Six Pack Abs vs. Eight Pack Abs – What’s the Difference

One of the most often asked questions I get from guys is “ why is it that some guys have six pack abs and others get eight pack abs? Is it their diet, their workouts or what?”
If you take a look at this photo:

You’ll see what’s known as the Rectus Abdominus – these are the 2 strip like muscles that look like 2 pieces of flat beef jerky running parallel to each other, from the pubic area up to the sternal area…
Each strip has white lines running horizontally trough them – these are bands of connective tissue.
For most men – the top 3 bands (not including the top band/connective tissue where you see the muscles attach to the front of the rib cage) are what creates the six packs abs look…
But what about the bottom band? Don’t all men have that same band in the lower abdominal area?
Yes – we all do – but (now here’s where ‘genetics’ comes into play) – that bottom band – in most men – is sitting at the same level as the muscle – or very close to the same level.
See the ones above it – the ones that create the six pack look – are actually lying below the level of the muscles – so they create like a little valley between the individual ‘blocks’ of muscle.
So – since the ones at the bottom are at the same level as the muscles – there is no ‘valley’ – to create the separated look and hence you don’t see the eight pack – just a six pack – not that “just a six pack” is such a bad thing to have, right?
That’s the simple truth.
Some experts will argue that with “stricter dieting” and “harder workouts” – you can eventually get your six packs to become eight pack abs…
But if you’ve know me for a while – my philosophy on this is:
Just give me the six pack – I don’t need two more – I have a life to live and it’s not ‘in the gym’…