Yeah, I said it and I would repeat it once more six-pack abs are overrated. On top of it, they are not even healthy. They are similar to hourglass figure for female; desirable by many but not needed. Six pack abs show the commitment to fitness. But fitness is not same as health. You can be fit and unhealthy at the same time. Fitness is how well you can handle the physiological challenges. Health is a broader term in which there is an absence of disease and the balance between breaking down and building up of our cells.

The male body that is glamorised today is unreal. Nobody needs to achieve that. But in the capitalist society where the economy is working by cashing on people’s insecurity abs have become a new indicator of sexy. It repeatedly flashes through advertisement and Instagram programming all of our minds to think in the same way. It is similar to Marlboro cigarettes ads in the 1940s. The ads made cigarettes look cool, sexy and associated it with women. And it worked. I know the comparison between workout and cigarettes is wrong, but it is just to show the power of advertisement.

But the workout can be unhealthy too. To get the male body’s idolised version, you may need to push yourself to the extreme. The training can put a lot of pressure on the joints and weaken them. If proper rest is not there between the exercise, the muscles can become prone to injury. Genetics play a lot of role in muscle building. The training and diet that worked for your favourite bodybuilder may not be safe for you. The side effects may not be visible now, but they will come to bite you in old age.

The diet needed to get the shredded body is not adequate. You need to cut out on carbs and fat and it makes you feel like shit the whole day. The supplements you take can have side effects too. Many of you may have seen the bodybuilders with a bloated belly and still having six-packs. It is due to the enlargement of internal organs caused by the overdose of supplements.

Moreover, six-pack abs are high maintenance with low cost of return. You need to maintain low body fat for them to be visible. And to be on a low-fat diet all year round is not pleasant. It affects your sleep, day to day functioning and mood. What is the point of 100 kg bench press when your body isn’t happy about it?

There needs to be a set goal for the workout. You need to know the upsides and downsides of the training you are undergoing. If you are happy to compromise then go ahead. Any exercise regime isn’t bad for you. But working on the seeds of insecurity planted by the society is not good. So, listen to your body and workout accordingly.