EstimatedEst. Read Time: 15 minutes
diet plan for 6 pack abs step by step

HOW TO EAT FOR ABS

Can you handle the truth about how to get a 6-pack?

It’s not about sit-ups, crunches, or special exercises for abdominal muscles. The best ab workouts won’t get your abs to show if your diet isn’t dialed in.

The truth is, getting visible abs is all about your nutrition plan, but I don’t mean some fad diet.

Many people over-complicate their nutrition whether they know it or not, and don’t do what they must to make their abs visible.

It’s not about sit-ups, crunches, or special exercises for abdominal muscles. The best ab workouts won’t get your abs to show if your diet isn’t dialed in.

They need a long-term sustainable nutrition plan of action to help them lose excess belly fat and keep it off long term.

Remember, restrictive fad diets are short-term and even if you can stick them out for a few months, your results disappear when you fall off the wagon.

Today I’m going to show you a simple 5-step plan on how to get your abs showing and growing.

I didn’t have abs when I started this very same 5-step plan I’m sharing with you now. I know this works because I did it myself. Simplicity and consistency are the key.

STEP ONE: CUT THE CRAP

You already know what your problems are!

When I say “Cut the Crap” I mean to stop lying to yourself about your diet and cut out the junk food you’re eating for meals now.

Your six-pack diet can’t include junk food. There are things you’re going to have to sacrifice.

That’s probably not the answer you WANT to hear but it’s the answer that you NEED to hear.

Speaking from experience, I had the absolute worst diet on the planet. I once ate packaged and fast food for almost every meal. Donuts, cupcakes, cookies, you name it…all kinds of rich, sugary, processed, high calorie stuff.

I realized I had to cut it out immediately if I wanted to change. And so do you!

You have to start right now and get rid of whatever it is, whether it’s excess alcoholic beverages, fast food, you name it.

You know what it is already. If you have to ask if it’s excess, it’s probably excess.

Once the crap is out of your diet, the second step might shock you. Get ready.

stop eating junk food to get abs

STEP TWO: EAT MORE OFTEN

Space your meals out through the day, eating smaller portions but getting sufficient calorie intake in the process.

If you eat more often, three things happen that allow you to start seeing that 6 pack faster.

  1. It forms a habit. It teaches you to view nutrition as fuel–like an athlete would–instead of a reward like you might have received when you did something good as a kid. That can’t happen anymore, guys.
  2. It stabilizes our blood sugar levels because we are eating more frequently. Forget about the implications of eating x number of grams of protein in the morning, or we divide it between breakfast and lunch, or about how anabolic it is. Those finer details aren’t going to matter much and there are studies that show that. It’s more about blood sugar’s effect on how you feel and achieving a consistent energy level without peaks and valleys.
  3. It helps control portion sizes. If you’re supposed to eat every 2½ to 3 hours you won’t be hungry enough to overeat, and it’s likely you won’t crave or indulge in the food you shouldn’t be eating.

eat more frequently to get a six pack

STEP THREE: TAKE A SECOND CLOSER LOOK AT YOUR NUTRITION

Once you’re eating a healthy diet, and you’re eating more often, go back and take a second pass through your diet, find the less obvious stuff that’s not so good for you and replace it with more nutrient-dense, whole foods.

When I transitioned my junk food diet to a healthy one, I started eating chicken and oatmeal more often and drinking more juice instead of soft drinks. I knew these were healthier choices.

That diet plan was definitely an improvement, but it fell short. I was eating fried chicken and packaged oatmeal that had sugar added to it. I had to take a closer look.

Side note: there’s some disagreement among nutrition specialists about whether white meat chicken–like chicken breast–is healthier and less fattening than the dark meat, like chicken thighs. Guys, it’s a matter of preference. If you like chicken thighs, eat chicken thighs. Consider removing the skin and excess fat around chicken breasts, thighs, or wings. (Chicken breast probably is the best choice for avoiding excess fat.)

Once I took a closer look at my diet, I educated myself to learn even better and healthier ways to eat nutritious foods like chicken. Once I started applying that knowledge, I could immediately see differences in gains. It encouraged me so I kept going.

The next thing I did was change the way I prepared my oatmeal. I traded the packs for whole grain slow-cooked oats with none of the added sugar or flavorings. I made more progress without sacrificing anything. I loved what I was eating!

And finally, I traded juice for plain water. Your muscles thrive on plenty of water. Other beverages aren’t a good substitute. Water is the crowned king of beverages if building lean muscle mass is your goal. The rule of thumb is 8 16-oz. glasses of water per day. If you’re going to occasionally drink a beverage that is not water, condition yourself to check the labels on beverages. Avoid drinks that have high fructose corn syrup, even if the label says the drink is “healthy”. Stay away from sugar-sweetened beverages, even sports drinks or pre-workout that contains high calorie sweeteners.

Refining the diet is where people who aren’t skilled at evaluating food choices need the most help. Again, keep it simple. Start by eliminating fried foods and food with added sugar.

make healthy swaps in your diet to get abs

STEP FOUR: EAT MORE OF THE GOOD STUFF!

Now that you’ve made two passes through your diet and are eating more often, you should then start eating more good nutrient-dense, whole foods.

You’re going to want to pack on some muscle, not just focus only on a six pack.

The goal is to get abs while building lean muscle. To do that, you’re going to have to eat nutritious foods that support muscle growth.

Take your healthy meals and make them healthier meals.

Lean protein found in foods like fish and leaner cuts of steak are great, but it goes beyond protein intake. You need balance. Don’t forget the nutrients found in vegetables like beans and broccoli.

By this point, you’ve locked in on the food you should be eating while selecting the proper nutrition to fuel your hard resistance training and support your new muscle growth.

One note of caution. Frequently, when guys make this type of radical change to their eating style, they consume fewer calories than before because the foods they removed from their diet were loaded with fat, sugar, and lots of extra calories. Don’t get yourself into a big calorie deficit that sacrifices muscle growth just to make your abs visible. In other words, make sure you’re eating enough!

eat healthier foods to get abs

STEP FIVE: SUPPLEMENT FOR CONSISTENCY

Consistency for life–not just a few days–is the key to reaching your goals.

I travel a lot for my job and so I supplement my diet to stay consistent.

Traveling means I might not be within access to all the proper nutrition that I need at any given time. If I have my supplements available, I can get what my body needs right then and there, in a very convenient, travel-friendly way.

Even if you’re not a traveling professional, supplements are something you can have on-hand so you can be confident you’re getting the proper nutrients, getting protein to your muscles, and not needing to stress out about sabotaging the nutritious diet program you’ve started.

We also have the added benefit of supplementation providing us with the ability to take our bodies to the next level by delivering things like creatine.

Creatine is a well-researched ergogenic supplement that’s shown to have the muscle-building benefits of high-protein foods like steak.

But we can’t eat steak every single day, even if it’s in the budget. Steak is great but red meat has been shown to increase cardiovascular disease risks (such as elevated triglyceride levels) if not eaten in moderation. Study after study has demonstrated this.

Supplementation is an answer unless you’re sitting at 30-40% excess body fat. If you are, forget about the supplements for right now, and focus on nutrition first.

So, repeating for emphasis, start with step one: get rid of the junk foods from your diet, even if those foods make you happy. Eating nutrient-dense, whole foods is the most important thing…it’s Step 1 for a reason.

Combining a well-balanced diet with exercise can lead to excess body fat loss and can help remedy a number of health conditions.

Follow this simple 5 step plan, and don’t be fooled by how simple it is. Getting in shape doesn’t need to be complicated.

add a protein supplement to get abs

Your rate of weight loss–the number of pounds per week you drop–will depend on how quickly your body responds to these changes and how much you commit to the plan. Some of it also depends on your training, and strength training is the way to go because muscle burns fat even while you’re at rest.

Use the mirror and how your clothes fit as your primary gauges of progress.

It’s not hard. It just takes desire and dedication to make the necessary changes.

If you are looking for a step-by-step workout and meal plan that will get rid of belly fat, get you more ripped than ever and help you to build athletic muscle, check out our ATHLEAN-X programs to find one that best matches your current goals.

athleanx
THE HIGHLIGHT REEL:
DIET FOR ABS

  1. A Six-Pack Diet doesn’t have to be complicated. You only need to follow 5 simple steps for your abs diet.
  2. Step 1. Cut the junk food and sugary beverages out of your diet forever, replacing them with nutritious food. Drink plenty of water and eliminate as many other beverages as possible, including alcoholic beverages, sugar sweetened beverages, and even diet soda. Be picky about sports drinks too. They often contain added sugar.
  3. Step 2. Eat more often so that you can maintain your energy, blood sugar levels, and control portion sizes.
  4. Step 3. Take a second look at your diet and challenge “how” you’re eating your new good food choices. Change the way you prepare them so that they’re even healthier.
  5. Step 4. Eat more of the nutritious foods you should be eating so that you’re fueling muscle growth and supporting your weight training.
  6. Step 5. Keep supplements handy to ensure you’re getting enough protein in your diet.
  7. Consistency is key. I don’t subscribe to fad diet trends which carry risk of weight gain once discontinued.
  8. Use this Six-Pack Diet as a way to develop a healthy relationship with food so you can achieve long-term weight management.

DIET FOR ABS FAQS

There’s no such thing as an “Abs Diet” or a “Six-Pack Diet”. You do however need a healthy diet in order to lose abdominal fat and get your abs to show. By “healthy”, I mean a balanced diet of lean proteins like fish or leaner cuts of steak or chicken breasts, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, legumes like black beans and kidney beans, and starchy carb sources like brown rice. Fruit is great also of course.

Pay attention to how you prepare your foods, too. Be very stingy with added fats like butter.

You also need to drink plenty of water and eliminate sugary beverages.

Eat more meals of smaller portion size spaced evenly throughout the day. Keep supplements handy if you travel and don’t have ready access to your usual dietary choices.

You don’t need a “strict” diet for abs as much as you need a healthy diet that you follow strictly. You have lots of options in your food selections. You just need to make good choices and stick to those, and eliminate junk foods.

Stay away from fad diet trends, like If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM).

Diet is even more important for abs than abdominal exercises. Getting 6-pack abs requires getting rid of the excess body fat that covers them. All the abdominal exercises in the world won’t make a six pack visible if your diet isn’t in check. If your midsection is lean enough, you’ll be able to see your abs.

To make sure your metabolism stays running strong and you don't experience any energy highs or lows, you should eat 3-6 meals per day for abs.  You'll also want to incorporate core strengthening exercises into your exercise regime so that you can build abdominal muscle. Unlike other muscles in the body, you can train the abs as many as 5-6 times per week because they are involved in so many of your daily movements. 

If your goal is to get abs you'll have to focus on two things: healthy nutrition and building the abdominal muscles. Nutrition is particularly important because even if you have strong abs, if there is a layer of fat covering them, they won't be visible. If you need to achieve a lot of weight loss, consuming healthy foods and creating a daily food plan should be your main focus because this is what will help most with reduction of fat throughout the body. It's important to note that the concept of spot reduction is totally false - you cannot burn belly fat with abdominal exercises.  To achieve fat loss in the belly, you'll need to lose fat throughout the entire body. Including strength training for the abs in your exercise plan is also important, as is getting regular exercise in the form of total body resistance training and high-intensity cardiovascular training. 

If you are trying to build six pack abs, it's ok to eat some white rice because your body does need carbohydrates to function.  Brown rice or other whole grains may be a better high-fiber foods for a healthy lifestyle because they are complex carbohydrates and they take a bit longer to digest (thereby helping stabilize insulin levels) and contain nutrients and health benefits that white rice lacks.

If one of your fitness goals is having six pack abs, you'll want to avoid overeating simple carbohydrates and avoid sugary drinks altogether. It's also important to be sure that you're meeting your daily protein requirements for muscle growth and that you include exercises to train the abdominal region in your exercise plan. 

If you are not sensitive to dairy, fat-free or low-fat milk is a great food for abs because it will help you to meet your protein requirements for muscle growth. In fact, many people use protein powder with dairy as a source of protein in their diets. If you are striving for six-pack abs you'll want to be sure that you adopt a nutrition plan full of healthy foods and that you incorporate regular exercise for the abdominal region into your training plan. 

Unless you are sensitive to dairy, it's not necessary to avoid dairy for abs. In fact, most people trying to build muscle in their abs and throughout the body may consume a daily protein smoothie made with protein powder mixed with water or fat-free or low-fat milk to help with muscle growth. Low-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt are also great ways to meet your protein requirements. 

Chicken is one of the best sources of protein for muscle growth, so it is a good food for your abs. For example, chicken breast contains 9 grams of protein per ounce, so it it's a great food to help you meet your daily protein requirements. Other lean sources of protein include fish, egg whites, and dairy.

EstimatedEst. Read Time: 19 minutes
how-to-get-abs-13-tips

HOW TO GET ABS FAST!

If you ever tried to get “6 pack abs” but couldn’t quite get to the finish line, it could be because you took on too much at once.

I want to help you focus on the right things.

The ones that will make the biggest impact the fastest.

There are definitely a few things you’re going to want to make sure you get right. I’ll give you both nutrition and workout tips for abs, because you simply cannot get a ripped six pack without paying attention to both sides of the equation!

I’ll give you both nutrition and workout tips for abs, because you simply cannot get a ripped six pack without paying attention to both sides of the equation!

But not only will I give you my 13 best tips…

I’ll also show you a short ab workout that puts into practice all the best science for making that six pack pop.

Plus… an easy technique you can use anywhere for any meal to make sure you get your nutrition right!

Here are the 13 tips I will cover in this guide on how to get abs!

abdominal muscles anatomy

1. MORNING REHYDRATION

My first tip to launch you on your journey to revealing your abs starts in the bathroom, first thing when you wake up in the morning.

Reach for a bottle of water before you jump in the shower!

Not having any water for at least 6-8 hours leaves you in a dehydrated state, so the best remedy is to drink 16 to 20 ounces of water as soon as you wake up… before you do anything else.

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drink water upon waking

This helps you start every day with a good habit that primes you to continue those good habits throughout the rest of your day.

Be sure to drink plenty of water during the day, too – get one of those reminder bottles if you need to.

Whether you are trying to increase your metabolic rate or improve the quality of your ab workouts, you need to have plenty of water to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of each.

2. GET THE AB EXERCISE SEQUENCE RIGHT

When you train your abs, the sequence of the exercises you perform is actually more important than the exercises themselves!

I know that might surprise you, but I’ll show you how to get it right every single time using my 6 Pack Progression.

When you’re looking at ab exercises, focus on what part of your body is moving.

Here we’re looking at 3 exercises done in a different order on the left vs. the right.

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How to Get Abs

In one of the exercises, the upper body is moving but the legs are stationary, whereas in the other abdominal exercise the legs are moving and the torso is stationary.  Which type of movement should come first?

The best way to work the abs is to start with bottom-up exercises (lower abs) that involve isolated movement of the legs. This is because they require the most energy to be able to handle lifting the additional weight of our legs, and we want to do the toughest exercises at the beginning of our workout.

Then we’d move into our mid-range movements and those that work the obliques. Last, we’d be doing the top-down movements (upper abs), because no matter what state of fatigue you’re in, you would still be able to perform these without compromising the overall effect of the workout.

To learn more about my Six Pack Progression and to try a great at home abs workout that follows it to a tee, keep reading through my 13 tips until the very end of this article!

3. DIVIDE YOUR PLATE

Always keep this next nutrition tip in mind, and I promise you’ll be ahead of the game in achieving your fat loss goals without ever having to count a single calorie or macro.

It’s an easy way to be sure you’re getting a balanced diet that’s ideal for building the ab muscles.

All you need to do is pretend your plate is a clock. Make an imaginary line for 9:00 and for 9:20. Fill the largest portion of the plate with fibrous carbs (highfiber food like vegetables and fruit).

Fill the second largest portion with lean protein. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or omnivore, whatever your protein source is, it goes there. Fill the remaining portion with starchy carbs (but preferably not refined carbs) and top it with a small amount of incidental fat (or cook with it).

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How to Get Abs

Keep the portions normal sized without heaping and you will find this simple strategy is something you can use anywhere, and it will help you burn fat and lose belly fat in the process.

When combined with a science-based workout program, eating in this manner will help change your body composition, decrease your body fat percentage, and increase your lean muscle mass without you having to be overly focused on the numbers.

4. QUIT COUNTING REPS, MAKE REPS COUNT

When it comes to your ab workouts, be sure to not focus on counting reps but rather making your reps count.

I always say, it’s better to count meaningful contractions and not reps.

If you speed through a bunch of crunches and situps and don’t really feel it in the muscles you’re trying to work, then it’s not doing much good.

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dont do ab exercise reps too fast

With strength training, when you trade in quality for quantity, your chances of getting a carved out six pack are dramatically increased.

When it comes to your ab workouts, be sure to not focus on counting reps but rather making your reps count.

Your reps should be more like this, slow and deliberate with a quality contraction.

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How to Get Abs

In this example, you’re really going to feel your abdominal muscles working in your core training, and accumulating more of these good repetitions is the fastest way to see abs.

5. IMPROVE QUALITY OF ‘BOTTOM UP’ REPS

Let’s take this one step further to see how we can apply the philosophy of quality reps specifically to our lower ab exercises.

If you want to get the most out of your lower abs workouts, focus on lifting the pelvis not the legs. If you don’t then you’re not flexing your spine and you’re not working your abdominal muscles to their fullest extent.

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How to Get Abs

There is one more thing we can do to recruit lower ab muscles better.

Wherever your core exercise allows it, try to squeeze your knees together or cross your feet over to activate the adductors. This provides stability to the pelvis from below and gives you a better engagement of the lower abs.

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How to Get Abs

You’ll feel the difference immediately, so give it a try and I promise that quality of every repetition in your core workout routine is going to go through the roof!

6. IMPROVE QUALITY OF ‘TOP DOWN’ MOVEMENTS

Just like with the bottom up movements, we have an opportunity to do two things to dramatically increase the quality of our top down movements.

The first one is to make a mind muscle connection to the part of our body that is moving in the exercise. When we do top down movements like a crunch, we don’t want to just grab our neck and hold on for dear life!

Trying to focus on lifting your shoulder blades off the ground will drive proper top down movements.

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get shoulder blades off the ground in crunches

There’s one more technique I like to use to enhance the contraction and quality of those top down movements.  I call it the ‘folding ribcage’.

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folding ribcage

For the upper abs, pretend there is a line just at the bottom of your ribcage. From here, try and fold your body upon that line. If you do this, you should feel a much better contraction in the rectus abdominis muscle.

No matter which crunch variation you’re performing, if you focus on folding right there the quality will increase dramatically in the long run.

7. SNEAK IN NATURAL METABOLISM BOOSTERS

When it comes to fat loss, there are a couple of common household spices and ingredients that have a marginal impact on their own, but together can make a real difference.

Each day I reach for three things that are easy to add into my healthy diet:

  • Green tea extract as a supplement (or if you like to drink it, great!)
  • Pepper flakes (providing capsaicin to assist in fat loss efforts)
  • Cinnamon (I like to include the Ceylon version in my oatmeal every morning)
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How to Get Abs

Whether it be through increased insulin sensitivity, decreasing your appetite or just by increasing your metabolism, each of these acts in its own way, but they’re very simple additions to your nutrition plan with little effort required.

8. ADD IN GINGER

Another thing I’ve recently adopted into my own nutrition plan is the addition of ginger every single day.

Ginger helps our fat loss efforts by decreasing insulin sensitivity. It also has an effect on our training because it decreases muscle soreness.

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How to Get Abs

If you’re embarking on your journey to sixpack abs, but each core workout leaves you too sore to do the next one the following day, ginger can have an impact.

It’s being consistent with the small things that will have the greatest overall impact on our nutrition, and it’s nutrition that has the greatest impact to ultimately seeing those six pack abs.

I just reach for a pinch of pickled ginger every single morning. It’s being consistent with the small things that will have the greatest overall impact on our nutrition, and it’s nutrition that has the greatest impact to ultimately seeing those six pack abs

9. HOW ARE YOU BREATHING?

Breathing is another thing you want to make sure to get right when doing your ab training.

If you don’t do it right, you could wind up with 6 pack abs that look distended and bloated.

The key is not to push your abdomen out as you exhale on your exercises. As you do a typical crunch, yes you want to exhale, but don’t push your stomach out as you do it.

Instead, do the exact opposite. Blow air out while pulling your stomach down. This is called cinching and it will activate the transverse abdominis.

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exhale when crunching

Remember, it’s the little things that can make the biggest impact over time!

10. MAKE THE PROCESS ENJOYABLE

So, here’s the real secret tip to getting ripped core muscles! You’ve got to eat whipped cream with frozen yogurt every single night.

Okay, maybe not exactly whipped cream and frozen yogurt.

The point is, this is something that I do every day, because I need something to make the process enjoyable.  We all do.

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How to Get Abs

Because if you hate the process, you’re not going to be successful in getting to where you want to be. It will not be sustainable over time.

If getting a six pack is torture, you’re going to stop before you ever do!

Now, am I saying having a hot fudge sundae with Double Stuff Oreos on top? No, I’m saying choose something a little more responsible… a healthier option that still satisfies that cheat seeking impulse we all have that’s going to keep you on track, but at the same time keep you sane.

11. DON’T FORGET SERRATUS AND OBLIQUES

One of the most frustrating things is to have a set of six pack abs, but not like the way they look because something’s missing. 

More often than not, what’s missing is those muscles that run diagonally that you’ve been ignoring, the obliques and serratus.

Much like with a picture, a nice frame is going to focus your eye on the masterpiece that you created. If you don’t have a frame it just doesn’t look right.

While there are many different exercises you can do to train your obliques and serratus for muscle definition, there is one exercise that gets it done in a single move, and that’s the Corkscrew.

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corkscrew exercise for serratus and obliques

The goal is to twist as you come up and press down through your hands, getting that protraction for the serratus and the twisting for the internal and external obliques.

12. FOCUS ON THE BASE OF THE SIX PACK PYRAMID

The Six Pack Pyramid contains all the elements of what it takes to get those ripped abs.

But if you’re putting all of your focus up toward the top of this pyramid, that could be keeping you from getting them!

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How to Get Abs

Cardio workouts and ab training are not foundation of getting six pack abs, but a lot of people think they are!

To get abs, nutrition must be the foundation of everything you do.  While increasing your heart rate through cardio exercises does help your metabolism, as the saying goes, you can’t out train a bad diet.

Nothing you do in the gym can undo what you are doing wrong in your nutrition. So keep that in mind!

13. AVOID EXTREME NUTRITION TACTICS

Extreme nutrition tactics are not necessary and never will be when it comes to getting abs!

Avoiding apples, grapes and carrots because you think that’s what’s standing between you and a six pack is sort of like thinking that throwing a deck chair off of the Titanic was going to save it from sinking.

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How to Get Abs

Typically, it’s the big picture items that we might not be ready to face or perhaps can’t even see that are standing in the way of a six pack.

For example, if you feel like your nutrition is in check but your fat loss has stalled, evaluate your diet. Is there one thing you might be doing every day that could be the culprit? Try changing it for at least two weeks and see if you notice a difference.

MY ‘SIX PACK PROGRESSION’

My Six Pack Progression is a science-based, proven sequence that will make all of your ab workouts as effective as possible.

It also allows you to train abs quickly (as fast as a 6 minute ab workout) and get awesome results.

Below is the order of the movement types I recommend for all of your ab workouts to build a strong core.

My ‘Six Pack Progression’ works the ab muscles in this sequence to get optimal results:

  1. Lower abs
  2. Bottom up
  3. Obliques
  4. Mid-range
  5. Top down rotation
  6. Top down

The 6-Pack Shuffle tool that is included in your portal with every ATHLEAN-X program generates 6 minute ab workouts on demand that follow this exact sequence.  You can even choose difficulty level and select the equipment you want to use. If you need a 100% bodyweight workout for abs, or a home workout that you can do with limited equipment that’s totally possible with 6-Pack Shuffle.

How often should you work the abs?  I get asked this question a lot, and the answer might surprise you.

Unlike other muscle groups which need more of a break between workouts, the core muscles are used in almost every movement we make in our daily lives. For this reason, they’re used to a lot of work, and it’s ok to train them up to 5-6 times per week.

6 MINUTE SIX PACK ABS WORKOUT

Here is an example of the type of 6 minute workout that the 6-Pack Shuffle serves up, that would follow my Six Pack Progression sequencing.

This is a highly effective workout that can help you build core strength and muscle in just a couple minutes per day.

As you perform these muscle building exercises try to keep in mind the important ab workout tips I’ve given you on how to improve the quality of bottom up and top down movements, as well as correct breathing .

1.) Figure 8’s for 30 seconds

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Figure 8 ab exercise

Exercise Notes: This abs exercise is similar to doing leg raises but in a more dynamic figure 8 motion to work the lower abs from all angles. Be sure to lift the pelvis as your legs come up to the top.


2A.)
Seated Ab Circles (Clockwise) for 30 seconds

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Seate Ab Circle Exercise

Exercise Notes: Starting position is with legs out in a straight line in front of you and arms behind you supporting you in a v-up position.  Circle the legs clockwise.


2B.)
Seated Ab Circles (Counter-clockwise) for 30 seconds

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Seated Ab Circles

Exercise Notes: Now perform the same movement in counter clockwise fashion.


3.)
Dueling Clocks for 60 seconds

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Dueling Clocks Ab Exercise

Exercise Notes: Starting position is in v-up position with legs in front of you, knees bent slightly. Move both legs away from each other in a circular motion and return to the start.


4.)
 Recliner Elbow to Knee Ab Tucks for 60 seconds

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Recliner Elbow to Knee Tucks Ab Exercise

Exercise Notes: This effective exercise is similar to a bicycle crunch but in v-up position.  Touch elbows to opposite knees.


REST 30 SECONDS


5.)
Jackknives for 60 seconds

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Jackknives Ab Exercise

Exercise Notes: Perform sit ups toward each leg as the leg lifts slightly toward you.


REST 30 SECONDS


6.)
Russian V Tuck Twists for 30 seconds

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Russian V Tuck Twists Ab Exercise

Exercise Notes: Sit up, perform a body weight Russian twist toward each side, lie back down and repeat.

I guarantee you if you start employing these 13 tips now and start training your abs the right way, you’re going to see results. But don’t try to make all the changes at one time.  Implement them one or two at a time, and watch your abs get stronger and more visible… fast!

Remember, the key to getting your abs to show is the correct Meal Plan and the right types of exercises done consistently and done well. My programs give you the workouts and Meal Plan you need to reach your goals!

 

athleanx
THE HIGHLIGHT REEL:
HOW TO GET ABS

  1. Many people never reach their goal of getting visible abs and building a strong core because they focus on too many things at once, and don’t focus on the RIGHT things. I’m going to help you focus on the things that will make the biggest impact the fastest.
  2. First, make sure you stay hydrated. One of the best ways to start this habit is to drink a bottle of water first thing after waking up before you do anything else. Hydration is an important to the success of any fitness goal.
  3. Next, you want to be sure to perform your ab workouts in the right sequence. I’ve developed the Six Pack Progression and the 6-Pack Shuffle feature inside our online portal and included with any ATHLEAN-X program to help you get it right every time.
  4. Nutrition is the most important element to getting that six pack, but it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think. Use my example for how to divide your plate to make it easy. Another tip is to regularly include supplements of cinnamon, red pepper (capsaicin), green tea and ginger (pickled works great) which help with insulin sensitivity, speeding up metabolism, recovery and more.
  5. When it comes to your ab exercises, make sure you are counting meaningful contractions rather than reps. A fast set of crunches won’t do you as much good as a slow, quality reps.
  6. Use my tips for improving the quality of bottom up (lower abs) and top down (upper abs) exercises to get the best results out of your ab workouts.
  7. Make sure to perform a cinching movement on every rep of your ab exercises by pulling the stomach inward when you exhale, so that you don’t end up with a distended six pack!
  8. Be sure to choose a healthy treat you can enjoy once a day to make the process tolerable and enjoyable. My go to is frozen yogurt with whipped cream!
  9. Follow the Six Pack Pyramid and make nutrition the biggest part of your efforts when it comes to trying to get that six pack, because all the cardio and ab training in the world can’t undo poor nutrition choices.
  10. Avoid extreme nutrition tactics like cutting out fruit and carrots. It’s not necessary for getting lean. Instead, if you find yourself at a plateau in your fat loss, look to your diet to see if there’s one thing you are doing every day that could be the culprit.  Make a change for two weeks and see if you notice a difference.

REFERENCES

EstimatedEst. Read Time: 2 minutes
six-pack-ab-training-guide-for-abs-yt-pl

I get questions all the time that sound a lot like this… “Jeff, I want to get a six pack and this is the workout I’m doing. Is it good?”
50 Leg Raises
50 Crunches
60 Second Plank
40 Russian Twists

My answer?

See in this complete 6 pack ab training video Of course, six packs will show only if you have a good nutrition plan. BUT… You need to build them too! And that happens if you train them for every single one of their functions

See exactly how we train abs here

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EstimatedEst. Read Time: 1 minute
what-to-eat-for-a-six-pack-yt-pl

Last week I showed you an easy 5 phase plan for getting your nutrition locked in. Regardless of how bad it may be right now.

Today… I show you HOW to eat for abs year round. In fact… What I show you in this behind the scenes video isn’t just what I do every day (and week!) BUT It’s why I am able to have visible abs 365 days a year. And so can you.

How to eat for a ripped six pack year round!

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EstimatedEst. Read Time: 2 minutes
how-to-get-a-six-pack-guide-yt-play

Call me a purist, but are you a little sick of having “shortcuts” to abs shoved down your throat? Wouldn’t you just appreciate the truth for a change? I thought so. That’s why I filmed this brand new step by step video for you…your “no hype” plan for a 6 pack!

The best part is that regardless of what body fat you’re starting at now…You’ll finish this video with a no “B.S.” game plan.

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