Word Count: 504 NF Difficulty: Beginner
Reader Homer asks: I know you need to work on abs to get a nice 6 pack; can you give me an abs only workout plan that focus on upper abs, the middle section on the abs and finally lower abs (which are hard to work on) so I can get the nice 6 pack. Thanks again Steve!
Steve answers: Hey Homer. As far as ab exercises go, I don’t do a lot of ab work. Do you do deadlifts and squats? Both of those exercises work your abs like crazy, and will really build your core. A strong core (abs, obliques, and lower back) keeps you safe from injury and as a result you will certainly have a solid six pack. My guess is that you already have abs, you just can’t see them because they’re hidden under body fat. I realize that everybody wants a washboard stomach – it’s the reason there are hundreds of ab machines for sale, “as seen on tv!”, that are an absolute waste of time. You could use every one of these machines for 10 hours a day, but if you’re stuffing your face with donuts while watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia reruns (which I highly recommend: it’s one of the funniest shows on TV), those abs will never see the light of day.
You can do 1000 situps a day, but unless you have a body fat percentage below 10%, you’ll never see them. If you REALLY want to get the fat out of there, you’re going to need to get down to like 5% body fat – which means cutting out all unnecessary calories from your diet, eating lots of vegetables and protein, staying away from added sugar and sodas, and exercising like crazy. Going from 30% BF to 25% is much easier than going from 10% to 5%, so it will require your complete dedication. Ryan Reynolds got down to like 4% for Blade Trinity, and then immediately added some pounds after filming because it’s close to impossible to maintain a body like that. You need to find a happy medium.
Want a quick ab exercise that will help with those ‘lower abs’ you’re after? Stand straight up, contract your abs, and then jump and tuck your knees into your chest/stomach. Try to keep as vertical as possible through this whole thing, and jump as high as you can. For each set of 10, jump immediately for your next rep right after you land. Do 3 sets of 10 at the end of your workouts, two or three times a week.
Want another? Do crunches on an exercise ball; this gives you an extra range of motion (beyond parallel like when you do crunches on the floor), give your abs extra work and giving you a more efficient workout in the same amount of time. I guarantee crunches on a ball when you fully extend your back on the way down will have your stomach working much harder than just a normal crunch on the floor.
-Steve
