The Myths and Realities of Building a Six-Pack Body

Having a six pack body is often seen as the epitome of health. Many people go to endless lengths to build a body like that and it is largely accepted as something to aspire to. But what many ignore is that such a body is not necessarily a healthy one. In fact, building a heavily muscled body can be detrimental to your health. Just look at former body-builders and the plethora of serious health issues that they face.

This is not to bring down body building by any means. It is a sport in its own right and it requires immense discipline and sacrifice to compete in. Forget winning a title like Mr. India or Mr. World, many of you would know that getting a six pack itself is as tough as it gets. So having given the gym rats their due in acknowledging their blood, sweat and tears, this article wishes to remove the notion that the pinnacle of health requires one to have a six pack body.

The perfectly healthy body is easy to define in theory. It is the body that allows you to do what you want to do well. According to your day-to-day activities and your aspirations, your body should serve as a vehicle to do all of them effortlessly without complaint. For a person whose day-to-day requires minimal physical activity, it is suggested that the exercise they do is commensurate with that lifestyle.

Unless you are a sportsperson or someone who is physically exerting themselves heavily on a daily basis, my advice is that your exercises use up only half of your energy and strength. In other words, don’t do reps till failure; don’t run till you can’t take another step. If you are looking to lose weight, do it gradually over a long period of time and not as quickly as possible with a near-insane routine. 

Having a bodybuilder’s body is required for a bodybuilder to win medals. Having a v-cut six pack body is required for the sports person looking to push themselves beyond their competitors. If that is you, well and good. If not, look to create a body that suits your day-to-day activities while also making sure not to overexert yourself.