When training abs, anything and everything is fair game – and we’re not just talking about exercise selection here. Feel free to get creative with different variations of exercises in the gym, but make sure weight and rep ranges are running the gamut, too. Sets of abs don’t all need to be high reps; the hypertrophy sweet spot of 8-15 reps is still viable here, and additional resistance encouraged.
The below six-week ab routine is based off one we published in the January 2013 issue, only with a few tweaks to provide your midsection a new challenge. Notice the rep counts – all below 20. This is more of a quality workout than a quantity one. Exercises like ab wheel rollouts and hanging leg raises are challenging enough for most people that high reps aren’t feasible anyway. With other moves (in this case, cable crunches and back extensions) external resistance increases degree of difficulty so that endless 50-rep sets aren’t necessary.
With a clean diet, the quality of the work will show through.
LEVEL UP DIFFERENCE: Knee raises were used in the Straight Up routine. Keeping the legs extended increases the difficulty and won’t allow for as many reps to be completed. This exercise can be done on either a Roman chair or hanging from a pull-up bar (the latter is the more advanced version).
AB WHEEL ROLLOUT
LEVEL UP DIFFERENCE: This challenging move replaces sit-ups from the original workout. Rollouts hit the abs top to bottom and are also great for hitting the deeper core muscles. If you’ve never done this exercise, don’t go down all the way at first. As you get stronger, extend the range of motion.
CABLE OBLIQUE CRUNCH
LEVEL UP DIFFERENCE: The Straight Up routine utilized cable crunches; this workout does too, but with a twist on each rep to bring the obliques into play. It’s highly recommend to incorporate rotational exercises regularly in your ab/core routine to build strength and stability across all anatomical planes.
BACK EXTENSION
LEVEL UP DIFFERENCE: Muscular balance is critical when training the core. All the exercises for the front of your torso (abs) need to be balanced with lower back moves. Back extensions can be done on a standard hyperextension bench or a glute-ham developer (GHD) apparatus if you have one available. When training at home, sub in “Supermans” done on the floor.
