Perhaps the number one myth in the fitness world, especially those who are new to the healthy lifestyle, focuses on how to get that much coveted 6-pack abs. If you watch television or flip through non-science-based fitness magazines, you would probably assume that you can't get nice abs without paying 3 payments of 19.99, plus shipping and handling, for some new contraption that guarantees* 6-pack abs for only 4 minutes a day. Or you might think that you have to do thousands of crunches in order to look like the models in the magazines.

You're smart, you know that this stuff isn't true. But it may surprise you to find out that the most important factors in getting sexy abs are actually nutrition and cardio. What? You mean to say that the crunches aren't what gives me the 6-pack abs? Indeed.

You can do as many crunches or other ab exercises that you can squeeze into your day; your abs will indeed get stronger, but they may not pop out how you want them to. Why? Because if your abs are hidden behind a layer of fat, you'll never see them no matter how many crunches you do!

That's where cardio comes in. Doing intense cardio 3-4 times a week will help burn off body fat. I don't believe in doing long, boring cardio; see my articles on interval training to learn about cardio that trains your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems and blasts away fat. Once you burn off that fat, you will start to see the definition that has been hidden there all along.

To get your abs to pop, you also have to watch what you eat. But of course you've already been doing that, right? Be careful of eating foods with high fat content, as well as sugars. I remember reading something about which foods are ab-friendly, but I'll have to post that in a follow-up since I can't remember right now. I know that fruits and leafy vegetables, as well as lean meats, are ab-friendly.

To help your ab strength, you can do ab-specific exercises. I am a fan of Russian twists, V-ups, reverse crunches, lunge and twist, and floor wipers. However, those exercises where the abs are acting as stabilizers, such as push-ups, planks, rows, and even squats, are more effective than ab-specific exercises. That is because your abs are working hard to protect your spine, engaging them in a better way than ab-specific exercises do. Personally, I do a mixture of both, and I keep my abs tight during other exercises, such as when I do bench presses, one-arm rows, and deadlifts. I would suggest doing ab work 3-4 times a week.

So cardio and good nutrition will help you get the abs that you want. Please feel free to leave your suggestions, tips, and ideas that have worked for you!