The Step-By-Step Blueprint to Six Pack Abs

Six-Pack Exercises

The following is a list of my all-time favorite six-pack exercises — as well as a list of links to existing Lean It UP ab resources — that can be incorporated into any training routine. It’s critical that you swap up exercises every few weeks to prevent plateaus.

Planks

The plank works the entire core region, specifically the TA, and produces an overall tight look. Think Brad Pitt abs in Fight Club.

Move into push up position and place your forearms on the ground in front of your body. Brace your abs and hold yourself up steady for as long as possible — ideally 60-120 seconds. Make sure to keep your back straight throughout the entire exercise and keep your butt low.

For a more advanced version, hold yourself up with only your right forearm and left foot for a few seconds, and then switch to your left forearm and right foot. Rinse and repeat.

Swiss Ball Jackknife

Move into push up position, except this time place your feet on top of a swiss ball. Brace your abs, keep your hands in place, and pull your knees in towards your chest. Hold for 1 second, roll the ball back out to the starting position, repeat.

Medicine Ball Throw

Face forward and have a partner stand to the right. While keeping your hips stationary, ask your partner to throw you the ball; when you catch it rotate your abs all the way to the left, and then powerfully torque your abs back to the right and throw them the ball. Repeat for the left side.

This hits the obliques and entire core hard. If you play baseball or golf this is a great exercise to increase overall power and distance.

Bicycle Crunch

The bicycle crunch is consistently ranked as one of the best all-around exercises for overall abdominal development. It works both the obliques and RA simultaneously.

Start by lying on the floor with your knees up and your legs at a 90 degree angle. Extend your right leg straight out and crunch your right elbow over to your left knee. Return to the starting position, extend your left leg straight out, and crunch towards the opposite side. The motion should look like you’re riding a recumbent bicycle…without the bicycle of course.

To add some data — a recent study by ACE Fitness ranked different ab exercises according to level of abdominal activation. Traditional crunches and ab machines, such as the ab rocker and ab roller, scored way at the bottom.¹ Conversely, the bicycle crunch consistently scored towards the top. It’s an incredibly versatile exercise that should be a staple in every ab routine.

Swiss Ball Crunches

The swiss exercise ball crunch is much more effective than the traditional crunch and puts less stress on the back and neck. When this gets too easy, hold a weight behind your head and crunch.

Reverse Crunch and Pulse Ups

Both exercises directly target the lower half of the RA.

Reverse crunch — Lie on your back with your knees in the air and your legs at a 90 degree angle. Without moving your upper body or head slowly lift your butt up off the floor, hold it for 1 second, and then lower.

Pulse Ups — full description here

Ab Windshield Wipers

Windshield wipers are extremely difficult, but they’re an amazing workout once you build up some well-rounded core strength. One of my personal favorites.

1. Get a barbell or set of dumbbells that’s slightly lighter than what you use to bench press
2. Lie flat on the floor with your legs straight out and hold the barbell/dumbbell directly over your head. Your arms and upper body shouldn’t move at all. You should comfortably be able to hold the weight for the entire exercise, if it gets too heavy use a lighter weight
3. First raise your legs straight up as if you were doing a leg lift, except that your butt comes off of the floor at the top of the movement. Basically combine a leg lift with a pulse up
4. Once your butt is off the floor, drop your legs down to your left side so that your feet hit the floor
5. Bring your legs back up, and drop your legs all the way to the right side
6. Bring your legs back up to the middle and drop them down to the starting position
7. Rinse and repeat for at least a set of 10

Additional six-pack exercises and workouts:

• Cable Woodchoppers (Obliques)
• Swiss Ball Exercises
• The 5 Best Oblique Exercises
• Ultimate Six-Pack Workout
• Effective Exercise List — Abs

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• 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 culinary student at Le Cordon Bleu – Paris, an ACE-CPT & CSN, NYU graduate, ex-fat kid, and all-around fitness/nutrition nutjob.

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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