No matter the season, everyone wishes they had chiseled abs. It’s the ultimate sign of being at a peak level of fitness. Unfortunately, not everyone was genetically gifted with a six pack, so how do you get your abs into amazing shape? Thankfully, we’ve got your back. Here are some practical exercises to make sure you can go shirtless with confidence the next time you hit the beach.
Visible abs are made of the upper abdominals, obliques (sides), the lower abdominals, and the rectus abdominis. When working abs you need to hit all of these regions and the following workout helps you do just that.
Select a weight you can handle that isn’t too heavy, then attach a rope to a high pulley cable machine. Holding the rope, kneel below the rope attachment. Lower the rope until your hands are next to your face.
With the hips stationary, flex the waist as you contract the abs so that the elbows travel toward the middle of the thighs. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and hold the contraction for a second.
5 Sets, 20 Reps
Top Tip: You can also hit the upper obliques by twisting the rope to the left and right when bringing the weight down. To really stress the obliques it may be more beneficial to use a single handed rope as you will be able to twist and hit the obliques more.
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Edgar Artiga
Cable Woodchop
Targets: Obliques
Attach a D-handle or rope to a cable tower, and move the cable to the highest pulley position. Make sure your side is facing the cable tower with feet shoulder-width apart. Grab the handle with one hand and step away from the tower (stand a foot away with the tension of the weight on the cable).
Reach upward with your other hand and grab the handle with both hands, making sure your arms are fully extended. In one motion, pull the handle down and across your body to your front knee while rotating your torso. Keep your core and abs tight at all times.
5 Sets, 20 Reps (Each Side)
Top Tip: You can alter this exercise so that you pull the handle from the bottom of the cable tower with the movement finishing around your shoulder. This is essentially the same exercise but just hitting the obliques from a slightly different angle.
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Vasily Pindyurin / Getty
Kneeling Ab Wheel
Targets: Rectus Abdominis
Start by kneeling on an exercise mat with your thighs at 90 degrees to the floor, brace your core and slightly tilt your pelvis back (this will stop your lower back from arching). Hold the wheel with both hands directly below your shoulders, keeping your arms straight. Slowly roll the wheel forward as far as you can go keeping good form. Crunch your abs and roll back into the starting position.
If you do not have a ab wheel then you can also use a long bar to achieve the same movement
3 Sets, 10-15 Reps
Top Tip: The lower abs are the hardest area to achieve high definition and the key to make the most of this exercise is to not carry excess fat and already have a baseline of strong abdominals. In order to help develop strong lower abs it’s beneficial to start with a healthy and balanced diet and fat-burning cardio exercises before attempting to specifically target your lower abs. Your lower abs will not get defined no matter how many lower ab exercises you do if your diet isn’t right.
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Anchiy / Getty
Weighted Hanging Knee Raise
Targets: Lower Abdominals
Hang from a pullup bar with both arms extended using a wide or medium grip. Let your legs hang down. With a weight you can handle, place a dumbbell between your feet and raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs and hold the contraction.
Bring the weight down, ensuring the movement is controlled. Then bring the weight back up without swinging your legs or letting the momentum of the movement carry you.
5 Sets, 15-20 Reps
Top Tip: This exercise can also be performed using a knee raise machine which makes it easier by supporting your upper back and allowing you to hold yourself by placing your elbows and arms on the side pads.
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DjelicS / Getty
Hanging Knee Raise Oblique Crunch
Targets: Lower Obliques
Use the same starting position as the weighted hanging knee raises. Bring your legs up to your right underarm and hold the contraction. Go back to the start position and then bring your legs so that they then hit your left underarm. Repeat the same number of reps for each side.
5 Sets, 15-20 Reps (Each Side)
Top Tips:
Slouching can sabotage your six pack. If you have an office job and are constantly slumped over your computer then try to keep your spine erect at all times as this will help strengthen the core. Stay tall through your hips and keep your head up and shoulder blades back and down all day long.
Core muscles contract first in every exercise. If you have a weak core, you potentially won’t be able to build quality muscle due to a lack of strength because all the energy you exert originates in your torso before being transferred to your arms and legs. Ultimately a weak core reduces the amount of force you’re able to apply to almost any exercise.
