Why Having 6 PACK ABS Does NOT Mean You're STRONG

0:00 When you see someone with six-pack abs, you're probably automatically assuming they're super strong. But that's not always true. Most people know that a visible six-pack happens when body fat is low enough for the abs to show through the skin. For most men, that happens around 10 to 12% body fat. While for women, it's more at 18 to 22% because women store body fat differently. But getting that lean doesn't usually happen by doing nothing for the average person. which is why visible abs often get associated with super fit or strong people. But being lean only reveals the muscle, it doesn't build it. If you dieted your weight to a visible six pack without any ab training, you would see the outline of your abs, but don't expect them to be very developed. Just like you could have visible arm definition if your body fat were low

0:46 enough, even if you never trained arms. But that's obviously the extreme case. Someone who never trains and is just very lean. But what about people who actually work out and still have visible abs? Are they stronger or weaker when they're lean enough to have a shredded six pack? That depends entirely on what type of strength we're talking about. If we're talking about absolute strength, meaning the maximum amount of weight you can move in a squat, deadlift, or bench. Being extremely lean usually is not ideal. When body fat gets very low, recovery can slow down, hormones can drop, and overall energy can decrease. That's one reason most of the world's strongest powerlifters don't stay super lean year-round, and their biggest PRs are usually hit when they're

1:31 carrying more total body mass. Now, of course, there are always some outliers who managed to stay extremely lean while still being incredibly strong. but that's not the norm. And when you look at the people who hold the heaviest recorded lifts in the world, not restricted by weight classes, every one of them weighs near or above 400 pounds. The strongest humans on the planet are rarely walking around with a shredded six-pack. So when it comes to absolute strength, not having a super defined six-pack can actually mean you're stronger. Just like there are even people who are overweight without shredded six-packs who can still perform high-level calisthenics skills like the planche or front lever. But when you look at the very best athletes in calisthenics, they're almost always extremely lean, while the strongest athletes in absolute strength sports are rarely shredded. But if we're talking about

2:19 relative strength, that's when everything changes. In calisthenics, gymnastics, rock climbing, or any sport where you're moving your body through space, your body weight is the resistance. Every extra pound that isn't helping you is working against you. If you lost 10 pounds of fat, but kept all your muscle, your pull-ups would immediately feel easier. In skills like the front lever or planche, your body acts like a long lever. The further that weight is from your shoulders, the more resistance is placed on the exercise, which is why a tucked position is easier to hold than a full. When your legs are tucked, the weight is closer to your shoulders, but when your body is fully extended, the same weight is further away and harder to lift. Now, if you were to add extra body fat around your hips

3:04 and legs, holding a planche or front lever will feel harder even in a tucked position, but going to a full would be exponentially harder because that weight is now much further from your shoulders and your core, and now your shoulders have to produce way more force just to hold the position. And you can test this yourself by putting on a pair of shoes, going for a front lever, a planche, or even just an L-sit. You'll see it feels way harder and they barely weigh one pound. Imagine adding an extra 10 pounds of body fat. Okay, but what about ab strength then? If two people both have shredded six pack abs, similar physiques in size and height, you'd probably be thinking they both equally have strong cores or at least pretty close. but you'd be wrong again. Even when two people look almost identical

3:49 physically, similar muscle size, similar body weight, and both clearly have developed abs that were built through training. The difference in core strength can come down to how those abs were actually built. For example, one person could have built their abs through hypertrophy-focused training like machine crunches, cable crunches, decline sit-ups, and other exercises designed to grow the abdominal muscles and make them grow thicker and more defined. That kind of training can definitely create impressive looking abs, but most of the strength it develops is specifically to flexing the spine in controlled conditions. Now, if the other person built their abs through skill-based training for movements like the planche, front lever, L-sit, handstand, or 90 degree pushup, their core strength could be on a whole other level.

4:36 Of course, movements like those primarily place most of the load on the upper body, especially the shoulders and back, because those muscles are producing the force that holds the position. But the abs and core are still working the entire time to resist gravity and keep the lower half of the body aligned with the upper half. In those movements, the abs are not just contracting to move the spine. They're stabilizing the entire body with far more resistance placed on them and from more directions. They're preventing the lower back from arching, keeping the hips aligned, maintaining full body tension, and holding the entire body in a straight line while the arms and shoulders are producing force. Instead of the abs being isolated like they would be in a sit-up machine, they're helping to hold the entire body together as a single unit. That means the abs are not just moving your upper body up and down while you sit or lay on

5:24 your back. They're working to keep the body from bending, sagging, or losing position while gravity is constantly trying to pull it down. And the harder the skills become, the greater the resistance that is placed on the core. Even though those two people might look almost identical, with shredded and fully developed six-pack abs, the way those abs actually function can be completely different. And the moment you start testing movements that actually demand serious core strength, the difference becomes obvious very quickly. Have both of them try to hold a front lever or keep their body perfectly straight in a planche. And the person whose abs were trained through full body skills will always dominate the other. But to be fair, movements like the front lever or planche primarily rely on the shoulders and back. meaning the gym person wouldn't even get close to those skills. So a more fair test that focuses more on the abs alone would be something like an

6:12 L-sit hold for time. That's when the difference becomes obvious because the person whose core was trained through full body skills is used to holding their entire body under tension and supporting their legs in elevated positions for time. Their abs have been trained not just to contract, but to maintain a straight line and resist gravity while the entire body stays locked together. So when the test becomes simply holding the legs up, something that isolates the abs more, it's relatively easy. Their core was not just trained to look strong, it was trained to actually be strong. But there's one more difference most people don't usually think about. And that's endurance. And just like with strength, having a shredded six pack doesn't automatically mean you have good conditioning either. Someone can be super shredded with an impressive physique and still have

6:59 no stamina. That's because visible abs can come from dieting and hypertrophy focused training, as we've already covered. But that won't help you run a mile without gassing out and having to stop to catch your breath. On the other hand, if someone built their physique by incorporating a lot of high intensity interval training or cardio, not only would that have helped them burn the body fat covering their abs, but they also could have gotten away with eating more calories because of the extra energy being burned. And during that same process, they would have actually been improving their conditioning as well, which translates directly to athleticism in almost any sport or physical activity, while also improving overall cardiovascular health. And if your high intensity interval training and cardio is coming from calisthenics training, like the workouts found in the Thenx app, you're not just burning calories to get leaner. You're also training your abs and building strength at the same time.

7:46 along with the rest of the muscles in your body. Because most calisthenics HIIT workouts are built around compound body weight movements. Your core is constantly engaged while your upper and lower body are producing force. So you're improving conditioning while developing real strength. And in many sports, conditioning can end up being the deciding factor. In something like combat sports, for example, if two athletes are equal in skill, strength, and technique, the one with better cardio will always win. simply because they can keep performing while the other person starts to slow down. So the next time you see someone with a super shredded six pack, just remember, they might be really strong. Or they might not be. It just depends on what type of strength we're talking about. and how they built their abs. Thanks so much for watching. If you enjoyed the video, smash that like button. I'll see you guys next week, like always, every Tuesday, 11 a.m. USA Eastern

8:34 time. Download the Fenix app right now for free in the App Store and start taking your training to a whole new level. I actually go live on the Fenix app now, so if you guys wanna train with me, ask me any questions you want live in person, we can do that now. Just download the Fenix app in the App Store or Google Play Store. In the meantime, check out one of my other videos that's gonna have you in the best shape of your life, and I'll see you guys next week with a brand new video. Mad love, peace out, baby.