The Stacked 12: 12 Ab Exercises You NEED To Do To Build A Six-Pack In 2016 [Exercise Lists]

Make 2016 the year of the six-pack. YOUR six-pack.

Aim high. Whether you’re starting with a blubbery midsection, or you’re intent on upgrading your four-pack to six-pack status, make a conscious decision to put your core at the forefront of your physical training.

Abs take time, meticulous effort, and an insane amount of discipline to sprout, cultivate, and polish. And that starts by uprooting and rewiring your approach to core training.

Here’s the reality: Doing 1000s of crunches and sit-ups WON’T get you a six-pack. And neither will 7-Minute Abs or 2,928 ab workouts per week. You’re wasting your time.

The most effective ab exercises aren’t traditional crunches, sit-ups, or flutter kicks. In fact, they technically aren’t “ab exercises” at all — they’re BIG, full-body, compound movements that compress the abdominals like an accordion, scorch body fat, and leverage the core to support other muscle groups.

Sure, isolation ab exercises can produce gorgeous results. But think of those as abdominal accessories; as exercises that help accentuate each individual group of ab muscles (e.g. the rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis) and chisel out aesthetic cuts.

They’re the cherry on top of a banana split, or the hollandaise dripping down a perfectly cooked eggs benedict (obviously I’m hungry right now). They help finish the package, they don’t make it.

To help rewire your core training we’ve blown out The Stacked 12 — a list of 12 essential “ab exercises” you HAVE to be doing if you’re looking to carve out a killer six-pack in 2016. Prioritize each exercise first, bake ’em into your weekly training schedule, and go to town.

Welcome to the year of next-gen abdominal training.

*Per usual with any discussion of core excellence, that starts with your diet. Use our clean eating guide to get your diet on point.

The Stacked 12: The Top 12 Ab Exercises To Build A Six-Pack In 2016

Think of each exercise as an abdominal land mine. Some might fall on leg day (e.g. Goblet Squats), others pair best with upper body, while others predominantly work the entire core. And that’s the point.

By incorporating each into you weekly workout routine, you’ll embed your abs into the core of your workouts (no pun intended) and hammer them relentlessly in a variety of different ways; most of which go FAR beyond small, isolated contractions. That ultimately leads to explosive new growth.

Get to it.

*Click each exercise name for a video demo.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 1: Goblet Squats

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Legs, Core, Arms

Unlike traditional barbell squats, Goblet Squats shift the weight to the front half of your body — that puts MAJOR emphasis on the abs and requires significant core stability. They’re primarily a leg exercise, but they’re an extremely potent way to build a strong core and a flat, ripped stomach.

Plus they absolutely gobble up fat. Which, you know, is kind of important for building a lean midsection.

• (1) Stand tall and hold a heavy dumbbell over you chest. The top should sit at your collabone and stay there throughout.
• (2) Squeeze your abs, keep your lower back flat, and slowly squat down until your legs are below parallel.
• (3) Hold 1 second and explode back up to top.

Make sure your abs stay tight throughout so that your body stays upright.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 2: Pause Deadlifts

Image: Bodybuilding.com

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Back, Core, Arms

Deadlifts are one of the best methods to build a muscular physique. But by pausing the motion at a 45º angle—and holding it there for a few seconds—it compresses the core, increases muscle activation exponentially, and produces an extreme, scorching contraction across the abs.

That’s the Pause Deadlift. Because it’s a static hold, it works from the inside out, hitting everything from the transverse abdominis (inner abs) out to the rectus abdominis (the superficial six-pack muscles).

It’s a slight variation to the classic that’ll leave your abs sore for days. You know, the kind that makes it hurt to laugh.

• (1) Set-up for a deadlift like you normally would.
• (2) Sit down in your hips and pull the bar upward. Instead of pulling all the way up, keep your core tight, squeeze it hard, and hold at a 45º angle for 5 seconds.
• (3) Pull all the way up to a full stand. Lower back down as you would normally, but pause again for 3 seconds at 45º before returning the bar to the floor.
• (4) Continue to repeat the 5-3 cadence until exhaustion.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 3: Pallof Press

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Core (All)

The Paloff Press is an ab exercise unlike any you’ve ever done. One of the key functions of the core is rotation. So naturally, if you train its inverse, you apply anti-rotation.

Anti-rotation is the ability to resist rotation and stay stable when forced to one side or the other. Think of it as a tug-of-war with someone pulling the rope from your right.

How much force can you withstand before your body twists and gives in?

In practice, this is invaluable for a number of sports, including basketball, football, hockey, surfing and others where it’s critical to stay upright regardless of who or what hits you. Naturally, that also translates to beautiful aesthetics and brute strength.

• (1) Set up at a cable station with a handle at chest height.
• (2) Grab the handle and take 3-4 steps away from the cable stack. The tension should be pulling you sideways.
• (3) Tighten your core, resist the pressure to rotate or bend, and press the handle straight out in front of you chest. Hold it out front for 2 seconds and return it back to your chest.
• (4) Flip and repeat an equal number of reps for the opposite side.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 4: Ab Planks

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Core (All)

You know ’em and probably hate ’em, but it can’t be emphasized enough — Ab Planks (done correctly) are one of the most important and potent core exercises on earth. They need to be in your routine multiple times per week.

They build all-around core strength, tighten up the abs—which sucks everything in tight like a vacuum—and correct poor posture.

• (1) Form a bridge on your forearms and toes.
• (2) Press your forearms into the ground, squeeze your abs, keep your back flat and butt up, and hold.
• (3) Maintain that position for 60-120 seconds.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 5: Renegade Rows

Image: Muscle and Perfomance

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Back, Core, Biceps

Renegade Rows are effectively a plank on steroids. Not only do they require immense core stability, but they also incorporate elements of anti-rotation.

Effectively, you’re rowing with one half of your body while planking with the other — all while resisting the pull to twist or fall over. Think of it as a weighted one-arm plank, with a row thrown in on top.

They dictate high concentration and mind-muscle focus—not to mention a high level of CV fitness—but the results are tantalizing.

• (1) Set up in push up position with 2 dumbbells.
• (2) Keep your back flat, core tight, and row your left arm up parallel with your torso. Hold for 1 second and return back down to the ground.
• (3) Continue to alternate arms. Keep your core tight throughout the movement.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 6: Hanging Leg Raises

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Lower Abs, Abs (All)

As far as targeted ab exercises go, it’s tough to beat Hanging Leg Raises. They specifically dominate the lower abs and actively carve out a stunning V-cut, but they also pound the entirety of the core—including everything from pecs to pelvis—and incorporate the lats.

They’re a high-difficulty, advanced ab movement, but they’re the best in the business at building a flat, aesthetic core.

• (1) Hang from a pull-up bar.
• (2) Contract your lower abs, squeeze your core, and raise your legs until they’re at chest height. Return to the bottom and repeat.

Avoid the use of momentum at all times. DO NOT SWING.

Page: Ab Exercises 1-6 | Ab Exercises 7-12

• About
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Bryan DiSanto

Owner & Editor-in-Chief at Lean It UP

Bryan DiSanto is the Owner & Editor-in-Chief of Lean It UP, a Chef from Le Cordon Bleu – Paris, NYU graduate, ex-fat kid, and all-around fitness junkie.

He also contributes to Men's Health Magazine.

When he’s not working on his (or somebody else’s) abs, whipping up Eggocados, or running a Tough Mudder, he’s probably off yelling at a Carolina Panthers game somewhere.

Latest posts by Bryan DiSanto (see all)

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• The Stacked 12: 12 Ab Exercises You NEED To Do To Build A Six-Pack In 2016 [Exercise Lists] - February 3, 2016
• Target Practice: Add Massive Size To Your BICEPS With These 5 Power Biceps Exercises [Exercise Lists] - January 28, 2016

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