Early in There’s Something About Mary, the 1998 rom-com classic, Ben Stiller’s character picks up a hitchhiker who has a genius idea for a best-selling product. “Seven-minute abs,” he says, selling Stiller’s stalker character on an exercise tape a full minute shorter than one then on shelves. “You see ‘Eight Minute Abs’ sitting there, ‘Seven Minute Abs’ right beside it, which are you going to pick?" Stiller concedes it’s a good idea, but suggests ‘Six-Minute Abs’ might be even better. The wayfarer doesn’t understand. “You’d barely break a sweat” with such a short workout.
