Core and Abdominal Training - Great Abs!
by Jeremy Likness

Having visibly appealing abs - the so-called “six-pack” - has almost nothing to do with training abs! The key to seeing your abs is low body fat. Someone with very muscular abs who has high body fat will not see any definition, and someone who has not trained their abs at all with low body fat will see plenty of definition. In order to see abs, most men have to reach at least 10% body fat or lower, while women must reach 14% or lower.



The abdominal muscle is a large slab of muscle. The shape of the six-pack is due to tendons that stretch across the muscle. You cannot change a tendon’s size, position, or shape through training, so the shape of your six-pack will not change.

Protruding Abdominals?

Abdominal muscles bulge in their relaxed state. The abdominal wall is pulled flat when it contracts. If you improperly train abs, either by training to add significant mass and/or by neglecting other supporting muscles, your abs will protrude. You can see this in certain sports, such as professional wrestling - certain athletes is so lean that you can see their six-pack, but their stomach protrudes as if they have a beer gut! While it is possible to store fat internally (i.e. “beer gut”) and still have little fat underneath the skin, this condition is more than likely due to overtraining the abdominal wall while neglecting supporting muscles.

Ab Muscle: The Pelvic Girdle

The pelvic girdle is a group of internal muscles that support your internal organs. When you perform abdominal work, your internal organs can shift and change your center of gravity. This is most evident when someone is performing hanging leg or knee raises and begins swinging.

By engaging the pelvic girdle during abdominal training, you not only strengthen your center of balance, but force more tension on the abdominal wall.

The pelvic girdle is tightened by clenching your insides - squeezing your rectum or performing the same action as cutting off the flow of urine. This exercise is known as the Kegel, and men as well as women can perform these. By performing a Kegel during abdominal work, you ensure not only that the pelvic girdle is strengthened at the same time, but also that you are building a strong core or center of balance.

A proper hanging knee raise or leg raise will result in no swinging whatsoever - the torso will remain still and movement will be only around the pelvic area and through the legs.

Ab Muscle: Transversus

The transversus is another internal muscle that serves to pull the abdominal wall back. The transversus is contracted when you suck in your gut or try to pull your belly through your lower back.

If you work your abdominal wall without working your transversus, the abdominal wall may increase in mass and begin to bulge or protrude. By keeping your stomach pulled in and tight during abdominal training, you strengthen the transversus at the same time.

You can also perform an exercise known as the “vacuum” frequently to further strengthen the transversus - vacuums (where you simply pull in your gut and keep it pulled in while breathing slowly) can be performed while driving or even standing in line at the supermarket.

Ab Muscle: Obliques

The obliques are muscles that run diagonally across the abdominal wall and are attached to bone at your sides. Increasing the size of your obliques can increase the width of your waist, but not necessarily the circumference.

These are “muscular love handles.” Some people avoid training obliques for that reason. There are many sports-specific applications for working the obliques - contact sports such as football require the ability to maintain balance while twisting, and strong obliques are critical for this. Because obliques cross over the abdominal wall, having strong obliques means that your abdominal wall will be pulled flat (as with the transversus). Therefore, while training obliques may increase the width of your waist, it can also serve to pull your stomach flatter!