The Truth About Tighter Abs

There’s no one right way to tackle your midsection, which may be why so many myths abound. Let these top trainers set the record straight.

- Janet Lee

MYTH 1/

You can zero in on your lower abs

AB FACT The rectus abdominis (a.k.a. the six-pack) attaches at the bottom of your sternum and the crest of your pubic bone. It’s one long muscle, and you can’t isolate just part of it. “In all our studies where you actually measure people exerting against a force, the upper and lower rectus don’t work independently,” says researcher Stuart McGill, Ph.D., a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada and author of Back Mechanic.

“The rectus acts like a rope, and the tension is equal all along the length of it.” If you’re trying to target extra flab in your lower abdomen, do some high-intensity interval training to amp up your calorie burn and then head to the market to buy healthy, whole foods. A combination of serious calorie burning and clean eating is the best way to get rid of belly fat (see Myth 4 for more on this).

MYTH 2/

Abs are made in the

kitchen.