#1 Myth: Abdominal muscle differs from other muscles.

The abdominal muscles are actually similar to all other body muscles. The only difference is location; they’re just not laying on a bony surface like biceps or quads. They need the same training as the chest or biceps do. Basic physiology laws pertain to all muscles, and that includes the abs. So to get tight abs, the exercises you do have to be effective on that group of muscles.

#2 Myth: You need to train daily to get tight abs.

Basic weight training rules say that you need to allow your muscles 24 hours to recover and rest, and this includes the muscles in your stomach too. That means you should work them either 3-4 times per week, or every other day, instead of daily. To obtain tight abs you should allow them a full day off to rest between your workouts. Working your stomach muscles diligently, and then allowing them time to repair and rest, is the secret to building strong muscles.

#3 Myth: Performing stomach exercises helps rid you of fat in the abdomen.

Spot reduction just doesn’t exist. Many believe that when you have deposits of fat on the abdomen, exercising those muscles will help fat vanish. This is just plain wrong. You will not rid yourself of the fat over your muscles by just exercising repeatedly on that part of the body. Only a healthy diet and the right exercises will burn stomach fat off to uncover the tight abs you’ve developed.

#4 Myth: To get tight abs you need to do high repetitions of an exercise.

As already mentioned above, abs are similar to all your other muscle groups. This means that you need to train your abs just like you do your other muscles. The way to get tight abs is to use resistance training to challenge your abdominal muscles. If you are able to do an exercise easily more than 20 times, then you need to add more resistance to your workout.

#5 Myth: Everyone can have a flat stomach if they exercise enough.

For a few individuals it’s just not physically possible to get a flat stomach. The muscles in the abdomen are naturally rounded, and not totally flat. Genetics, age, and gender all contribute to determining the shape, appearance, and size of your stomach. If you can’t achieve a flat stomach no matter what you do, don’t get discouraged. Simply by trying to achieve perfection, you will be in the kind of physical shape that most people would envy.

#6 Myth: Working out will make a bad back worse.

You can actually make your back much stronger by trying to get tight abs. Opposing muscles of the body tend to help each other out, so when your stomach muscles are weak your back muscles have to pick up the load. And when you strengthen your stomach muscles, it relieves the load from your back muscles and gives them a chance to heal.

Don’t let these myths ruin your efforts to improve your physical shape. Train wisely and strategically, and use workout techniques that zone in on your specific needs. Sexy, tight abs won’t happen without some work, but the right workout will make that work pay off a lot faster.