Ryan Gosling has joked that his six-pack in Crazy Stupid Love is fake.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who shows off his clearly defined abs as ladies' man Jacob in the romantic comedy, said his impressive physique isn't down to hard work and training, but a computer.

"No, it was just photo-shopped! It's like James Cameron invented this programme, called Ab-atar!" he quipped.

"You just wear a motion capture suit, and suddenly you have abs. It's pretty neat!"

Ryan - who also showed off his body in Blue Valentine - revealed he prefers to tone his figure with ballet and gymnastics.

"I like to exercise, but I don't like to work out or go to the gym. I like to do ballet and gymnastics," he continued.

"Making muscles is boring and they don't do anything - they are just like pets eventually. You have to feed them, take care of them, and they are useless. Gym muscles are useless. And they look stupid; you can't do anything with them. You can only lift a lot of weight on that machine that you built them on. They have no practical use."

:: Crazy Stupid Love, which also stars Steve Carell, Emma Stone and Julianne Moore, opens in cinemas on September 23.