IMO one is better off training to _do_ something rather than acquire a external physical characteristic. Most of the people I know who train consistently and ha

IMO one is better off training to _do_ something rather than acquire a external physical characteristic. Most of the people I know who train consistently and have impressive physical achievements (a) enjoy training and (b) train for intrinsic goals, often quantifiable goals. Like "enter competition X", "win championship Y". Or some tangible set of lifts or times in a run/row/swim, etc. Wanting to have six pack abs is a ridiculous goal. For some, it's ridiculously easy and sets the bar way too low; for others, irrelevant or even counterproductive. On the other hand, wanting six pack abs will get you in the right frame of mind to have a nice heart-to-heart conversation with all those skeletal women running grimly along on the treadmills for hours. They, too, depend on extrinsic motivations that are chiefly concerned with appearance.