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When it comes to the topic of six pack abs, crunches need to be discussed. The discussion on crunches should inform people that crunches are not effective to achieve six pack abs. Focusing on what we eat, helping our metabolism to burn faster and managing our stress will help us achieve six pack abs.

The abdominal crunch exercise concentrates on the development of the low back and abdominal region. However, some crunch exercises don’t train the abs but rather they develop the hip flexors. When we overdevelop some muscles and not train other muscle groups, imbalances can occur and cause low back pain.

Achieving six pack abs requires eating a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, fat, and minerals. By eating small, frequent (5-6) meals a day, we can avoid causing spikes in our blood sugar level and keep our energy levels constant.

Resistance training increases our metabolism by increasing lean body mass, which increases the muscles’ metabolic activity. Active muscles use up more fuel so our bodies can now use the excess body fat and convert that into fuel.

Interval training also increases our metabolism. Due to the increased demands of the interval training exercises, more lean body mass is built. This causes an increase in overall fat burning capacity in order to fuel increased activity levels.

Stress has been shown to increase the amount of fat stored in our stomach area. During stress, our body releases the hormone Cortisol, which causes fat to be stored in our stomach area. The excess fat is kept there for the body to use when there is an emergency.

Managing our stress can take many forms. Techniques in relaxation, deep breathing, meditation, tai chi and yoga have been effective in stress management.

Since crunches do not work for six pack abs, we must focus on overall dietary changes, increase our metabolism and reduce stress in our lives to get lean, visible and toned abs.

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