Six Pack Abs Workout:
No Gimmicks, Just Results
Here is a six pack abs workout that you can do right in the comfort of your own home.
Millions of dollars have been made off of gimmicks, gadgets, and snake oil type supplements that promise to give you the ripped abs of a fitness model.
Or maybe the answer is to do hundreds of crunches per day?
There is no need for any of that.
Why? Because you already have a six pack!
My abs here are more of a “4 pack” thank a “six pack,” but a year ago it was more like a “one pack”!
I’m not trying to spout some kind of new age gibberish here, the truth is that simple.
When I decided to get into better shape about a year ago, I could not see my abs when looking in the mirror. A SOLID spare tire / “working gut” was around my belly.
But, my abs were just buried underneath. Over a year later, you can see that my abs are pretty visible.
If you look in the mirror and can’t see your abs, you simply need to unearth them, one step at a time. This six pack abs workout can help with the excavation.
Here’s how:
Six Pack Abs Workout – A 6 Pack in 2 Steps:
Step 1: Nutrition
I took a two-pronged approach to losing my gut. The first, most important step, was to start paying attention to what and how I was eating. Check out my healthy eating guidelines for more info.
My basic approach was to eat a little less, eating until I was no longer hungry instead of eating until I was full.
Step 2: Exercise
(Note: All professionals recommend getting a full physical examination by a physician before beginning any new fitness routine, ESPECIALLY if you have not been active for some time.)
I would also do interval training such as the tabata protocol in a fasted state. That means I would exercise either first thing in the morning or at least 4 hours after eating.
After warming up and then completing the intervals, getting my heart rate up, I would continue to exercise at a much slower pace (slower jumping rope, cruising on a bike, or walking briskly) for another 15 minutes or so.
This combination of intense interval training immediately followed by slower, more traditional cardio exercise seemed to help burn fat.
By focusing on this sort of diet and training, I saw myself lean up pretty quick, and my abs began to show, more and more.
But if this is a six pack abs workout, where are the crunches?
But What About Actual Ab Exercises?
Many people’s first thoughts about getting 6 pack abs are that one needs to do hundreds of crunches or sit ups.
I don’t think that there is anything especially wrong with these exercises, although repeated spinal flexion (as when the spine bends forward) can lead to or aggravate existing lower back injuries.
Believe it or not, the current thinking is that the most important function of the abdominal and other core muscles is NOT to bend the spine forward.
Instead, these muscles’ most important function is to act as stabilizers to keep the spine aligned and protected, while transmitting force between the upper and lower body.
Exercises like pushups, the sandbag clean and press, and even pullups require and develop strong core muscles.
But the one exercise that specifically targets the stability of the core muscles is the plank.
Standard Front Plank
Side Plank
I like to mix in the standard front plank along with the side plank to hit the core from all angles.
Six Pack Abs Workout
So here is the actual six pack abs workout:
- Warm Up Routine
- Tabata Protocol using jumprope, exercise bike, sprinting, etc.
- 15 min of slower paced cardio to keep the heart rate up
- Front Plank for as long as you can hold it (work up to around 2 minutes)
- Side Plank on each side for as long as you can hold it (rest for a minute or two between plank sets)
That’s it!