That's a nice six-pack, too.

Repeat after me: Crunches, leg-raises, and situps do not give you killer abs.

In all probability, you already have moderately decent abs, they’re just shy. Hiding. Phased out. Or, you know, well-insulated. Unless you’re incapable of holding yourself upright, or have been corset-training for years, your abs (and your entire core, for that matter) are strong enough to keep the entire upper half of your body from folding over on your keyboard, as well as provide a platform for any upper-body lifting you’re doing.

There’s exactly one move that is guaranteed to flense that insulation from your six-pack: pushing back from the table. Hm, that sounds suspiciously like one of the main components of “eat less and exercise more.”  There’s a reason: for guys, definition in the abdominals tends to happen in the high single digits as far as body fat percentage. For women, who have a higher essential body fat level, your abs will show up in the mid to low teens. This is tough territory to get into without a lot of discipline and dedication, not to mention attention to what you’re putting in your mouth.

Truthfully, crunches and situps are a good way to mess up your back, even with one of those contraptions you see advertised at three in the morning. (Want to protect your back? Strengthen your butt.)

[Via @Fitness_tips on Twitter]

A friend of ShrinkGeek approached me on my blog with a question about protein shakes:

I was wanting to know if you knew anything about Muscle Milk [Light].  I take it twice a day as part of my “trying to lose 30lbs and strengthen my heart” workout. I was looking for something to help recover after the workout as I was not in great shape when I started and felt weak at the end of the day. Because I was looking to lose weight I needed it to have a very low sugar count. This seemed like the best thing that wasn’t some scary Mc-Muscle powder from GNC. I’ve lost 10lbs in 6 weeks while toning my body in the process.

First off, congrats on the excellent progress so far!

Protein, not to put too fine a point on it, is what your body uses to build and repair pretty much everything from muscles to fingernails.  Making sure you get enough of it is a great way to recover after a workout, especially if you’re trying to build some muscle and tone up. There has also been some research that suggests adding protein to a healthy nutritional regimen can contribute to weight loss. (I’m not talking going all the way to Atkins-land, just getting a little more protein.) With that said, there is also a body of research that shows this isn’t the case. The waters are a little bit muddy on this point, to say the least.