"How to Get Abs" – 4 Myths You Need to Stop Believing
Visible abs are one of the most talked-about goals in the fitness world. And as someone who lives and breathes training, performance, and helping others feel amazing in their bodies, I get asked this all the time: "How do I get abs?"
It’s a fair question. But it’s also one of the most frustrating.
Not because of the people asking (I’m here for you!) – but because of the sheer volume of misinformation that surrounds it. In this blog, I’m busting the most damaging myths about abs so you can finally understand what actually matters when it comes to building a lean, healthy, athletic body – with or without visible abs.
Why this question frustrates me – and why you're not to blame
If you’ve ever Googled "how to get abs" or spent 5 minutes on fitness TikTok, you’ll have seen:
Influencers flaunting their six-packs with captions like "Do my ab workout for abs!"
Clickbait diet advice promising you can eat your way to a shredded core
The tired mantra of "We all have the same 24 hours" being thrown around like fact
And the result? A warped view of what it really takes to get abs, plus a mountain of shame when your results don’t look like theirs.
Here’s the truth: genetics, lifestyle, and health history all play a massive role in how your body looks, and how easy it is to lose fat and reveal muscle definition. The advice being thrown around on social media? It usually ignores those nuances. And without nuance, we end up in a cycle of frustration, comparison, and unhealthy extremes.
It’s time to get clear, and get nuanced. Let’s bust some myths - and give you the clear, realistic, actionable advice you do need:
The 4 Biggest Myths About Abs, Busted
Myth #1: Ab workouts = visible abs
Truth: You can train your abdominal muscles just like any other muscle group, and they will grow. But making them visible? That’s about reducing your overall body fat through smart, consistent nutrition and training.
Here’s what ab workouts can do:
Improve posture and core strength
Enhance athletic performance, especially in compound lifts
Create muscle definition underneath the fat
But if you’re not in a calorie deficit, that definition will stay hidden. You cannot "spot reduce" fat - meaning you can’t choose where your body prefers to store the most fat, or lose fat from first. This means doing hundreds of crunches won’t specifically burn belly fat. The only thing that does work? Proper nutrition combined with an effective training plan.
Myth #2: Abs appear at a specific body fat percentage
Truth: You’ve probably seen body fat percentage charts with idealised images suggesting abs pop at 10% for men and 18% for women. But these numbers are approximations, not universal truths.
Key factors that influence fat distribution and visibility of abs:
Genetics: Determine where your body stores fat first and loses it last
Hormonal profile: Impacts fat storage patterns (e.g., oestrogen encourages fat storage around hips and thighs)
Body type and muscle shape: Not everyone has the same ab structure. Some people have more symmetrical or pronounced abs than others
In my own case, I need to get to dangerously low body-fat levels to see clearly defined abs, which often disrupts my cycle and impacts recovery and performance. This is especially relevant for women, who typically need more body fat for optimal hormonal and reproductive function.
Visible abs, year-round, especially for most women? Not sustainable.
Myth #3: Abs = health, strength, or athleticism
Truth: One of the biggest fitness fallacies is that having abs means you're fit, strong, and healthy.
Let me be clear:
You can be incredibly strong, with high performance capacity, and have no visible abs
You can have shredded abs and be underfed, overtrained, and hormonally compromised
The presence of abs simply indicates low levels of subcutaneous fat around your midsection. It says nothing about your cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, metabolic health, or mental well-being.
Having coached athletes from recreational lifters to international competitors, I’ve seen firsthand how deceptive aesthetics can be. The goal isn’t to look fit – it’s to be fit, in every sense of the word. And interestingly, it’s usually when you switch the focus to performance and health that your body starts looking its best, too - because it’s being consistently fuelled!
Myth #4: Anyone can get abs with enough effort
Truth: This one stings, but it's important - and it’s where toxic fitness culture rears its head all too often.
The belief that you’re just not trying hard enough if you don’t have abs is not only wrong, it’s harmful.
Why? Because:
Genetics play a huge role in fat storage and muscle visibility
For some, visible abs might require sacrifices that compromise long-term health
Not everyone has the same ab muscle shape or spacing (some people will never have a ‘six-pack’, regardless of body fat)
And if we ignore these facts, and label anyone who isn’t achieving abs as ‘lazy’, ‘undisciplined’, or just ‘not as fit’, we’re increasing the risk of turning to unhealthy extremes and developing disordered behaviours and attitudes towards food and exercise.
It’s not about effort alone. It’s about understanding your unique physiology and setting goals that serve your health, not harm it.
What actually matters if you want visible abs
If you're working towards a lean, strong, athletic body, visible abs might be part of that. Or they might not. Either way, here are the three controllable ingredients that will determine your progress:
➡️ Training
You need to train abs like any other muscle group – with progressive overload and intention. And yes, training can support fat loss too (especially when combined with cardio and full-body strength work).
➡️ Nutrition
This is the biggest factor in reducing body fat. Eating enough to fuel your training, but not so much that fat loss stalls. Just as importantly, eating in a way that supports your energy, performance, and recovery.
➡️ Consistency
The least sexy but most important piece. Real change takes time. Forget the extreme diets and 6-week shreds. There are no shortcuts. Show up, consistently, and make sure you’re doing it in a way that allows you to enjoy the process whilst you’re at it!
The bottom line: fuel to feel and perform your best
Whether or not your abs make an appearance, you have control over how you train and fuel your body. Focus on performance, health, and long-term sustainability. That’s what creates real transformation.
And if you're ready to take action?
⬇️ Learn how to fuel like an athlete with the Athlete Nutrition Blueprint
Or, if you’re feeling stuck in a plateau and not sure what to focus on next:
