I have to smile to myself when I see ads similar to the headline of this article. As though obtaining a well-defined mid section was as easy as buying a gym membership. Infomercial pitchmen and grocery store magazines have made millions with this type of advertising. So today I will give you the facts about abdominals and abdominal training as well as obliques and innercostal tie in's.
Short and to the point! Genetics play a big role. Now that's not to say you can not develop an impressive mid section, it's simply the truth when it comes to a sculpted six pack. You first need a low body fat percentage, around seven to eight percent. To do that, smart eating habits are a must and a dedication to training your core properly is essential. No not endless reps of crunches. If your training for a crunch Marathon, then crunch away. If you want well defined abs and sculpted obliques then train them like the other body parts you want to grow. With weight! That's right. With weight. Twice a week from different angles with progressive loads do the trick. Keep the body fat low and remember these two very important things when training your abs. First, you can not spot train! You can isolate to a degree but everything is connected. Second, fat is burned...well.. sort of like a snowball in the sun. Slowly and collectively. Unfortunately the fat found in the stomach is deep viscal fat and hard to get rid of completely especially as you age.
So again your diet is real important. Despite all the nonsense that is out there about training your core and so many phony supplements with awful claims the facts are black and white. Diet, weighted ab exercises (yes for woman as well) and rest along with a low body fat percentage. Hey we all have them, to what extent you develop them is up to you.