While it’s important to build a strong core, sometimes people overdevelop their abdominal muscles and neglect their back, shoulder and hip muscles. And this predisposes them to injuries and limits performance.
A true conditioning plan begins with addressing stability and mobility from the front, side and back of the trunk, and the partnership they have with the hips and shoulders.
However, if your goal does happen to be washboard abs alone, it’s essential to trim body fat through diet and aerobic exercise on top of building strong abdominal muscles through frequent core exercise sessions.