Are abdominal muscle shapes natural?

In modern society, more and more people like to show off their abdominal muscles. Both men and women with abdominal muscles can increase their charm, so many people embark on the path of abdominal muscle training and never turn back. Therefore, in the eyes of many people, training abdominal muscles is a very easy thing, and some people even believe that a person's abdominal muscles are formed naturally. So is the shape of a person's abdominal muscles really formed naturally?

Are the shape and size of abdominal muscles natural?

If you’re new or someone who rarely hears about fitness, you might be thinking, “What’s the big deal?”

However, many people in the fitness circle believe that abdominal muscles are muscles that cannot grow very large.

Some even say in an extreme way :

"The size and shape of your abdominal muscles are determined by your genes and cannot be changed by anything you do."

"Six-pack abs will only appear if you control your diet and reduce body fat. It has nothing to do with exercise."

(Although there are different opinions about abdominal muscles in the fitness industry, abdominal muscles are indeed the goal pursued by many people)

Let me share with you a report from PLoS (Public Library of Science) in 2010:

The report states that "the rectus abdominis muscle size of tennis players is 58% larger than that of the general population," which is a pretty significant difference.

What’s even more interesting is that tennis players have a significant difference in the size of their abdominal muscles on both sides. “The dominant side is 34% larger than the average person, and the non-dominant side is 82% larger than the average person!! This shows that our abdominal muscles have the potential to increase their volume by an additional 80%!

This report can give us two insights:

1. Abdominal muscles can indeed grow through exercise, and the growth space may exceed 80% of the original volume.

The saying "abdominal muscles are built in the kitchen" may only answer half of the question. If you are looking for more three-dimensional abdominal muscles rather than just lines, then exercise may be necessary.

2. The phenomenon of local muscle hypertrophy does exist. The volume of the left and right rectus abdominis muscles of tennis players differs by as much as 36%.

If you have ever heard a senior tell you that abdominal muscles are muscles that cannot be grown, this news may rekindle your desire to exercise your abdominal muscles.

Although we cannot control how the shape changes, the size and thickness can certainly be changed (unless you think 80% of the volume is nothing). Maybe just that little bit of thickness will make your six-pack abs stand out.

Some fitness veterans may sneer at abdominal muscles, although I am not very keen on training abdominal muscles.

But I think every muscle in my body is worth appreciating.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that whether or not to exercise your abdominal muscles is a personal preference, but in addition to exercising your abdominal muscles, don’t forget to exercise the muscles on your back and stretch them occasionally to avoid muscle imbalance.