Six-pack abs: Everybody wants the tightly-defined bikini-ready stomach. But do you know how to get your stomach in shape?

That's Fit recently caught up with fitness expert, AOL Health contributor and That's Fit columnist Myatt Murphy, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, and author of seveal best-selling fitness books, including "The Body You Want in the Time You Have" and "Ultimate Dumbbell Guide," who was able to shed some light on six-pack abs.

That's Fit: What exactly are six-pack abs?
Myatt Murphy: When you're talking about developing a classic six-pack stomach, what people are referring to is being able to see their rectus abdominus. What most people aren't aware of is that this stomach muscle is actually one, long sheet of muscle, not six different smaller muscles. What gives you that "six-pack" look are a series of tendons that criss-cross over the top to help protect and stabilize it. That one lesson is important to know because it can help you understand the right way to train this muscle.

TF: What, traditionally, has been the best way to achieve the defined look?
MM: Thanks to the fitness product industry, most people believe the key is doing certain ab exercises. The truth is, abdominal exercises will certainly help you strengthen and build your muscles, but they aren't that efficient at burning off the fat that covers most peoples' abs. The most important -- and unfortunately -- most overlooked-step is watching your diet and regular aerobic exercise.

TF: How much of achieving six-pack abs is based on diet and exercise versus gender and genetics?
MM: That depends on the individual. Some people are gifted with genetics that allow them to eat anything, avoid exercise and never displace much stored fat in their midsections. Others can be lean all over, but the first place they deposit fat is in their middle.

Your best bet is to follow all the steps towards achieving a leaner, tighter midsection and see what genetics has blessed you with. How prominent your six-pack will look after you've dieted and exercised enough will depend on your body shape, the size and length of the tendons that cover over your rectus abdominus and other genetic factors. But even if you never see a full "six" (some people only show a "four-pack"), being leaner around your middle and having a stronger midsection not only looks great, it'll keep you healthier and less prone to injury down the road.

TF: How quickly can you really expect to see results?
MM: It depends on your dedication. The fastest way to get a lean, muscular midsection is adhering to a strict diet, engaging in regular aerobic activity and performing exercises that shape and strengthen your abdominal muscles (so they look more prominent once the fat comes off). I've seen men and women who were able to achieve success in a matter of three or four weeks, while others have struggled for months. It is entirely up to you.

TF: What are the best exercises you can do to achieve six-pack abs and how often do you have to do them before you'll see results?
MM: There are countless exercises for your midsection, but two great rules of thumb are to make a point of training them every day, and to perform at least one exercise that trains your midsection from three different motions -- like a crunch, hanging knee raise and twists to work your obliques (otherwise known as "love handles").

One classic exercise that accomplishes all three in one is the bicycle crunch: Lie on your back with your legs straight and your feet raised an inch off the floor. Your hands should rest lightly behind your ears. To start the exercise, draw your left knee up toward your abs as you simultaneously curl your head and shoulders off the floor. Twist at the waist and try to touch your right elbow to your left knee. Lower yourself back down to the floor and repeat, this time curling your right knee up and trying to touch it to your left elbow. Alternate from left to right throughout the exercise and try to do as many repetitions as you can.

TF: Is it ever too late to try and get six-pack abs?
MM: Never. Every day you decide it's too late is just another day closer you could have been to having that six-pack stomach.

Check out these moves from That's Fit for more tips on getting ripped abs.

Pull out those leg warmers and dust off that "Flashdance" soundtrack, because we're going back to the future of fitness. Back to the 1980s, in fact, when dance aerobics and Richard Simmons reigned supreme.

With the economy forcing us to get back to the basics of life just to get by, gyms and fitness centers are seeing a rising interest in retro classes. At New York City's Crunch fitness center, there are Retro-robic classes that let aerobicizers get their dance on all in the name of breaking a sweat. "The class is timeless," teacher Carol Johnson tells Reuters. "Good for the heart, spirit, and wallet."

And at Retrofitness, an entire chain of health clubs devoted to that most colorful decade, members on treadmills and elliptical machines watch 1980s movie classics on TV while heavy metal favorites like Poison and Def Leppard blast from nearby speakers. Probably most importantly, Retrofitness boosts an old-fashioned price tag too -- just $19.95 a month for membership.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I love to exercise, but may only have about 15 minutes to do anything on Christmas Day. Can you give me a quick circuit to do at home before we take off for the family party? Thanks and Merry Christmas, Johnny

A. Sure, Johhny! I'd love to. Before I do that, though, I want to tell you how impressive it is that fitness is such a priority for you. Lots of folks are going to use the holiday as an excuse to do nothing. You and I both know that a brief workout will probably make us feel more energetic and happy on the big day and give us a little more wiggle room to enjoy an extra indulgence without paying the price. High five to you!

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When it comes to strength training, I tend to make my moves relatively slow, controlled, and deliberate. But according to a post on Women's Health, there can be benefits to adding a little speed when you're doing crunches.

A recent study on the subject was published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The lead researcher of the study says that fast crunches -- where the up and down movement is completed in one second -- make your external obliques do some of the work.

If you want to try some fast crunches, think of it like interval training for your core. Do your regular ab workout -- at a regular speed -- and add a few fast crunches for good measure.

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Kelly Ripa looks pretty darn great. Kelly's fit frame has graced the cover of not one, but two fitness magazines. (Though I don't understand why Shape magazine air-brushed Kelly's cute outie belly-button and made it an innie.)

Now, you can try these six moves that help keep Kelly in shape:

• Triceps can-can. Like Kelly, this move is a little quirky and a lot of fun. But it definitely works your triceps, quads, and abs, too.
• Leg raise. You'll need a counter or tall chair for balance with this move, which works your butt and outer thighs.
• Thigh dancing. Definitely unusual, Kelly swears this move works her quads, butt, and abs. We've even got her on video doing this move.
  
• Pretzel. You'll need some balance and flexibility to do this move, which works your butt, thighs, and abs.
• Squat with ball squeeze. If, like Kelly Ripa, you're a parent, you probably have more than your fair share of sports balls around the house. Put one of them to use with this move that works your legs, butt, and inner thighs.
• Rolling crunch. Put a new twist on the standard crunch with this move.

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• Crumbled blue tortilla chips
• Low-fat sour cream or plain yogurt
• Phyllo dough, cut into strips and baked
• Popped popcorn
• Tortillas, cut into strips and baked
• Toasted almonds
• Toasted whole grain bread cubes
• Organic cheese or soy veggie shreds
• Sliced radishes
• Toasted pine nuts
• Thinly sliced organic green onions
• Shredded carrots, zucchini or jicama -- a native Mexican vine with an edible tuberous root

Any of these tempt your tastebuds? Got any others to share?

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Having a consistent workout routine is a good thing. Never budging from it though, can be a bad thing. Our bodies tend to adapt and become mighty efficient if we tell it to do the same thing over and over. We're a smart species! What can I say?

The October issue of Women's Health magazine has a great little section on various ways you can tweak traditional exercises to make them challenging once again. Give them a looksy and then give them a try. A little difference goes a long way.

Who wants to sit on the sidelines? Exercise is for the actively-minded, not for wallflowers. So protect your workout routing and stay injury-free with these five moves.

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It finally seems like spring is here. Winter hung around a little longer than usual, but it's now finally time to start swapping out your winter duds for your warmer weather T's and shorts. It also means that if you want your body to be ready for summer, you better kick your workout into overdrive -- because, believe it or not, Memorial Day is only six weeks away!!

Very few workouts burn fat and build lean muscle as fast and as effectively than resistance training circuits. By combining several weight training exercises, with little to no rest in between sets, you get both the muscle-building and cardiovascular benefits all rolled into one.

Men's Health recently published a number of great resistance training workouts in their U.K. edition (which is basically the same as the U.S. version, only they confuse the hell out of me by using the metric system when referring to calories, portion size, and the weight of dumbbells). The best part about the following circuit routine is that you only need a basic set of dumbbells to do it.

WARM UP - Perform a cardio routine of any kind (walking, elliptical machine, rowing machine, etc.) for a slow to moderate pace for five to ten minutes. Then, jump right into these exercises ...

SPLIT SQUAT JUMP - Perform 15 reps on each leg, holding the dumbbells by your sides.

SQUAT TO CURL PRESS - Perform 20 reps, starting with the weights by your side and ending with them pressed over your head.

PISTON PRESS - Perform 10 reps on each arm while lying on a bench.

BENT-OVER LATER RAISES - Perform 12 reps.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz! I am 29 year old male and I am thinking about starting a workout routine. However, I don't know where to begin. I have a treadmill and that's it. I am 5'11 and about 160lbs. I don't have a lot of muscle, have a low self esteem towards my body shape and would like to change it. Something simple I can do at home with or without the treadmill would be OK. Any suggestions? Jared

A. Sweet Jared. So sorry you're feeling down in the dumps. Hard to know exactly what is causing it all, but getting yourself in shape can certainly be a grand opportunity to increase your physical fitness, confidence and self esteem. It's proven to help people live better and longer. I can help you with your physical goals. If you feel like there may be something else adding to your low self-esteem, please don't feel shy to talk to your medical doctor or a counselor.

Having said that, it sounds like you are long and lean. What a lucky place to start! Let's get you going with a very simple routine which should get you on your way towards the athletic body you so desire. Make that treadmill your home for at least thirty minutes a day, five days a week. Jog for as long as you can, take a two minute walking break, and then repeat. Continue this jogging/walking training until you can jog for 30 minutes straight. Once you get there....increase your time, distance, speed or all three. Up to you! When you feel like you have bricks in your shoes, just walk! It's OK to have some slower days here and there.

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One of the biggest physical issues people wish they could change about themselves is their midsection -- everybody wants a flatter and more toned stomach. But somehow even though it's one of the most desired physical changes it also seems to be one of the most elusive. Part of it is that even the slightest layer of fat can cover up a toned tummy and make it look flabby, and the other part is probably not having the time to work on it. But like anything, having the time is all about priorities and about how bad you want it, and if you're looking for a fast way to squeeze in some ab work these exercises may make it easier to get started. eDiets has tailored common moves like sit-ups, leg raises, and others into a fast and efficient ab routine.

Happy crunching!

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We ogle them, we obsess over them and men ... well, because we look, some of you are constantly holding them in. They are a benchmark of superior fitness and it's the body part that really turns our heads. We are of course talking about your abs!

What's that? You need help? Don't worry, with a little effort there's still plenty of time to get that washboard look. But with that said (and because summer is already here) don't be tempted to work them every day. In fact, training more can actually make your abs show less and too much training leads to increased laxity in your muscles. In other words, they could appear soft (and soft isn't good) so instead add resistance to make moves you already do more challenging. Then give your muscles time to rest.

You can find six more tips over at Men's Health to help you really unleash your abs. And, who knows ... maybe you'll be able to inspire women to show you theirs.

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Are sit-ups a total waste of time? If you enjoy doing them then the answer is 'no,' although if you're doing them just to build core strength you might be wasting your time. Why? Sit-ups and crunches have been around since the very beginnings of exercise, and it's not that they don't build strength and tone but in truth there may be better more effective ways to get the same results. Sit-ups and crunches are essentially isolation exercises, and doing comprehensive moves that involve your whole body where the abs and core can develop in coordination with the rest of the muscles can provide a strong core along with strong arms and legs and everything else.

I'm not a personal trainer, but I bet there's arguments on both sides of this issue: sit-ups or no sit-ups? That is the question.

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If you are having trouble balancing during certain exercises using a spotter is a good idea until you build up body muscles that will hold you for that particular exercise. Spotters are not just for weight lifting.

One of the most important things to know with exercise is proper body alignment and balance. Maintaining a good position with your head so that you are not pulling on your neck while doing sit ups or other ab exercises is important to reduce your risks of injuries. If you're doing a set of abdominal exercises and your neck hurts but not your stomach then you might want to look and see how you were lying or how you were holding your head because you're neck shouldn't hurt after you've been doing abdominal exercises. You need to check your body alignment. If you are holding your hands behind your neck and you're actually irritating your neck or straining then you are doing either too much or trying to go too fast and you are straining and that is creating stress on your neck.

One of the top exercises that you can do for abs is a reverse crunch. Lie down on a bench with your knees bent and your upper legs at a 90 degree angle with your torso. Hold the bench above your head for stability. Use your ab muscles to pull your knees toward your chest until they reach your elbows. Hold the crunch position for three seconds and return to the starting position. Doing ten of these in your exercise routine every day will give you a toner midsection.

The medicine ball is a fantastic piece of equipment; it's versatile, compact, and lots of fun. Available in a wide variety of sizes, colors, styles and quite inexpensive...the medicine ball is the perfect tool for anyone with a little bit of space and a lot of desire. I use them all the time for strength and stability training. Here are some ideas on how to train with yours. Look for more medicine ball magic when I begin the That's Fit video podcast "Move of the Week".

• Do push-ups with one hand on the ball.
• Do push-ups with both hands on the ball.
• Do a push-up with one hand on the ball. In the 'up' position, roll the ball to your other hand and do another push-up like that. Repeat.
• Hold the ball in your hands above your head and reach back while doing crunches.
• Put the ball between your knees or under your knees, and lift them up toward the ceiling while doing crunches. (picture shown)

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