You should only work out your abs once a week like other body parts.

Fiction. Your abs, forearms and calves all contain muscle that is able to recuperate much faster than other muscle groups such as your chest or biceps. You can, in theory, work out your abs everyday although 3 times a week appears to be highly effective.

If you work out your abs will cause your waist line to get larger since the muscles will grow.

Fiction. Your abs, although a large muscle, do not grow out like other muscles to the extent that you should be concerned about increasing your waist size. Most of your waist size is due to fat not muscle in and around the stomach and back area.

Working out your abs will make you loose fat around your middle.

Fiction. There is no such thing as spot reduction of fat. When loosing fat you lose it from all over your body -- not just your abs. Working out your abs may help you lose weight and may make your abs look better since the muscles are being developed, but it does not burn the fat from your stomach.

Diet is as important as working out your abs to properly attaining the ripped look.

Fact. If you do not reduce your body fat your abdominal muscles will not be visible. The ripped look comes from both low body fat and well developed muscles.

Certain machines in the gym work out the abs while other abdominal machines do not.

Fact. Some abdominal machines at the gym do not directly work out the abs or they may not isolate them at all. You should consult with a personal trainer about which machine will work best for your goal or read our article on abdominal development here.

Your abs and back compliment each other and should both be developed equally.

Fact. You should never work out an muscle group without working out its oposite. This includes your biceps and tricepts, chest and back, etc. When developing your abdominal muscles you should also develop your lower back as well.