Whether you’re an avid weightlifter or have recently committed to becoming more fit, if you’re life most people on that path, you aspire to achieve the tight, toned abdominal muscles that resemble a six pack of beverage cans.
Technically, these muscles are your rectus abdominis muscles, and they connect your rib cage and pelvis. These muscles form outer bands around your stomach, and when they’re well-developed, they’re visible on the outside.
For many, visible rectus abdominis muscles signal to the world that they’ve achieved the pinnacle of fitness. So, why can’t you get a six pack no matter what you try?
At Holladay Dermatology & Aesthetics, our team understands your frustration, and we have an answer to your burning question. While the explanation is complicated, the solution is easier than you might think — CoolTone™ by Allergan. Here’s the skinny on getting the abs of your dreams.
Just about everyone is capable of developing stellar abs if they want to. But here's why it’s so hard.
The internet is a great resource, but it can be tough to know who and what to trust. For example, you may have heard that everyone has a “six pack” hiding underneath their belly fat, but it’s just not true. This lie has driven countless folks into the arms of extreme fad diets that are dangerous and ineffective, only to find out that the only thing under their fat is weak muscles.
The truth is that fat loss is an important factor in achieving a six pack, because if you have too much fat covering the area, you’ll never see the muscles. But you can’t make fat disappear on your belly only. That’s called spot reducing, and it simply isn't possible (at least not by diet and exercise alone). Your body works together as a whole unit, and it gains and loses fat all over.
Likewise, if you’re doing a ton of crunches every day but not watching what you eat and not concentrating on your other body parts, believing the six pack will magically appear, you’ll be disappointed. There’s more to it than that.
You need to build up the muscle and reduce the fat. The key is to learn how to find the right balance of body fat and muscle tone.
No matter what you do, you can’t change your body type — there, we said it. Every individual has unique features and shapes, and no amount of exercise will override genetics.
Depending on the genes you were born with, you may have two bands of rectus abdominis muscles, which shows up as a four pack under the right conditions. Or you may have three bands for a six pack. Some people even have four bands, which give them an eight pack.
The point is, you can’t change the number, only the mass. Case in point: Arnold Schwarzenegger only has a four pack; even during the height of his bodybuilding career, he never had a six pack.
If you’ve lost the fat and still can’t seem to build the muscle mass in your abs, we can help. CoolTone is an external device that’s FDA approved to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles.
CoolTone uses magnetic muscle stimulation (MMS) to cause contractions in your abdominal muscles at a much faster rate than you could do on your own. Each involuntary contraction breaks down the muscle fibers so they can rebuild and come back bigger and stronger.
Depending on the state of your muscles when you start, plus your individual body type, you may need up to four CoolTone sessions over the course of two weeks to gain the abs of your dreams.
If you need help losing stubborn belly fat, too, CoolTone won’t do that, but CoolSculpting® can. Another FDA-cleared technology that’s noninvasive and highly effective, CoolSculpting targets fat cells deep below the surface of your skin.
We hover a handheld device over your abs, and it sucks in a section of your fatty abs into the applicator. After about 10 minutes, the area becomes numb and the cold energy freezes your fat cells and destroys them — a process called cryolipolysis.
Over the next few weeks and months, your body flushes away the dead fat cells and you’re left with up to 25% less fat in the treated area. Who said spot reduction isn’t possible?
The bottom line is that if you want six-pack (or four-pack or eight-pack) abs, you need to reduce fat and build muscle. You can do that on your own or with the helping hands of CoolTone and CoolSculpting.
To find out if you’re a good candidate for these groundbreaking body changers, schedule an appointment with our team at our office in Holladay, Utah, today.
