SCULPTING A SIX-PACK is more than a weekend project. To build and, most important, maintain truly enviable six-pack abs, you need to work at it. Every. Single. Day. Now, don’t get intimidated. Even though consistency’s vital to strengthening your core muscles and reducing any fat that’s hiding your abs, that doesn’t mean you have to crank out thousands of crunches every day. Just ask any guy with awesome abs. Here are seven totally doable things guys who have successfully achieved six-packs do every day of the week.

1. Think outside of “abs” work

No disrespect to crunches and legs throws, but men who have successfully built and defined their abs know that, in the end, the core’s job extends beyond the abs mat, says Grant Weeditz, C.S.C.S. a trainer at Anatomy at 1220 in Miami. The core stabilizes the entire body and helps transfer power between the lower and upper limbs—and training it that way yields the best results. “Many great six-pack abs are built using compound movements where full-body stability and power is called upon. The most chiseled out there do explosive compound lifts like those seen throughout the CrossFit and Olympic lifting world,” Weeditz says.

“The clean and jerk and snatch are the two most common barbell lifts falling into that category,” he says. “But recreational lifters can also incorporate exercises like barbell front squats or even dumbbell or kettlebell goblet squats to form a strong anterior chain [think: abs].” Add in some woodchoppers and side-planks to work your core power and stability from every angle, adds certified CrossFit trainer Elisabeth Akinwale, lead coach at BRICK Chicago.