6 Pack Abs - An Overrated Muscle Group?

April 1, 2014 - PRLog -- So many guys spend endless hours at home and in the gym performing crunches, leg raises and stability work in order to build up their abs. Some of the main reasons why guys aspire so strongly to build up their abdominal muscles can be as follow: they're a big hit with the ladies -- many women out there will admit that a lean, muscular stomach on a guy can be a real turn on. Another reason is that a good 6 pack can be an admirable muscle group in the eyes of other fitness enthusiasts too. They are often seen as a muscle group that is synonymous with following a strict diet and hard training routine which can demand respect and even envy from others, but abs aren't just for show either; many guys will want to train their abs for core strength, especially when they have performance intentions.

So Lets Break This Down

A hit with the ladies?
Although there are many ladies out there who definitely do like abs on a man, according to surveys that have been carried out on this many women prefer a guy with powerful back muscles and good muscular arms more so than abs. In addition to this, many ladies would admit that abs are really just icing on the cake, even go as far as saying superfluous meaning that they're nice sure, but they don't really matter all that much at the end of the day. So to many women out there, a good pair of muscular arms, along with decent muscular shoulders and back can make up for, if not surpass flashy abs.

Admiration/envy from other guys?
While this can be the case at times, the reality is that a large percentage of men out there will look at another lifter who has abs and conclude that it's mostly genetics, i.e. that they are naturally lean irrespective of what they eat even if the reality is that you busted your ass to get that trim core replete with muscle; many other guys will assume genetics played the role and not your will power, dedication or hard work. However, if you have something like an impressive bench press or deadlift and a powerful upper body, this may actually draw more attention and respect from the male population. In fact, http://fastermusclemass.com advocates that building your entire body and not just your abs is almost always more favourable.

Unfortunately, abs don't look good on everyone.
Unfortunate as it may be, some guys simply can't develop "aesthetic" abs. I'm sure you have seen those guys who are very lean but appear to have a 4 pack instead of a 6 pack or else have very noticeable issues with shape or symmetry. This is less common with other muscle groups such as chest, back and shoulders where you have an ability to fix things like postural issues, make one area more of a focus and a few other things to get a nice looking upper body, besides, with something like bad lat insertions, you will still look fit and buff under your clothes. There isn't a whole lot you can do if you're genetically predisposed to having a freakish 6 pack.

Abs and Core strength.
We've all heard it "your core is so important and demands conditioning" and yes abs play a huge role in core strength, however, abs on their own for core strength are like chest muscles on their own for upper body strength. People forget that your core is also comprised of your obliques, erector spinae and other surrounding muscles too, if you're really serious about core strength then you need to target all these muscle groups by performing exercises such as the deadlift, side planks, bodyweight side-bends and even sprinting (for intermediate/advanced training). Abs may be important for core strength, but they're certainly not more important than the posterior muscles of the lower back which can play a huge role in preventing injuries, give you more strength when lifting weights (including your own bodyweight) hold you upright during certain movements and much more.

So while there are many compelling reasons to say that abs are such a great muscle group, there are also many reasons to suggest that they're slightly overrated. At the end of the day everyone has their own opinion, so what do you think?

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