Do a 6 Pack Abs Workout

Completing 8 weeks of The 6-Pack Ab 5-Day Exercise Program will maximize your fat loss and muscle tone for excellent abs. Since you can’t show off muscle that’s hidden beneath fat, your first step is to do cardio. Your next step is to tone your body while you build muscle in your core. To do a 6-pack ab workout, follow these instructions.

Steps

  1. Day 1: Perform 30 minutes of rowing, 25 Do-Side-to-Side-Crunches, and 15 Do-an-Upward-Facing-Hip-Flex. Start with cardio to get your heart pumping before moving to muscle-toning exercises. This combination of exercises will burn fat, tone your obliques, and strengthen your hip and lower abdominals.
    • If your abs or hips get tired or tight easily, work out each side in small groups of repetitions, working up to your target number of 15 or 25 per side.
    • Men should perform an additional set of 10 repetitions on each side if they have the energy.
  2. Day 2: Perform 30 minutes on the Use-an-Elliptical-Machine, and alternate 10 minutes of the Do-the-Corkscrew-in-Pilates with 10 minutes of the Do-the-Pilates-Jackknife-Move. Pilates routines force you to focus on muscle control and slow, deliberate movements that build strong, lean muscle.
    • Both the corkscrew and the jackknife work stabilizer muscles in your abs and back, which will help tone your abs and strengthen your back, preventing injury and improving posture.
    • Go through the moves slowly and carefully until you are comfortable with the positions and motions; then increase speed slightly, focus on tightening your abs and back muscles with each movement, and increase repetitions. Take care to avoid injuring your neck, back, or shoulders.
  3. Day 3: Perform 30 minutes of running, and follow with 40 Do-Reverse-Sit-Ups-With-an-Exercise-Ball and 40 leg lifts. These abdominal exercises will work your core and your lower abs as well as your lower back. Alternate exercises in groups of 10 without stopping until all 40 repetitions are complete.
    • Men should add an additional 10 to 20 repetitions if possible, provided they can maintain proper form and control.
    • Don’t rush through these; the point is to exert your muscles to control the movements.
  4. Day 4: Perform 30 minutes on a stationary bike, and then 2 sets of 12 Do-a-Scissors-Twist-With-an-Exercise-Ball, and finish with 3 sets of 15 Do-Sit-Ups. If you feel physically able to perform additional sit-ups, place your hands behind your head and bring each elbow to the opposite knee with each sit-up to work side abdominal muscles in addition to your central abs, and perform another 1 to 2 sets of 15 sit-ups like these.
  5. Day 5: Run 30 minutes on a treadmill and then follow that with 20 Do-the-Boomerang-in-Pilates, and 3 minutes of Do-the-"Hundred"-Exercise-in-Pilates. Like many Pilates exercises, these moves work multiple muscle groups at once, strengthening your entire core and improving your muscular control. Perform an additional set of 10 boomerangs and another minute of “hundreds” if you can take it.
  6. Days 6 and 7: Rest your body. Take 1 to 2 days of rest each week from cardio routines and 2 days of rest from exercises that target your abdominal muscles, preferably spacing your rest days throughout the week to give your muscles time to recover and repair themselves. Overworking your muscles can lead to injury. Do not attempt to perform abdominal workouts every day. Adequate sleep is also required for effective and safe exercise routines. When exercising, you actually break down muscle, and if you give them the proper time to heal and refuel (by following The 6 Pack Ab Diet), they will grow back stronger than before. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep if you are an adult and 8 to 10 hours per night if you are a teenager.

Tips

  • Measure-Fitness-Progress and goals. Knowing why you are attempting to achieve 6 pack abs and keeping a Write-a-Fitness-Journal will help keep you motivated and encouraged. It may help to use a record-keeper or journal to keep track of your exercise program. Planning out your exercise plan also gives a written reminder of what to do.
  • You don't need a machine or personal trainer to get 6 pack abs. No equipment, technology, apparatus, or trainer is necessary to achieve 6 pack abs. Resistance training and simple ab exercises, coupled with a healthy diet to achieve fat loss is all that is necessary.
  • Opinions on weight loss and muscle training routines are varied. In the end, you should find something you enjoy and that you will be able to maintain over time. You can always modify it until you get the results that are right for you.
  • Remember that diet is also a very important part of your 6 pack ab plan. Make sure you Eat-to-Get-a-6-Pack while you do this workout.
  • Stretch before and after every workout. Gentle stretching is essential; it prepares your muscles for activity before a workout, and lengthens them after each session to minimize cramping, soreness, and pain.
  • Make a photo diary of your body, but do not take pictures too often (once a month is fine). Do not dwell on your pictures, since you may lose motivation if you don't see a difference right away. If you are consistent in your diet and exercise, you should see changes monthly. You will not likely see changes in the mirror every day because any changes will be very small improvements.
  • Unless you are watching your weight for another reason, ignore the reading on the Know-if-Your-Scale-Is-Working-Correctly. You may be decreasing your body fat but your weight may stay the same (or even increase) as you Build-Muscle. Muscle tissue is denser than fat so it will be heavier than the same volume of fat. Water weight can also vary your readings by a surprisingly large amount.
  • Including both cardio and strength training in your routine will speed up your metabolism and build muscle faster as you lose fat.
  • Do at least 150 minutes of Cardio-Exercises exercise each week. There is no evidence that long sessions of cardio are any better than short sessions. Long jogs a few times each week or multiple mini sessions every day of 10 or 15 minutes are equally effective at achieving the benefits of cardiovascular workouts, provided you perform at your target heart rate. You need to work out all you muscle groups, and you can’t do that if you’re performing the same cardio workout everyday. Effective cardio activities include running, Start-Jogging, Ride-a-Bicycle, and dancing. Make sure you do a few different ones each week and rotate your 5-day cardio workout plan every 2 to 4 weeks to keep your body guessing.
  • The primary function of the abs is to stabilize the trunk which means that core flexion exercises aren't necessarily the best options when it comes to hypertrophy of the abs. To ensure full stimulation and usage incorporate squats, deadlifts and overhead presses into your exercise routine as well as flexion exercises such as crunches.

Warnings

  • You can't get 6 pack abs just by doing ab exercises and skipping the cardio. Crunches, sit-ups, ab machines, and intense ab workouts are not enough to give you a 6 pack. Crunches and sit-ups help build the muscles in your core, while cardio burns the fat that’s covering the muscle.
  • As with any exercise program, consult your doctor before making major changes in your workout routine, especially if you have medical problems.
  • Do not overwork yourself, and always rest if you feel that an exercise is too strenuous. It is best to build your exercise routine gradually according to your needs and abilities.
  • Some exercises are not recommended for people with lower back problems. Carefully follow instructions when performing any exercise. If in doubt or experiencing lower back pain, talk to a physical therapist or fitness trainer for proper ways to perform the routine or for alternate exercises that will help ease the strain on your back.
  • No matter how much of one ab exercise you do, you can't lose fat from targeted areas. Without plastic surgery, there is no way to target fat loss to particular body parts.

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Sources and Citations

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