Six Pack Abs, Weight Loss Diets and Ab Machines - What the Infomercials Don't Tell You

Six Pack Abs, Weight Loss Diets and Ab Machines - What the Infomercials Don't Tell You

Six pack abs, ab exercises, ab machines...all mantras for more than a decade of fitness products and weight loss advertising in the United States. How many variations of the ab-name-goes-here ab machine, stomach tightener, or whatever you want to call it have been marketed and sold under the slogan of giving the wearer six-pack abs. Then there are the endless magazine articles with headlines like “Best Ab Exercises,” “How to Get Six Pack Abs,” or “Tighter Tummy in Just 10 Days.” If aliens landed on Earth, these would be some of the first phrases they would learn, at least in English.

Here's the truth that anyone who has spent a good, solid year of fitness and strength training can tell you: six pack abs are as much about what and how much you eat as it is about how you train your abs.

I remember a “wise older training master meets the greenhorn” event that occurred just a few feet from where I was training at the gym one afternoon. (It was about the ab machines, of course.) A solid, well-defined young man who was clearly dedicated to what he was doing asked an older member who had a more precise set of abs how he got them. The young man protested that he was beating himself up doing every ab workout the gurus recommended, but he still wasn't getting the results he thought he should put in the work he was putting in.

Don't get me wrong: he had a relatively flat stomach and one that I'm sure most people would like to have. It just didn't suit his arms, chest, or legs, which were clearly top notch for a serious fitness enthusiast.

The wise elder stopped what he was doing, shook his head and chuckled to himself. Then he said, "I'm not laughing at you. You just wouldn't believe how many times people ask me about this. Actually, there are three things going on here. You're already doing all the workouts you need, so there are only two left. One is genetic and there's nothing you can do about it. The other part is diet. I don't care how much you work your abs, if you eat too much or eat the wrong foods, you won't see a six-pack abs. You'll have great abs, but you won't see.”

OK, I know you're probably not aiming for fitness model abs, but I'm giving this example to illustrate how critical the diet component is. Everyone who makes and markets these ab workout machines knows this too. Look closely at the ad and you will see that each product includes a convenient diet program to go along with the abdominal exercises. At some point during the advertisement or in the ad copy if it's a print ad, it becomes clear that if you want to achieve the flat stomach of your dreams, you must also follow their nutritional guidelines.

You have no idea how many guys and gals are out there with textbook six-pack abs, but no one has ever seen them because they're hidden under a layer (or two or three) of fat.

The other thing they don't tell you: There is no such thing as "spot reduction." You cannot focus fat loss on the abdominal region through exercise. The calorie burn associated with any form of muscle training affects the entire body, meaning your ab workout will likely show up on your face first. Depending on factors beyond your control (genetics), you will then lose weight in other parts of your body, the order of which may vary slightly from person to person.

Don't get me wrong. If you work hard on your abs, you will certainly make them stronger, and that's a good thing. But they can stay hidden under your belly fat until the time comes for your body to shed some of it.

Ironically, the last place you can see the effects of your weight loss exercise program is your abdominal area. As we all know by now, Mother Nature has programmed men to store fat in the stomach area. Women mostly get it in the hips and also in the abdominal muscles. Mother Nature doesn't make you look like a fitness model. She'll keep a little extra around the waist just to be safe.

Ultimately, six pack abs are overrated and too hard to get. When it comes to building a stronger abdominal section, unless you are genetically gifted in this area, it is probably best to focus on diet management and balanced exercise, which leads to good weight management and better health. Let yourself be surprised by the development over time. If you can take control of your diet and include both aerobic and strength training in your workouts, you can build a stronger and flatter abdominal area that you can be proud of.

Inspired by Paul W. Whitten