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

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 7: Ab V-Ups

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Abs (All)

Ab V-Ups are an advanced, extremely challenging ab exercise that work the upper AND lower abs simultaneously. Not only do they require immense core stability and strength to complete, but they’ll test the limits of your flexibility in the process.

• (1) Lie on your back with your arms and legs extended.
• (2) Contract your upper and lower abs, raise both into the air, and touch your toes at the top.
• (3) Squeeze and hold the contract at the top for 1 second and slowly lower back down to the ground.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 8: Land Mine Twists

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Shoulder, Core, Arms, Obliques

While Land Mine Twists are a shoulder exercise above all else, they also excel at building rotational speed and power. AKA torque, a key component of any golf, baseball, or tennis swing.

By twisting vigorously from left to right with a heavy load, Land Mine Twists churn through the core—in particularly the obliques—and tear up muscle fibers. That produces massive abdominal strength. They also burn major fat and send sweat streaming off.

• (1) Stand upright holding one end of a barbell.
• (2) Keep your arms straight. Contract your abs, twist your core, and pull the barbell over to one side of your body.
• (3) Powerfully twist and pull the bar across to the opposite side. Continue to repeat vigorously, using your core to initiate and stabilize the movement.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 9: Weighted Swiss Ball Crunches

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Abs (All)

Swiss Ball Crunches are an extremely effective way to isolate the muscles in the rectus abdominis without putting stress on the back or neck.

Because you’re working from an unstable surface, the contraction is deceptively strong, especially when you do it with a weight. They also allow for a longer range of motion and a deeper stretch, which helps activate the core to a degree that floor moves can’t (you’re hyperextending over the top of the ball).

BONUS POINTS: when taking anatomical correctness into account, they’re one of the only perfect ab exercises. All gain, no pain.

• (1) Lie with your lower back arched over a stability ball. Hold a weight behind your head or straight in front of your chest.
• (2) Contract your core and crunch up. Squeeze and hold it at the top for 1 second.
• (3) Return down, hyperextend over the top of the ball, and repeat.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 10: Cable Crunches

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Abs (All)

One of the most important principles of muscle growth is progressive resistance. In order for muscles to grow, they need to consistently be challenged — either by upping the weight or increasing the difficulty.

Cable Crunches are one of the only feasible ways to apply heavy weights directly to the abs. Because you’re actively crunching down with a weight stack, it creates a strong contraction throughout the abs without compromising the back.

Over time, as the weight increases, they’re one of the most potent ways to add SIZE to your abs.

• (1) Kneel in front of a cable stack with a rope attachment.
• (2) Sit back in your hips, contract your abs, and crunch the rope down towards your pelvis.
• (3) Hold for 1 second at the bottom and slowly release the rope back up to start.

Biceps Exercise 11: Standing Military Press

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Shoulders, Core, Triceps

The Standing Military Press is a high intensity shoulder move that smashes the deltoids. It also requires tremendous core stability to control the weight, transfer power, and press it up overhead.

Bonus points, when the weight locks out at top, it directly compresses the core from above.

• (1) Hold a barbell in front of your quads and pull it up so that it’s sitting on top of your chest.
• (2) Tighten your core, keep your back flat, and powerfully press the weight overhead.
• (3) Lock out at the top for 2 seconds, lower the weight back down to your chest, and repeat.

Six-Pack Ab Exercise 12: Bicycle Crunches

How To:

Target Muscle(s): Abs (All), Obliques

Bicycle Crunches are a classic ab exercise, and deservedly so. They’re a fluid, smooth move that gracefully churns through all areas of the core, including the lower abs, obliques, and rectus abdominis.

They’re also high paced, making them a great option to get your heart rate soaring (and burn off fat in the process). They deserve a place in every high quality workout routine.

• (1) Lie on your back with your arms behind your head.
• (2) Pull your left leg in and crunch your right elbow across so that it touches your knee.
• (3) Squeeze the contraction for 1 second, kick your left leg out, bring you right knee in, and crunch your left elbow over. Continue to alternate.

• 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.

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

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