Myths and misconceptions about washboard stomachs

There are various myths and misconceptions about abdominal muscle training. Men are said to get the coveted six-pack faster than women, sit-ups give you a flat stomach and many more. taurentor.com has the whole truth ready and explains it. Mistake No. 1: You don’t need endurance training to get a six-pack In order to see a six-pack, you need a low body fat percentage. Of course, abdominal muscles can be well-developed if sit-ups are part of your standard movements, but that doesn't mean they're visible. If there's a layer of fat on top of your abs, no amount of effort will help. With a balanced diet and consistent endurance training, the fat deposits melt away like candle wax. The recommendation of the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention is: endurance training 3-4 times a week for 15-30 minutes each. The best options are swimming, jogging, cycling or inline skating. Misconception No. 2: The six-pack consists of six different muscles It may look as if the six-pack consists of six muscles, but in reality it is just one. Its intertendons connect the different areas together and give the impression that it is divided into upper and lower abdominal muscles. You often hear that you can train the upper or lower part with isolated exercises and depending on your posture, but sports doctor Fernando Dimeo knows: "The muscle is always trained as a whole." Dr. Dimeo is head of sports medicine and works at the Charité in Berlin and explains that in addition to the front abdominal muscle, there are also back and side muscles. Mistake No. 3: It is enough to train the front abdominal muscle to get a six-pack Of course, we know that sit-ups train the front abdominal muscles, but optimal and healthy training requires additional exercises and the following applies here: It is not enough to train a specific muscle group, the opposing muscle must also be strengthened. So if you want to do abdominal muscle training, you should also make sure to strengthen your back, core and buttocks. Dr. Dimeo warns that one-sided training can lead to an imbalance: “If the back muscles are too weak and those of the abdomen are too strong, the spine may shift forward.” To avoid a misalignment of the spine, the whole body should always be trained. Mistake No. 4: To achieve a six-pack, many repetitions are necessary The rules for this are clear: If you want your muscles to be visible and well-developed (muscle training), you should train with a lot of weight and few repetitions. The high level of exertion causes muscle fibers to tear, resulting in muscle soreness. The torn fibers regroup into knots - the muscle grows. If you want to stimulate fat burning, you use light weights and increase the number of repetitions – this is called endurance training. A six-pack is characterized by clearly visible muscles. To achieve this, you have to train at a high intensity. An optimal form of sit-ups would look like this: you take a weight in your hand and fold your arms in front of your chest. Depending on your level of training, the weight can vary between 1 and 20 kilograms. However, Dr. Dimeo warns against training if you have back pain. You should only train if you have no physical restrictions - if in doubt, speak to your doctor. Misconception No. 5: Women don’t get a six-pack as quickly as men Dr. Dimeo says: "Although men can build more muscle mass on average thanks to the hormone testosterone, this does not happen any faster than in women." Muscle building depends much more on various factors, such as age, predisposition and training. The only reason why it seems that men gain muscle faster is because women have a high percentage of body fat. Even though women's muscles are already developed and present, it generally takes longer for them to become visible. In addition, the majority of women would rather have a flat stomach than a six-pack.