Why The Male Abs And Female Abs "Six Pack" Quest May Prove Difficult For Some

Male abs and female abs require the same building blocks when starting an abdominal workout routine. What is the best workout for male abs? What about for female abs? The truth is, the exercises are the same.

When talking muscle building, there are differences between male vs. female. Those differences are hormones and genetics. Hormones allow a man to build bigger muscles, heavier bones and in most cases, greater height. But when we talk about abdominal exercises, the anatomy between the two sexes is the same.

The four basic ab muscles are the Rectus Abdominus, Internal Obliques, External Obliques and the Transversus Abdominus. Both men and women possess these groups of muscles and so ab exercises will be the same for both sexes.

You've seen your share of fitness magazines. On the cover you'll see a photo of a young, hot body with amazing "six pack" abs and you might wonder to yourself, how do they get those fabulous male abs, or those sculpted female abs?

There are answers, but the quest may prove difficult. Here are the basic rules for "six pack" abs:

• Genetics – be born a man. Men are genetically able to develop big muscle and they typically have a lower body fat % then a woman

• Diet – make it lean and healthy

• Abdominal Exercises – Do them properly, with good form and choose the ones that target all the abdominal groups.

• LOSE THE FAT

Having a low body fat % will allow you to see what is underneath that extra layer of fat tissue and best way to lose fat is to burn more calories than you take in. Create a fitness plan that gives you a good cardiovascular workout, mix in a good strength training routine, and stick to a lean and healthy diet.

For both men and women, functionality of the abdominal muscles is of great importance especially as we age. Start a Pilates routine to maintain balance, bone health and to remain standing tall as you age.

ACE, the American Council on Exercise, recently came out with a study showing the 6 most effective abdominal exercises. Guess what? Pilates has it covered. Each of those 6 exercises for abs has a sister exercise in the Pilates method of exercise.

It’s the smaller postural and supportive muscles that get over looked when the focus is on how a body looks rather than how a body works. Bodybuilders work hard on the big superficial muscle groups and they typically have weak smaller muscle groups, which may lead to an imbalance in strength.

Pilates ab exercises work on those smaller, more functional muscles as well as the bigger superficially placed muscles. Pilates will help men achieve well-defined male abs.

There are no differences between a male abs workout and female abs workout. Both need to be balanced workouts consisting of well-rounded exercises that are executed properly.

So remember the facts for achieving "six pack" male abs or "six pack" female abs. You may never get on the cover of a fitness magazine, but with the help of a qualified Pilates instructor you may get your abdominals into killer shape.

Susannah Marchese is a certified Pilates instructor, and the senior contributing writer to the popular and informative web site http://www.everything-about-pilates.com/maleabs-femalebs.html

Susannah Marchese - http://www.everything-about-pilates.com