National Geographic explores the intricate network of core muscles that support healthy aging.

“Six-pack” abs might look like a sign of fitness, but they reveal surprisingly little about your health. The true secret to healthy aging lies not in visible abdominal muscles, but in the intricate network of muscles that make up your core.

These deeper core muscles stabilize your spine, protect your back, and power almost every movement you make. Yet training with standard moves like crunches for the sake of visible abs can do more harm than good, explained Ben Yamuder, MS, CSCS, USAW-1, exercise physiologist at HSS. 

“When training in that manner, you isolate a very small proportion of muscles in the core,” Yamuder said. He added that there are 35 muscles in your abdomen, and the rectus abdominis—the muscle that runs down the front of the abdomen, commonly referred to as your “six-pack”—only consists of two of them.

Read the full article at nationalgeographic.com. A subscription is required to access.