Why Do Some 6 Packs Look Weird ?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Source: lasueur.com

Thomas MacDonald:

Uneven or not, most people would gladly take Gaddour’s abs any day of the week. But the comment did get us wondering why six packs can look so different from one person to the next. So we posed the question to Dean Somerset, C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist in Edmonton Alberta, Canada.

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Like cleft chins, hair color, and finger length, your abs are usually determined by your genes, says Somerset. If mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa are fit enough to rock six packs which usually means that their body fat is 12 percent or less you’ll probably notice similarities between theirs and yours.

Maybe your abs are well defined, popping out like cobblestones. Or maybe they’re more indistinct, resembling a smooth, brick wall. The difference comes down to the size of your abdominal muscle bellies and the length of your tendons, explains Somerset.

Let’s start with the muscle belly. This is the middle of the muscle, where it’s biggest. "Some people are born with thicker ones," says Somerset. "This can make the abs look more pronounced since there’s a higher peak on each one"

Guys who look like they lift heavy yet have never actually picked up a barbell are often blessed with these types of muscle bellies. It’s easier to see their abs because the highest point of the muscle is plumper, he explains. If you have thinner muscle bellies, on the other hand, your abs will appear flatter. That’s because the peak of each abdominal muscle is lower, says Somerset.

Your tendons which attach muscle to bone or muscle to muscle play a big role in your washboard’s appearance, too. They can determine if your abs appear farther apart or closer together. If you’re born with longer tendons, there will be larger gaps between each ab muscle. Shorter tendons, smaller gaps.

To put this in perspective, think about your calves. Do they sit high on the back of your leg and look like cannon balls?
Then you have a longer tendon running from your ankle to the muscle. If your calf takes up more real estate on your lower leg, you have a shorter tendon.