all of this is news to you, read on for 11 more essential facts about your abs that you probably don't know.

Abs Fact #1: You Don't Need to Train Them Every Day 
If you perform ab exercises daily in the pursuit of a perfect belly, you could be overtaxing your muscles. "A lot of people go overboard," says Jim White, RD, ACSM, owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios in Virginia Beach, VA. "They'll do abs 7 days a week and won't allow for any rest. That just damages the muscles." He recommends focusing on abs three or four times a week. 

Abs Fact #2: Abs Exercises Alone Aren't Enough 
It's also important to mix things up: New research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows that doing a routine of core-strengthening exercises alone won't slim your waistline.
When volunteers did seven moves 5 days a week, they had stronger ab muscles but they didn't lose fat or inches. To reveal chiseled abs, you need to train all your major muscle groups, do cardio, and follow a healthy diet.

Abs Fact #3: If You Want Stronger Abs, You'll Need a Stronger Back
If your abs are the star of the show, think of your lower back as the supporting cast. When it comes to waist circumference, your lower back factors into that figure just as much as belly fat does, says White. "By tightening your lower back, your waist will look slimmer." Also, a strong lower back makes it possible for you to complete intense ab-focused workouts with less risk of injury. "You can't be one-sided," says White. "It's the same problem we see in athletes who overdevelop their quads and end up with hamstring injuries." If you neglect your back, not only will you have a more difficult time completing ab exercises in the first place, but you'll also have a better chance of injuring yourself and having to put off ab-targeted moves completely while you recover. In other words, if you want that six-pack, your lower back better be in shape.

Abs Fact #4: Some Ab Moves Are More Effective Than Others
Exercise infomercials love to lure in buyers with the promise of six-pack abs. But a 2001 study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) found that the most effective ab-targeted moves can actually be done at home with minimal equipment. Researchers tested the amount of muscle activity required of participants while they performed 13 basic ab exercises. The bicycle crunch, the captain's chair, and the stability ball crunch were named the best moves, requiring 148, 112, and 39% more muscle activity, respectively, than the traditional crunch. And if you want an obliques-targeted move, incorporate the reverse crunch into your workout. It's 140% more effective at hitting the sides of your torso than the traditional crunch.

Abs Fact #5: Some Ab Moves Aren't Worth Doing
The same ACE-sponsored study determined the least effective ab-targeted exercises. The exercise tubing pull and the Ab Rocker machine were at the bottom of the list, requiring 8 and 79% less muscle activity, respectively, than the traditional crunch.

Abs Fact #6: The First Six-Pack on the Silver Screen Caused a Stir
Showing off a six-pack on film is an everyday occurrence now. (Is there a Ryan Reynolds movie in which he doesn't find an opportunity to disrobe?) But the first Hollywood ab shot caused a sensation. When Clark Gable took off his button-down and bared his belly in the 1934 film It Happened One Night, it's said that undershirt sales plummeted.

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