Despite the name, your six pack is actually comprised of just one single sheet of muscle. That sheet of muscle is called your ‘rectus abdominis’ and it sits at the front of your stomach. It’s job is to hold you upright by combating the strength of your erector spinae (the muscles in the small of the back) and is also used to rock forward.
It’s called a ‘six pack’ because it appears to have six small segments. So if we were to devise the ultimate workout for the abs, then surely it should take six minutes. One minute for each of the segments! And while we’re at it, why not give it six stages as well? Five exercises and one rest period, each performed for thirty seconds, going through the circuit twice.
Don’t believe it can work? Then give it a try and you’ll see just how intense a workout you can get from these moves in that short time. And then you’ll really have a ‘six pack’ worthy of the name!
One Down Two Ups
Here you start with both legs pointing up at the ceiling, lying flat on your back. Your going to lower one of the legs like you were doing a leg raise, and then bring it back up. Once back in the starting position, you’ll thrust your hips upwards pushing your feet towards the ceiling.
Now repeat the same motion on the other side. That’s one rep!
Twisting Pistons
Resting on your forearms, you’re going to jump your knees up underneath you like a squat thrust in plank position (or like a mountain climber if you’re not familiar with squat thrusts). The key difference here, is that you’re also going to rotate your core so that your knees are to your left and then to your right. As you have likely already guessed, this will engage your obliques.
Hands Free Knee Tuck
This is a simple tuck that is performed with your entire body resting on your buttocks. At no point do your back or your legs touch the ground. Now push your legs forward and back slightly backward, then bring your knees up to your chest.
Starfish Crunch
Starting in starfish position on the ground, you’re going to bring your left arm up to meet your right leg, then return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the other side. That’s one rep. As you can imagine, this works the core as well as the obliques.
90/90 Crunch
Finally, the 90/90 crunch is the good old crunch you know so well. Keep your knees raised at 90 degrees (hence the name) and crunch your body upward. Make sure to roll the stomach rather than folding at the waist. The latter doesn’t actually train the abs but rather the hip flexors.
Rest
And now you’ll be resting for 30 seconds. Set a timer and make sure you’re strict. One more round!
