All About Your Abs

Recently, my husband went through some odd contortions to show me the 'almost 2-pack' he's acquired since he started exercising regularly. As entertaining as that was, I had to remind him that getting six-pack abs is difficult for most of us...in fact, many of us will never have a body fat low enough to see our abs, which is frustrating if you've been trying for flat abs for awhile.

The truth is, flat abs come from losing body fat and your body is in charge of where and when you lose the fat. Does that mean flat abs are out of the question? Not at all. What it does mean is that doing millions of crunches or other ab exercises won't get you what you want. By educating yourself on how fat loss works, you can learn more about what you can expect from your body.

To that end, I've put together a list of resources to help you get more details about flat abs, ab exercises, workouts and faqs about how your body works.

Ab & Core Resources

The Truth About Getting Flat Abs. In this article, I go into detail (okay...a lot of detail) about how fat loss really works and whether you should let go of your goal to get flat abs.

Flatten Your Abs. This article is short and sweet, discussing what you really need to do to lose fat around your belly.

Abs Demystified. This article covers some of the myths about your abs that can keep you from seeing reasonable results.

Dynamic Exercises for Your Abs. Ab exercises won't necessarily flatten your abs, but choosing the right moves can help you build strength in all the muscles of your torso...not just the abs. This workout offers some different (and often advanced) core moves.

Core Exercises on the Ball. This workout involves multiple muscle groups in the upper body, lower body and the abs, all with some tough exercises using an exercise ball.