Six-Pack Abs

Bottom line: Crunches will give you six-pack abs.
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Are six-pack abs important? Not really. All torso muscles are important. We have many layers going in all directions. They stabilize our torso, protect our spine, and hold in our organs. But if I were to name a number one, it would be the transverse abdominus. Some call this muscle your natural weight belt. Powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters talk about this a lot. They inhale, hold the breath, press your belly against the weight belt, and fully engage the torso before lifting. In yoga, we call this muscle uddiyana bandha, which is one of three root locks in Ashtanga.
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Im downplaying the six-pack, which is rectus abdominus. It functionally does help you sit up, like getting out of bed or rising from your recliner. It may also be helpful with sex. It is also very attractive. People worry that it wont show up for your average person. As we get older, visceral bodyfat is an issue. We become more sedentary and we eat more liberally. Gluten and lactose intolerance along with varying degrees of colitis/IBD cause bloating of the gut. But really the only limitation to seeing the six-pack is subcutaneous fat. This is more of a problem for women, especially post-partum. Aerobic activity and a healthy diet is the only way to fix that. However, doing crunches and sit-ups helps prepare us for when the fat is gone. These two exercises alone will not reveal your abs until you get rid of the fat.
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Share your sit-ups or crunches here.

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