When it comes to physical transformations, everyone's goals vary. Guys typically want to get "jacked," while girls generally strive for a tightly toned physique. Regardless of the goal, it's safe to say that everyone wants the same ideal for one particular body region — a tight tummy!

If your goal is to look like the person on the front of a fitness magazine or a professional bodybuilder on the day of a competition, you need to reassess these aims. You first need to realize that these gifted individuals are genetically superior professionals who are at their physical peak. These people have strict and oftentimes unhealthy regimes that they follow. A prime example of this would be the day a figure competitor has to get into competition shape. She will stop drinking water the day before she steps on stage and probably take a diuretic pill, which will accelerate her dehydration even further. She will be shredded all right, but she will probably be dehydrated to the point where you can see her cheekbones as well.

As much as people may believe that these figure competitors look like this every day underneath their clothes, it's impossible to maintain that sort of shape all year around. This is quite standard for anyone who primes his or her physical appearance/condition with a specific day in mind, but it is naturally unhealthy to try and maintain that peak.

Pursuit of the six-pack is a lost cause if a solid foundation of diet and exercise is not in place. As important as exercise is, doing a thousand crunches a day won't bring out those beautiful abs if your diet is shitty. The key element is an increase in lean muscle mass combined with decreased body fat. An excellent diet on its own can be enough for many individuals to shed enough fat to achieve visible abs. Adding proper abdominal exercises will help accelerate the process as well as develop the abdominals and obliques even further. Think of it like running on an escalator — it gets you where you want to be that much faster.

It is crucial to keep in mind that genetics may keep certain individuals from developing a full or symmetrical six-pack while these same genetic factors may allow others to develop a complete symmetric eight-pack. When my friend James and I get in peak shape, he has perfectly large, block-shaped abs whereas mine are smaller and asymmetrical. Unfortunately there's nothing I can do about that besides putting the blame on my parents.

Abdominal development can be one of the most frustrating practices. The lower abs tend to be the main cause for people's aggravation. The lower stomach is always the last place to shed fat and the first place to get it back. Therefore, dedication to a fine-tuned routine is required if you hope to get anywhere near the Jessica Biel or Hugh Jackman physiques.

In short, everyone is built differently, so aim to improve and achieve a personal best rather than an unrealistic ideal.