Top 5 Six Pack Abs Workouts - From Beginner to Advanced
A strong abs routine is a must for any great physique. Whether you’re a bodybuilder or just the average Joe, this area of the body is essential for enhancing your performance in big lifts, promoting better posture, and more.
Deadlift
So how to get six pack abs? The deadlift is a full-body movement that requires strength throughout the entire posterior chain. However, it also targets the abs – or, more specifically, the rectus abdominal muscles that comprise your six-pack.
To perform the deadlift, hinge at the hips and reach down to grab a barbell with a narrow, overhand grip. Once your shoulders are directly over the bar, drive through the legs and squeeze your glutes to pull yourself up into a standing position with your back flat and head forward.
Performing several sets of this exercise will strengthen your core and help you build impressive biceps. This workout can be performed as a stand-alone routine or added to your existing lifting program as a rest-based finisher. As with resistance training, you must eat a high-protein diet to fuel muscle growth and repair. This is done by consuming meals rich in lean proteins, such as chicken, fish, and eggs. Try to eat your meals within an hour after each workout for the best results.
Sit-Up
The sit-up is the most recognized ab exercise, which targets movement and non-movement-related muscles (such as the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and internal and external obliques). It can be done anywhere, anytime, and it is one of the best exercises for strengthening the core.
Try adding a weighted sit-up to your workout to make the exercise more challenging. However, it should only be performed at an advanced fitness level, as the extra resistance can potentially lead to back and neck injury.
Another challenge is the 3/4 sit-up, which focuses on abdominal muscles with an added emphasis on the hip flexors and adductor leg muscles. The exercise is similar to a traditional sit-up but stops short of the full position, which increases the intensity and can be used for time or reps. It can also be performed with the feet anchored or free as part of a core-focused circuit.
Pull-Up
Although the pull-up is simple, it is one of the best ab workouts to build core strength and a strong six-pack. It also helps you develop the back and arm muscles and the hip flexors, which are a big part of the core’s stability.
The Pull-Up is a bodyweight exercise, but there are many things that you need to keep in mind when doing it. The key is to do it correctly, ensuring that your target muscle is worked as effectively as possible.
To perform a proper pull-up:
- Grab the bar using an overhead grip with your arms fully extended, and hands pronated (palms facing away from you).
- Raise your torso until the bar is by your chest, and pause for a second.
- Lower yourself slowly to the starting position, and repeat.
Ensure you keep your head up throughout the whole movement to prevent it from dropping, as this will help engage the lats more effectively. It’s also important to avoid looking at the bar during the movement, as this can reduce the recruitment of the target muscles.
Push-Up
The push-up is one of the most classic exercises to simultaneously hit all major ab muscles. It is also a great workout to build the overall strength of the upper body.
To perform this move, begin in a plank position with your hands on the wall (more difficult), or your feet pushed off a bench to a push-up position (a little easier). Contract your abs and tighten your core while slowly lowering yourself until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle, then push back to the starting point.
This exercise targets all major abdominal muscles, including the rectus abdominis and internal and external obliques. It also strengthens other muscles throughout the body and improves posture, mobility and muscle coordination. The sliding knee tuck is more than just an abs workout; it’s an advanced core exercise that should be done only after you have the proper form. To maximize your results, perform this abs exercise with the rest of the circuits and follow a healthy diet to maintain low body fat percentages. Getting that cover model six-pack requires hard work, determination, and the right workouts.
Crunch
While it is true that a good diet is largely responsible for the appearance of your abs, achieving an impressive set of abs also requires some direct core work. Whether you want to build a strong and defined core or a more toned midsection, these five six-pack abs workouts can help you get there.
The crunch is a great beginner exercise to target the rectus abdominis and obliques. However, because it only works these muscles in isolation, it is less effective for building core strength and endurance than other exercises, such as the plank or single-leg Romanian deadlift.
A great alternative to the crunch is the bird-dog move. Lie on the floor with your hands under your shoulders and your knees below your hips. Raise your left arm and right leg until they are parallel to the ground, then slowly return them to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of reps. Complete the circuit two times with 30 seconds rest between each movement. Then, switch to the other side.