“There’s no such thing as spot-reducing fat, and a six-pack is indicative of overall health and whole-body fitness, not just the state of the core muscles,” says Kendra Coppey Fitzgerald, founder of Barefoot Tiger in-home personal training services in NYC and LA. “If there’s too much fat on top of the ab muscles, you’ll never see them, no matter how much core work you do.” That means eating healthily and doing cardio plus heavy weight training to lean down and build muscles to lose weight overall. (Bummer, we know.)
Then, when it comes to sculpting those abs of your dreams, it’s not as simple as doing endless crunches. “Developing a six-pack requires more than just working the ‘pretty’ muscles that you can see,” Fitzgerald says. “The deeper, transverse core muscles must be strengthened first to create a strong, solid base—without that, only doing crunches can actually make your belly stick out more. Nobody wants that.”
Better news: By doing the types of routines here that strengthen from all angles and focus on function (how your body moves in real life) rather than flexion (crunches), you’ll look good and have a stronger core and less risk of lower back injury. “Not only will you see better gains faster, it’s also the quickest way to take inches off your waistline,” says Fitzgerald.
Directions: Begin each of these workouts with a five-minute warmup, or go through the moves after you’ve done your usual cardio or strength training when you’re already warm. Each should also begin with 20 reps of what Fitzgerald calls “transverse pullbacks”—where you pull your navel toward your spine, as if bracing yourself against a sucker punch—as a way to activate the muscles for the work you’re about to ask of them. You’ll also need some dumbbells for some of these moves.
Abs workout 1: Unilateral powerhouse
This one is great for targeting the deep core muscles and emphasizes good posture.
Do three rounds of the following workout:
20 Dumbbell Renegade Rows
20 Single-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Press with a twist (each side)
8 Split Squats (each side)
30 Dumbbell Suitcase Walking Lunges (each side)
8 Single-leg Squats with Dumbbell Lateral Raise (weight in hand of the working leg), each side
15 Single-leg Deadlift with Upright Row (each side)
Side plank with 15 dumbbell flyes, each side
Abs workout 2: No-crunch workout
There’s so much stabilizing going on here, your entire core will be burning way more than your abs do after a hundred crunches.
Abs workout 3: Cardio core shred
Get your blood pumping (and the calories burning) with this high-energy workout.
Do three rounds of the following circuit. Rest for one minute between sets:
20 Skater Lunges
20 Mountain Climbers
20 Burpees
20 Knee-to-Shoulder Knee-ins (alternating sides)
1-minute Side Planks
20 Knee-to-Opposite-Shoulder knee-ins
Abs workout 4: Plank variations
Because holding still in a simple forearm plank for an eternity is both boring and counterproductive, most people lose form after a minute, causing strain on their back. This routine keeps you moving so you keep seeing results sans the back pain. Bonus: No equipment needed.
Do the following plank series twice, resting between series:
15 Forearm Side Plank with “Thread the Needle” (curl top arm under and back up), each side
10 Pushups to Straight-arm Side Plank
1-minute Side Plank
Forearm Planks with 20 Toe Taps (do all 20 with one foot then switch sides)
Forearm Plank with 20 Side-to-Side Hip Dips
20 Knee-to-Shoulder Knee-ins
20 Knee-to-Opposite-Shoulder Knee-ins
15 Forearm Side Plank with “Thread the Needle”
Abs workout 5: Standing abs workout
You don’t have to take all your core work lying down. Do three rounds of the following circuit:
20 Dumbbell Chops (each side)
Plank with 20 Knee-ins (do all on one side, hold last one for 5 breaths, then switch)
8 Forward Lunges
8 Single-leg Squats with Dumbbell Lateral Raise (weight on same side as working leg), each side
12 Dumbbell Overhead Press (hold one weight in both hands by the bells), each side
20 Dumbbell Swings (hold from one bell with both hands; swing like a kettlebell)
Abs workout 6: Bodyweight abs workout
No equipment? No problem. Do three rounds of this circuit:
20 Butterfly Kicks (done lying on your back)
20 Crunches
20 Russian Twists
20 Elbow-to-Knee Crunches
20 Butterfly Situps (soles of feet together, knees out to the side)
20 Side-to-Side Knee Drops (on back, knees bent up in a right angle)
20 Crunches
20 Butterfly Kicks (done lying on your back)
Abs workout 7: Anti-flexion workout
These moves work by forcing your body to resist flexing forward, to make the core muscles more stable. Do three rounds of the following:
20 Supermans
20 Dumbbell Pullovers (you can also do this with a medicine ball, as shown)
Forearm Planks with 20 Toe Taps on each side (do all 20 with one foot, then switch)
Side Planks with 20 Leg Pendulums (each side)
20 Prone Reverse Crunches (face down, place hands behind head and raise chest off the ground, toes stay down)
Side Plank with 15 Dumbbell Flyes, each side
1-minute Forearm Plank
20 Supermans
Abs workout 8: Deep V workout
The aim of this one: to create that deep-V definition in your abs. Do three rounds of the following circuit:
12 Lying Alternating Leg Lifts (each side)
20 Supine Reverse Crunches with Overhead Dumbbell (hold the weight right above the ground, and raise your legs up to a reverse crunch)
20 Bicycle Crunches (make sure to fully extend your legs)
For when you’re short on time but not on motivation. Do three to five rounds of the following:
20 Dumbbell Pullovers
20 Bicycles with Full Leg Extension
Forearm Plank with 20 Side-to-Side Hip Dips
Abs workout 10: Rotational power workout
Twisting—or, really, learning to control against a twist—is an advanced technique but essential for improving core power. After a warmup, do two rounds of the following circuit:
8 Forward Lunges with Dumbbell Twist, (each side hold dumbbell from its bells and bring weight across front knee)
12 Dumbbell Overhead Press with a twist (each side)
20 Dumbbell Renegade Rows
10 Pushups to Straight-arm Side Plank
15 Forearm Side Plank with “thread the needle,” each side
20 Dumbbell Chops, each side
10 Side-to-side Dumbbell Chops (staggered feet, chop, then as you bring weight back up, pivot on feet 180 degrees before chopping again)
