Today, I’m going to answer a question that was submitted by a reader.
“I just want to know how to get a six pack quickly and easily to impress the girls,” he wrote. “Please help me!”
Other than liposuction, there’s no quick and easy way to get a six pack. It boils down to a combination of good nutrition, regular exercise and — if you have a lot of fat to lose — a hefty dose of persistence.
To see your six pack, you need two things:
- A well-developed rectus abdominis.
- Low levels of subcutaneous (under the skin) fat.
I’ve explained how to use diet and exercise to get rid of subcutaneous fat in How To Get Lean, Mean and Ripped, so lets take a closer look at how to work the abs.
Rectus abdominis, which is the six pack muscle, extends down the stomach from your ribs to your hips.
The six pack look is the result of bands of connective tissue that “cut” into rectus abdominis. The more developed the rectus abdominis muscle, the deeper the grooves.
You’ve probably been told on more than one occasion that to see your abs, you need to have a low level of bodyfat. No matter how well developed your abdominal muscles are, you won’t see anything if there’s a layer of fat filling in the gaps.
But dropping fat is only part of the story. You also need to BUILD rectus abdominis in order to get a real six pack.
Some think that squats and deadlifts are all you need to develop your abdominal muscles. But while squats and deadlifts work the posterior spinal muscles (i.e. the posterior core), studies (such as this one) show that they don’t work rectus abdominis to any significant degree.
There are also some people who are genetically gifted in the abs department and don’t need to do a lot of direct abdominal work. Unless you’re one of them, you’ll need to train rectus abdominis directly if you want a six-pack that looks good on the beach. Here are some of my favourite exercises for doing just that.
Ab Wheel Rollouts
First of all, let me apologize for the poor lighting. I shot this video in my garage and didn’t realize it would come out so dark.
With a Swiss Ball, loaded barbell or a Power Wheel in front of you (I’m using an ab wheel, which was only £12 from Amazon), kneel down on the floor. Take your knees off the floor and straighten your legs.
In this position, only your toes should be in contact with the floor. Push the wheel (or ball) forwards as far as possible, pause for a second, and then return to the start position.
Although rollouts are a great way to work rectus abdominis, doing them on your feet is pretty tough, so here are some similar moves that aren’t quite as difficult.
Body Saw
I love the Body Saw. It’s a really effective way to work your abs without doing hundreds of crunches.
I do them on a Jungle Gym XT suspended from the bar on a Smith machine. You can also use a Power Wheel. If you’ve got a wooden floor at home, you can do the Body Saw in your socks without the plastic sliders or on a carpet using small weight plates as sliders.
Pallof Press
This exercise is called the Pallof Press. It’s named after physical therapist John Pallof. And trust me when I tell you that it’s harder than it looks.
I know this might not look like an abdominal exercise. But when you press the cable forward, the forces trying to turn your torso to the left or right are increased. With all the resistance coming from one side, your “core” muscles have to work hard to prevent your body from twisting.
Start with your feet roughly shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Press the cable out until your arms are fully extended in front of you.
From there, you’ll want to “brace” the abdominals as hard as you can. This involves tightening the abdominal muscles as if you’re about to take a punch in the gut.
Bracing your abs is really important, as this has been shown to increase muscle activation during the Pallof Press, making your abs work harder and giving you better results.
Make sure that your body stays facing forwards. If you start to twist, use a lighter weight or reduce the amount of time you hold the cable in front of you.
Aim for a total of 3-5 repetitions per side, holding for around 5-10 seconds each time. Be sure to do an equal amount of work on both sides.
You don’t need to work your abs every day. Nor do you need hundreds of reps and sets. Just train them two or three times a week in much the same way you would any other muscle group.
SHAMELESS PLUG: If you want a complete step-by-step system that will help you build muscle, burn fat and build the body of a superhero, all while spending less than four hours per week in the gym, click here to download a copy of Muscle Evo right now.
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please do me a favor and use one of the buttons below to share it with your friends and the rest of the free world.
Let Me Help You Burn Fat, Build Muscle and Get Strong
My name is Christian Finn. I run a private "members only" website that will help you burn fat, build muscle and get strong. If you want accurate, honest and in-depth reviews on the latest "hot topics" in the world of fitness, you're confused by all the conflicting advice out there, or you just want some fat-burning and muscle-building training routines that work, click here now to find out how I can help you.
