Crunching the facts on fabulous abs

Six-pack abs: Everyone wants them, but only some know the best ways to get them. Contrary to popular belief, it's not just about staying loyal to the standard crunches. The secret to the six-pack is more complex and incorporates a healthful diet to reduce fat, cardio to get lean and let those abs show, and functional exercises that consistently engage the core muscles, which also involve the back.

Those key abdominal muscle groups include the rectus abdominis (the ones along the front that comprise the six-pack); the internal and external obliques that flank the rectus abdominis and help the trunk rotate; and the deep muscle layer called the transversus abdominis that lends stability to the pelvis.

Some Southern California personal trainers offer their core ab thoughts.

Jon Baraglia

The truth about abs is that you have a layer of fat between the skin and the muscle, and it doesn't matter how many crunches you do: If you don't cut down that layer of fat, you'll never see your abs. You have to do exercises that are high in caloric expenditures — compound joint movements like squats, lunges, lower body exercises that recruit a lot of muscle fibers because they're incorporating more than one muscle group. The overall result is that you burn more calories.

There is no such thing as spot reduction. You're not going to lose fat in your midsection if all you're doing is crunches. Crunches burn few calories compared with other things you can do.

Jana King

Practicing good posture throughout the day is really going to give you a flat stomach. I tell my clients that no matter what they're doing in the gym, they should suck in their stomach, imagining that they're bringing their belly button to their spine. If they're on the mat or on a machine, like the knee extension machine, they should bring their lower back to the mat or make sure it's in contact with the seat. Even when I'm driving I'll sit up straight and pull my stomach in. It can be more effective than five minutes of abs, because you're constantly activating those muscles.

I also like to do some isolation exercises ¿— isometric holds, like planks, to develop the deep-tissue muscles such as the transverse abdominis and the internal and external obliques. That helps support your posture and develops the muscles that keep the stomach flat.

Anthony Slater

We train with the concept of pillar strength. It's the foundation for movement and includes the hips, torso and shoulders. We're creating this pillar that allows you to train more, to withstand more volume and intensity.

One exercise is a side bridge that adds a variation with a cable row. You're on your side with your elbow under your shoulder, forming a bridge from the side of your foot, which is on the ground, to your elbow. The legs are stacked. You have a cable in your top hand, and you row the weight to your side, like a dumbbell row, pulling with your shoulder blade. As you pull, it creates a torque against your body, which should stay strong. This promotes stability in the hip and the shoulder blade and the torso, which includes the rectus abdominis and obliques.