The fitness industry is one of the most lucrative industries on the face of the earth, yet it is shrouded in myths, misconceptions, “bro science” and downright nonsense in some cases. As great as it is having resources such as social media and the internet to browse through when looking for help and advice, sometimes the content you stumble upon can be more of a hindrance than a help. Take abs training for example. When it comes to training your abs, everybody seems to be an expert, despite most people not having a real clue of what they’re talking about. If you’re looking to build a set of abs to be proud of, here are some common six pack abs myths we all need to stop believing.

You need to do 1000 crunches a day to get abs

Everybody knows that the only way to build a set of abs is to do 1000 stomach crunches a day, right? Wrong! This is complete nonsense. Just because a Z-list reality TV star claimed in a magazine once that they do 1000 crunches a day to build their abs doesn’t mean that that’s what you should do. In truth, the abdominal muscles should be trained like any other muscle. You wouldn’t do 1000 biceps curls on arm day, so why do 1000 crunches on ab day? Simply aim for 2 – 3 ab exercises, consisting of 3 – 4 sets of 20 – 30 reps or so a couple of times per week and you should be good to go.

You don’t need to diet to reveal your abs

If you’re already sitting at close to 10% body fat then you certainly won’t need to lose fat to reveal your abs. As most people are well above that however, if they want abs then they most definitely will need to do that. You can train your abs as hard as you like, but if you’ve a layer of fat hiding them then nobody’s going to see them. To reveal your abs you need to lose body fat and get down to as close to 10% body fat as you possibly can.

Crunches are all that you need to train your abs

When people think of six pack abs exercises, stomach crunches, sometimes known as sit-ups, are probably the first exercises that spring to mind. As effective as these are, they are certainly not the only exercise you should do when training abs. To train your abs properly you need to hit the different areas of the muscles, which means you’ll need to mix up your training. Exercises such as: planks, woodcutters, leg raises, and mountain climbers are also great for working the abs, so just bear that in mind.

Getting abs is impossible

Getting abs is hard, we won’t deny that, but it is certainly possible. If you want something badly enough, you can do it, and that includes getting abs. If you’re serious about getting abs, as long as you train hard, watch your diet, and stick to your plan, somewhere down the road you’ll smash your goal.