Let’s face it, everyone wants to have abs. Just check out people at the gym, and the ab machines are constantly in use. I am also going to bet that most of the folks on the ab machines, or on the floor hammering out crunches will give up sooner or later, no closer to that six-pack than when they started.

Here’s the thing: you will never see that six-pack unless you reduce your overall body fat percentage. Everyone has core muscles. Some are obviously stronger or larger than others. But as long as your body fat level is too high, you won’t see them. Just to be clear: in order to see your abs seriously pop, your body fat has to be very LOW. So saying that your body fat is too high to see abs doesn’t mean you are fat. It just means your body fat level is too high to see your core.

So, while strengthening your core is beneficial for lots of reasons, you will have to drop some fat to see those abs. If you are already in great shape, shedding those few extra pounds can be a struggle – especially for women. Ladies, we simply have bodies programmed to hang on to fat, so we have got to be strong and extremely motivated to shave that fat percent down.

The cool thing: the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. So those ab workouts are indeed beneficial. Just be patient and stick with it. Cutting calories a bit can help too. Just remember to cut those empty calories, not nutrient-dense foods your body needs while training.