If you are looking for the smartest way to get a 6 pack then you are going to have to look at 6 important things. In this video, I’m going to show you to get the smartest, most effective method of getting your abs to show in the fastest amount of time.
Let’s start off by getting the most important caveat out of the way – nutrition! If you don’t have your diet in check, then the rest of what I am going to tell you isn’t going to matter. The fact of the matter is that if you want your abs to show, you are going to have to lose the body fat surrounding them and that comes through proper eating.
The first key to getting a six pack is to start training your abs directly. There is an argument that you will get all the ab training you need simply by performing compound exercises. While yes you will be training the abs through stabilization on the bigger lifts, you are not taking them through the function of producing movement, which leaves a lot on the table. To get your 6 pack to show, you are going to have to incorporate direct ab workouts. The good thing about this, however, is that it doesn’t take a lot of time. You can get a great ab workout done in under 10 minutes.
The next important point to getting a 6 pack, is when you do your ab workouts. If you are leaving your ab training for the end of your workout, you are pre-fatiguing your abs during your workout. This means a weaker contraction of the abs, which leads to less effective work. It should also be noted that, when at the end of the workout, ab training often gets cut short or removed completely based on time constraints.
So, when is the best time to train your abs? At a separate time, away from your workout where fatigue is not going to affect your regular workout nor will that workout affect your ab training. Realistically, finding a time where you are going to be consistent is a big key to getting a six pack.
When it comes to getting abs, you are going to need to stop counting the number of reps you are doing. Instead, treat your ab exercises like corrective exercises – with intention. Instead of focusing on your rep count, focus on the quality of each repetition. Just as you would with a corrective exercise, you want to make sure every contraction is done deliberately and effectively.
Continuing with that corrective exercise theme; go slow! When it comes to getting a six pack, you are going to want to slow down your reps. Speeding through your reps means that you are likely disengaging your abs throughout the movements and allowing other muscles to take over. As I said earlier, if want to get abs, you are going to have to train them directly. So, slow down the exercise and focus on every segment of the movement and make sure that your abs are engaged throughout every step. Do this and you will be one step closer to getting a six pack.
If you want to get 6 pack abs, it is important that you keep track of your rest time between sets and exercises during your ab training. The most effective method of rest during your ab workouts is to keep the rest period as brief as possible. The abdominal muscles were built for endurance and thus training them through that function is important for both strength and getting them to show.
Instead of resting up to 2 minutes between sets like you would during a traditional training session, keep the rest time down to around 30-45 seconds. This will allow for just enough reprieve for you to perform the next set efficiently, but will also be taxing enough to make sure the abs are getting worked sufficiently each time an exercise is performed.
Finally, make sure that you stretch your abs. Just as it is important to stretch the rest of the muscles that we train, the abs are no less important. Allowing the abdominal muscles to get too tight can lead to not only muscle weaknesses, but also postural deficiencies. Short, tight abs can pull your upper body forward and down, rounding your shoulders and leading to a slumped posture. To keep the abs in their best shape, you should take a moment to stretch them at the end of your workout.
Now that you have the blueprint for the smartest way to get a 6 pack, all that’s left is for you to get to work and put it all into practice. If you are looking for detailed plan that ensures that you’ll meet your fitness goals, be sure to visit athleanx.com using the link below to find the right training program for you.
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Chris Wright
*NOTIFICATION SQUAD GIVEAWAY* – Alright guys, I’m giving away a complete 30 Day Workout program to 100 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 100, but those randomly selected within the first hour the video is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached!
https://giveaway.athleanx.com/ytg/6-smart-ab-tips
If you don’t win, no worries, you’re not going away empty handed. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next video quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…
@Glenn Maxwell I won the “Anabolix” program, looks tough, I’ll train a bit to get ready and then dive into it
Thank you for all your wisdom and knowledge sharing!! Your making a big difference!
Normal men: Photoshop 6 pack abs to their rounded belly.
Jeff: Photoshops a rounded belly on to his 6 pack abs.
Fallen Jedi: “shitty comment”
@Perthus nah i liked it
I really like all your videos and have been following you for a while. I’m 58 years old and had gained a lot of stomach weight over the past 10 years even though I was training. So it turns out I have a diastasis recti situation. Is there any way that through diet and training I can correct the problem? Feel free to email me some options I would be willing to hire you.
You have a gluten intolerance. If you have any skin issues at all even as minor as dry skin then you should never eat gluten again
I use the 6 pack shuffle and it has programmed rest periods. One thing I noticed as I progressed was that I felt rest periods were too long and it meant I needed to move up a tier. sure enough rest was managed differently on higher level. Very well worked out system.
Yeah, the higher levels have shorter if no resting time at all. Killer plan.
I have rededicated myself to ab training in the new year, and have been using Jeff’s 6-pack training app to do it. It’s great to be able to do a quick ab workout right before lunch. I have been making progress every session and feel my abs getting stronger. Having a strong core really ties together all the rest of the training we do, and is key to functional strength.
Can you link the app bro? Is it free?
Yeah the app is great, I wish Jeff updated it more often tho
Is that you, Jesse?
What’s the name of the app?:)
Thanks Jeff, I’m ready for my six-pack this year
I love this video… especially the timing of Abs. I would much rather do them at a different time rather than racing through at the end of a full body workout. Now I do them separately, later in the day.
I am an Athlean disciple and pretty much everything Jeff says, I do. I will start leaving some time after my normal workout to fit in my Core4 training (I did the 6 pack abs on the site for a long time and recently got Core4 and love it. If you haven’t got that program yet, I highly recommend it). That being said, exercising late at night, unless that is your only chance to do so, is a recipe for insomnia. I am wired for at least a few hours after my workout, and doing it prior to trying to go to sleep just doesn’t work, at least for me.
Abs should be trained like any other muscle: use weights and focus on progressive overload. Doing just these 5-6mins ab workouts will extend your journey to a sixpack by a lot.
Getting bigger more prominent abs will be different to conditioning them. Keep in mind the training you do will reflect the goals you want to achieve. Not everyone wants the most prominent 6pack just so they can appear athletic
True
I can’t believe Jeff finally answered two of my biggest questions: what should you do after a workout (even tho this video was only referring to abs specifically and showed us stretches only for the abs) and secondly, when is the best time to do your ab workout? This is definitely gonna switch up the game for me moving forward
What are the answers
Jeff, I have been doing you ab workouts for a couple of years (the Youtube workouts) and have attained good results. I can attest that you only need to do abs 6-7 minutes per session.
Thanks a lot for your tips and videos. I’ve transformed with your help and discipline
So basically my ab workouts were killing my gains. Quite the eye opener – thank you Jeff!
1. regular workout on other parts of the body are not enough.
2. separate your training time for your abs
3. stop counting reps, start making reps count, make the abs work the most
4. don’t rest too long between exercises/sets, accumulative fatigue
5. end with ab stretch
LOVED this video, I’ve felt like I’ve been doing everything right when it comes to the ab training, but the big thing I was missing was slowing down. Instantly made a difference in how my abs feel post workout
These are great tips, not more repping it out and long rest periods for me lol! Also makes sense to separate my ab workouts too. Thanks for sharing this video with us!