Ask most people who are training to get fit what part of their body they would like to develop and, I'll wager, most will say it's their abdomen.
Men will likely say they want a well defined six pack and women will say they want a trim waist.
How do you achieve that goal, though? Again, most people will say that you must do crunches or sit ups.
Yes, you can do those but why would you want to do such ineffective exercises? Perhaps you don't know about other ways to develop not only the six pack but the whole core.
You might think about doing the plank exercise, both front and side versions, and ab-wheel rollouts.
Both excellent ways of working the core.
But there are other, more effective exercises that will give you the desired six pack look, develop your core strength and improve your posture.
And did I mention that they will help you lose fat? Well, they will.
With too much fat around the midsection your abs just won't show.
They might be there, hard as steel, but no one will ever know.
They'll be hidden.
These other exercises will work all your core muscles, and your arms and legs, together.
They will work your body as a unit with each set of muscles supporting and co-ordinating with the others.
That's how they work when you are using them during sporting events or when you are just walking and moving in your daily life.
A six pack is very desirable to have but it is really just cosmetic if you haven't developed the other important muscles of the core.
It might look good and make people feel more attractive but it will just be all show if your other muscles aren't strongly developed too.
The muscle that makes up the six pack, the rectus abdominis (RA), is just part of a larger group of muscles in the abdomen, pelvis and back that are responsible for stabilising the spine and pelvis and helping to form a link between the arms and legs to allow power to be transmitted between them.
As I said above, crunches and sit ups are rather ineffective but they can also be harmful.
Doing crunches and sit ups to develop the six pack can lead to shortening of the rectus abdominis.
They can also cause shortening and tightening of the hip flexors.
Most of us spend too much time sitting down for long periods, and many probably already have over-tight hip flexors.
When the body habitually adopts a certain position it can adapt to that position, and muscles and ligaments can settle into shortened ranges of motion.
Sitting for long periods can lead to adaptations in the hip flexors so that you will find it difficult to maintain correct posture when standing and walking.
Doing only crunches and sit ups could make the situation worse.
They can lead to shortening of the RA which can pull you into a stooped position, with a change to the curve in your lumbar spine.
When the rectus abdominis is too strong, and there is a compensatory flattening of the lumbar curve, this can lead to lower back pain and pain and numbness that radiates down into the legs and feet due to compressive forces on nerves in the pelvis area.
If the lumbar curve flattens out too much there will be the very real risk of damage to the spinal discs when heavy loads are lifted.
Conversely, a rectus abdominis that is too weak can lead to an excessive curve in the lower back, which can bring its own problems.
Does this mean that we shouldn't do abdominal exercises? No, of course it doesn't.
Strengthening the abs is vital for good health, good posture and optimum performance in sports.
It does mean that we shouldn't try to develop the abs in isolation.
They are part of the core musculature and should be exercised together with the other core muscles.
This way, we can have a balanced, healthy body that is not subject to the strains and pains that can result from overtraining one part of the body at the expense of another part.
One of the most important functions of the abdominal and core muscles is to maintain stability of the spine.
It is advisable to do some exercises that work those muscles statically without flexing, extending or twisting your trunk.
They will then become strong enough to resist movements that would flex, extend or twist the spine when you want to, or need to, keep it stable..
For an effective training regime that allows for balanced development of the core muscles and a well defined six pack, you need to pick the correct exercises.
You could just select any at random from all the places where they are described but you could be picking ineffective or even dangerous ones.
There are dozens of really effective exercises for your abdominals and other core muscles, but if you have any injuries you need to be careful which exercises you pick.
If they cause pain in the injured area, don't do them.
If in doubt, consult someone who is qualified and capable of assessing your particular condition regarding suitable exercises.
Even if you have no injuries, you should be careful not to do any exercise that causes pain.
I don't mean the expected pain that comes from actually exerting yourself and making your muscles work harder than they are accustomed to doing.
What I mean is a pain that stops you functioning properly, one that causes great difficulty walking, bending or moving your arms.
If any exercise causes that, stop doing it.
It might seem obvious but some people think they can push through the pain and that the body will adapt.
If it's the kind of pain we are talking about here, continuing to do whatever causes it could lead to serious injury.
Because of our differences due to existing injuries, body proportions or posture, some exercises that are suitable for one person could be unsuitable or dangerous for another.
Try each new exercise carefully.
Only do a few reps or sets to see how you feel.
If you aren't happy with it, do something else.
There are more than enough to choose from.
After a time doing other exercises you could return to the one that hurt or felt uncomfortable.
It may feel better if your injury has healed, your posture improved or muscles have become stronger.