If you want to confidently peel off your shirt and reveal a set of chiselled abs then you’re in the right place, that’s because what you’re about to discover here are some potent ways to get you six-pack abs.
Make no mistake…
To get great abs there’s more to it than just a few exercises you do. Great abs are built on a few basic principles most seem to want to overlook and don’t understand.
And here’s the thing…
Once you understand and use these basic principles, it makes it easier for you to get a six-pack. Because you’re don’t waste time, you don’t use ineffective exercises, and you get only do what gets you six-pack abs.
Most websites you’ll visit tell you things like, “hey just do these killer ab exercises and you’ll get 6-pack abs next week.”
Trouble is…
That’s just too funny and simply not true. You’ll get abs, however not the way they tell you to get them. You need the whole equation, not just one tiny part of it.
I’m going to give you the whole equation, including two important principles which are required to get abs. You can use this or not. Whatever… I’m yet to see abs built without these principles in play…
Principle #1 For Visible Abs
Lower your body fat:
If you’ve got a fat stomach, it doesn’t matter how many ab exercises you do, you won’t shift fat from your stomach with ab exercises.
You can do crunches or whatever other exercises some “influencer” tells you. Fact is, you’ll never see your six-pack until you lose the fat that’s covering it.
If you have belly fat, don’t obsess over abs exercises because there are more effective things you can do with your time to get abs.
Principle #2 For Visible Abs
Eat healthy food:
To get visible abs it’s more than a “what’s the best exercises to do” approach. Stop thinking “one” particular exercise, or a combination of exercises gifts you, your killer 6-pack abs.
What you eat, plays a critical role in you getting a six-pack.
I get it, most don’t want to hear this.
They want some badass-ab-exercise they can do so their six-pack pops overnight and everyone notices.
I share these two principles with you because I figure you’ve probably wasted enough of your time listening to horse-sh*t advice.
Because think about it.
If you got abs from just doing some mad-ab-exercises then everyone would have abs, wouldn’t they? Yet they don’t.
I’m simply making you aware that if you think busting out ab exercises is your answer to killer abs. You’ll get disappointed when nothing happens for you. Start looking at your abs from a total approach.
So, here’s what I’ll do…
I’ll give you a total approach to your best workouts at home for abs.
Sound good to you?
Cool, now let’s get you some abs…
Can You Get Abs From Home Workouts?
Yes, you can.
Fact is, there’s no need for some special abdominal machine built by NASA, or a machine endorsed by a celebrity. These are gimmicks you don’t need.
What you need is a handful of effective exercises that strengthen and build your core without hurting you back.
You need to lower your body fat so you can see your abs. Because if you have fat covering your abs, ab exercises do not remove fat from your stomach area.
And you want to eat clean healthy foods because your diet plays a significant role, in you getting abs. Eat healthy, lose fat, strength train, see abs. It’s a simple equation.
What Exercise Is Best For Abs At Home?
Okay…
If you’ve read all the above you now understand there is no “one best” exercise for abs. No one exercise that magically gives you abs. However, some exercises are better than others.
You can lay flat on the floor there’s all sorts of ab exercises, however, why would you when there’s by far more potent ways to work your abs. Remove the idea from your head you got to lie flat on the floor.
What’ll I do now is run through some potent ab making exercises you can choose from.
Ab Workouts Without Equipment
Hollow Rocks
Hollow rocks might seem easy for you at the start, however, they soon set your core on fire. This is a movement gymnast use often and it’s great for abs at-home exercises
How to do Hollow Rocks Abs Workout:
- Start on the floor, lying flat on your back
- Then you extend your arms over your head
- Straighten your legs out
- Eyes up towards the ceiling
- Lift your shoulders and legs up, keeping your back firmly pressed to the floor. You want to make sure that there’s no space between your lower back and the ground
- Keep core tight in the Hollow Body position
- Begin rocking back and forth in a nice, controlled, small movement
- 8 Your feet are not going up too high
- Your feet are not touching the floor
Cross-Body Mountain Climbers
It’s like a normal mountain climber, however with the cross-body mountain climber, you’re bringing your knee across to your opposite elbow.
How To Do Cross Body Mountain Climbers Abs Workout:
- You start in a push-up position
- Then you bring one knee into your opposite elbow, across your chest
- Make sure you keep your core nice and tight
- Shoulders are engaged
- Alternate knees
- You can start slowly, then increase the speed as you become more comfortable.
- If you’re not very flexible and you find this difficult, you can bring your knee into just under your hips
- Be conscious of the twisting motion you are doing with your body.
- You want to make sure you have a nice flat line from your head, to your hips, to your heels.
Wall Walks Abs Workout
These are a great exercise for your shoulders and your abs.
You start in a push-up position on the floor, then out your feet on a wall and walk yourself up using your arms and shoulder until you are in a handstand position. This is great for your shoulders, and it’s great for your abs.
Plank Walkouts Abs Workout
You start in a plank position, however you’re not staying there for long.
From the plank position you walk your hands out in front of you as far as you can get them. You want to keep your balance and not face dive into the floorboards.
Then you walk your hands back in, reset and go again
Do Not let your back sag down.
Ab Exercises With Some Equipment
Okay…
If you own a set of resistance bands, a chin-up bar and a set of gymnastic rings you’d have yourself some potent ab-makers.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg…
With your resistance bands, a chin-up bar, or something to hang your gymnastic rings off, you’ve got everything you need for upper-body workouts.
Resistance Band Ab Exercises
Standing Banded Crunch
What you do is, attach your band to a bar above your head, grab the band, then do a crunching motion.
Seated Banded Crunch
This is much the same as the standing crunch except, this time your seated. Your band is set up directly overhead on a bar.
Standing Band Oblique Crunch
You can stand with your feet shoulder widith apart.
Hold the band in hand, with the band over one shoulder
Then you drive your elbow down towards your hip.
Low To High Band Chop
Your band is anchored down low towards the ground
You stand side on with your band
Then drive up with the band and your body twist
Horizontal Band Chop
Your band can get set up a chest, grab the band in both hands
Then you’re pulling the band across your body. This is a natural twisting motion.
Gymnastic Ring Ab Exercises
Here’s the thing…
The gymnastic rings are a potent bit of gear to own when it comes to building a ripped upper body.
Because the gymnastic rings are unstable to use, you use more muscles to help stabilse your body. Which means with gymnastic ring exercises your abs are working hard.
Let me show you something.
A lot of people think planks are the best thing ever for your core. Okay, you could do planks on the ground and maybe get mild results at best.
Now – and this is important…
You could do ring rows instead of planks.
You set your gymnastic rings up so your body is on an angle, your heels are on the ground, your body is rigid, and you do a ring row. What happens now is, your abs work harder to keep your body in place.
Just imagine, you carve out great abs and get defined back muscles at the same time when you do ring rows.
Why waste a second of your time in a plank position, when you get faster growth, and more noticeable results using gymnastic rings?
And here’s another exercise that makes planks look pathetic…
Gymnastic Ring L-Sits Abs Workout
You’re working your abs, shoulders and arms with this abs workout.
- The starting position is on your rings you lock your arms out straight
- You bring your legs up in front of you, you want your legs extended out straight in front of you
- If you can’t do straight legs, you can do knees bent, that’s knees bent at 90 degrees
- The L-sit is tough, you might do one rep, hold the position for 3 seconds then rent for 10 seconds and repeat.
- If you’re doing knees bent, you might hold for 3 seconds then repeat 5 times in a row before you take a rest.
If you’re doubting that any of these gymnastic ring exercises build your abs, you better Google “gymnast body” then look at the images. What you’ll notice is they have ripped, defined abs.
For specific gymnastic ring exercises that directly hammer your abs.
Gymnastic Ring Roll Outs Abs Workout
This is a good one because you work the anterior core, lats, and glutes. I mean come on… 3 muscles everyone ones to improve all done with the one exercise.
Technique wise…
You tilt your pelvic back a little because your going out into the hollow body position
You want to lock your arms out straight
And you Do NOT arch your lower back.
Indirect Ways To Get Abs
What’s this indirect way to get abs?
Okay…
Hollow rocks directly target and work your abs. Indirect ab exercises are when you’re working out other muscle groups, however, because of the chosen exercise it’s also targeting and working your abs.
I’ll give you a few examples…
One-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
Because the weights on one side only, your core muscles must work hard to keep you balanced.
Lunges
If you hold the weight in one hand only, your core has to work hard to stabilse your body which means your abs are working.
Walk Walks
You start in a push-up position on the floor, then out your feet on a wall and walk yourself up using your arms and shoulder until you are in a handstand position. This is great for your shoulders, and it’s great for your abs.
Ball Slams
You pick a weighted slam ball up off the ground, lift in overhead, then throw it back down hard into the ground. Yes, this is great for cardio and it’s great for your abs.
Here’s the thing…
If you’re using exercises like the above indirect ways to work your abs, and you’re using some ab exercises that directly target your abs.
Guess what?
You accelerate your results and here’s how it works. You’re doing exercises that target big muscle groups. Which means you get stronger, build muscles and burn fat. Less fat means you see more of your abs.
Which Exercise Is Best For Abs?
The only real question to ask yourself is this…
When am I getting my gymnastic rings?
Sure, you could get on the floor and do all these ab exercises 90% of people do who don’t have abs. Or you could get gymnastic rings and get abs like a gymnast.
Look at it like this…
If you can do an exercise with the gymnastic rings that works a few muscles at once and gets you faster results with building your abs. You’d want some of that, wouldn’t you?
Answer is…
Some of the best exercises for abs are done with those potent gymnastic rings.
How Can I Get Abs In 30-Days At Home?
How much fat is covering your abs?
If you’ve got a lot of fat to shift, forget about 30-day ab goals. Give yourself more time. If you’ve got a little bit of fat to shift its game on.
Here’s what you can do…
- No alcohol.
- Meals can only consist of protein source, 3-5 vegetables and optional sweet potato. Use this meal template for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Flavour meals with a sugar free chili sauce.
- Coffee. Black, no sugar, a tiny, tiny dash of milk if needed
- Strength training 3-4 days a week if doing, upper body, lower body split. Looks like this..
- Monday Upper
- Tuesday Lower
- Wednesday Walk
- Thursday Lower
- Friday Upper
- Saturday Walk
- Sunday Walk
- Walk 15-30 minutes 7 days a week.
If you’re into it HIIT get after that 1-2 days a week. What’s great about high intensity interval training is, it’s takes less time to do, and it accelerates your results.
If right now you can’t see any abs, the critical component is what you eat. Because lowering body fat is your goal. Strength training is critical because you can’t see muscles under your skin if muscles are small and weak.
Should I Buy Special Equipment To Work My Abs?
Probably one of the best bits of gear you could ever own for carving out abs is a set of gymnastic rings.
If you’ve never used gymnastic rings before, at the start you’ll find them unstable and you’ll struggle. Persist because the rewards you get in the form of muscles, abs and looking athletic are well worth it.
Even doing a simple exercise like gymnastic rings push-ups engages your abs.
Apart from gymnastic rings, no you don’t need to go buy any special workout equipment for your abs.
WARNING: Some Ab Exercises May Aggravate Injured Lower Back
If you have lower back issues, you’ve had lower back issues in the past, or you’re prone to getting back issues. You need to be aware that some ab exercise will further aggravate your back.
Which exercises?
I’m not a back expert. If you do have back issues I’d strongly suggest you read everything Stuart McGill PhD has written. You can find out all about Stuart and his work right here at his website.
Stuart shows you how to safely work your core and strengthen your muscles without doing further damage.
I do have some lower back issues I need to look after, I’ve read much of Stuart’s work and it’s made a significant difference. When it comes to ab work, I’m very selective and only do what is safe for my back and does not upset it.
Is It Okay To Use Some Resistance In Working The Abdominals?
First you got make sure your technique and form is spot on.
If you have back issues I’d suggest you see some medical person before adding resistance to any ab exercises. Because you don’t want to further hurt you back.
If your back is good, and your technique and form is spot on go for it.
Where Should You Start If Your New To Ab Workouts?
First up, practice tensing your abs. Pretend someone is about to punch you in the stomach. If you knew the punch was coming you’d tense up.
Why do this?
So many people aren’t used to engaging their core. What this exercise does is, engage your abs. And starts to make a mind-muscle connection.
Second…
Start with some hollow rocks.
Lay flat on the floor, press your back into the floor then lift your arms and legs slightly off the floor. And just hold that position.
Third…
Get a set of gymnastic rings and resistance bands. You’ll be rubbish when you first start using the rings I know I was. Even now, new exercises humble me. Who cares. Because the results you get from them will blow you away. You’ll get great abs and a great upper-body.
And forth…
Eat healthy, because you got lose fat so you can see your abs. And one of the fastest ways to lose fat is tidy up what you’re eating.
Get Started On Your Abs Today
If you’ve read all this, now you got to go do something. Choose one exercise and go do it. Start right now on your abs.
