Whether you’re advanced or beginner overweight or underweight. This 4-Week Workout Plan is designed to burn fat, build muscle, teach you how to work every part of your abdominals and core.
When it comes to getting six-pack abs there are three main components:
Once you pull all three of these together successfully, that is the recipe for getting six-pack abs.
4-Week Workout Plan:
- Abs exercises on floor (Week One)
- Abs exercises on Bars (Week Two)
- HIIT Workout (Week Three)
- Master Workout (Week Four)
ABS EXERCISES ON FLOOR (WEEK ONE)
We’re gonna start you off on something very low impact to start strengthening your abdominals and getting comfortable with these style exercises, regardless of your fitness level, a lot of times when you go into something super intense it’s hard to keep that same energy consistently every single day. This is gonna keep you motivated to keep going while still making progress.
These exercises take no equipment and very little workout knowledge and experience to perform them, but they’re still highly effective.
If you need to stop at any point during these exercises, take a moment to catch a breath then keep going and try to complete the rest.
1. Plank knees to elbow
15 Reps each side | 3 Sets
Touch your knee to your elbow. It is important that keep a solid plank in perfect position. Make sure that your hips aren’t too low or not too high. Maintain your hips in a straight position.
2. Lying leg raises
20 Reps | 3 Sets
Legs straight out and point your toes. Don’t forget to breathe. The straighter your legs are the more effective this exercise is gonna be.
3. Side plank up and down
15 Reps each side | 3 Sets
This exercise really emphasizes on your obliques inside of your core. So make sure to go all the way down and push down with your obliques and your shoulders come all the way back up.
We’re choosing specific exercises that are engaging specific areas of your abdominals from different positions.
4. Star crunches
10 Reps each side | 3 Sets
This is really gonna stretch and emphasize on your entire abdominals.
You have one hand up, one foot up. You’re gonna come up to the top and touch the outside of your ankle.
5. Side planks reach throughs
15 Reps each side | 3 Sets
We’re definitely burning fat with this routine. But this routine is focused on building strength in your abdominals.
6. Chair sit-ups
12 Reps each side | 3 Sets
Form yourself into the shape of a chair. Hands up and try to touch the ceiling.
Remember to rest for two minutes between each round. If you do this successfully for 1 week, you’re gonna gain strength and experience.
Read: Why You Don’t Have Abs and How to Get Them
ABS EXERCISES ON BARS (WEEK TWO)
Now, we’re gonna take our abdominal training to the next level by incorporating bars into this workout.
Performing abdominal exercises on the pull-up or dip bar are a lot harder than doing them on the ground. Mainly because it requires a lot more effort, with more muscles working simultaneously together to achieve the exercise.
And, by lifting yourself or hanging, you’re applying all your body weight to your abdominal exercises, which requires a lot more stabilization and body control, which will engage deeper muscle fibers. Also flexes your abs and engages your abs differently.
When you’re hanging and you’re flexing your abs you have an upward flexion. And, when you’re lifting yourself up you have a downward flexion. You should be engaging your abdominals both ways if you really wanna make sure to have perfect six-pack abs.
Also, because you’re lifting yourself or hanging, it’s gonna require more effort. You’re going to be burning more fat while developing strength and muscle.
1. Leg raises
12 Reps | 3 Sets
While doing leg raises, You would go up into the L-sit position, and try to hold an L-sit just for one second. Squeeze all your muscles, come down. Avoid momentum, and really ensure that you are getting the most out of that exercise.
2. High knee raises
12 Reps | 3 Sets
Bring your knees as high as you can. Trying to hold the top position and engage for the second time, once you reach the peak of the high knee raises.
3. Corner raises
10 Reps each side | 3 Sets
This is gonna really hit that love handle oblique area. As well as all the way around your abdominals. After this exercise, you may feel your abdominals pretty fired.
4. L-sit kicks (dip bar)
10 Reps | 3 Sets
This is gonna require a lot of abdominal strength so if you need to take a break, go ahead. Take a moment to catch your breath. But, get back up there and finish those reps.
5. L-sit hold
Maximum hold
A perfect isometric move, one of the fundamentals to calisthenics. Great for building insane upper body strength and control.
6. Hanging leg raises
12 Reps | 3 Sets
These exercises look very similar from hanging to lifting yourself up, even to lying down on the floor. But, the different angles and positions is what engages your abdominals differently. And, you’re gonna see way more results when you incorporate these into your training.
7. Hanging bicycles
30 Reps each side | 3 Sets
Remember to engage your core as you hang. Full range of motion, legs straight down, knee all the way up.
If you find yourself having trouble hanging on come down really quick to adjust your grip. You can even try a supinated grip. That’s why these exercises do take it to the next level. But, applying them is gonna give you a new set of strength and a new physique.
8. Hanging L-sit kicks
10 Reps | 3 Sets
For this exercise, you wanna really focus on your grip. If you have a slight overgrip over the bar that’s really gonna help. Just really engage your core, and don’t forget to breathe.
9. Hanging bar crunches
Maximum Reps
As you’re hanging on the bar, you wanna basically get into like a bolt hold position. Do as many as you can. You wanna try to just use your abdominals to pull your entire body up.
HIIT WORKOUT (WEEK THREE)
Not only will we be building strength, muscle, and endurance in our abdominals, we’re gonna be burning a ton of fat and calories with no equipment at all using high-intensity interval training.
Now, HIIT training is an effective form of cardio that involves short bursts of intense training, increasing our energy levels and heart rate, leading to more calories burned.
HIIT training has an after-burn effect that can last to 24 hours when you can continue to burn calories even after you’re done exercising, and this is why it’s most efficient as your body will still be burning calories while you continue throughout your day.
And since high-intensity interval training is done with short bursts of intense exercises, these style workout routines are a lot more challenging and intense, but they also can be completed in a shorter amount of time and they are just as effective, if not more effective. So this is one of the key elements to getting your six-pack abs.
1. High knee taps
45 seconds | 15 seconds Rest
Make sure you’re breathing. Do not hold your breath. And pace yourself because we got a couple of exercises to go.
2. Russian twists
45 seconds | 15 seconds Rest
Make sure that when you’re doing these Russian twists that you’re stretching and turning your abdominals as much as possible.
3. Bicycles
45 seconds | 15 seconds Rest
Everything needs to be in perfect form. Make sure to keep your core tight. Bring your elbow to your knee.
4. In & outs
45 Seconds | 15 seconds Rest
Make sure you jump all the way in and all the way out. Make sure it’s really effective on your core.
5. Leg flutters
45 Seconds | 15 seconds Rest
Make sure to keep your core tight, keep your legs as straight as possible. The straighter your legs, the more you’re activating your core.
Read: 7 Exercises to Get Defined Abs for Girls
MASTER WORKOUT (WEEK FOUR)
We’re gonna be taking the best exercises and techniques and incorporating it all into this master workout.
It may take a shorter or longer amount of time depending on where you’re starting from. But working consistently on this in combination with good nutrition, then you would have developed a strong core and defined abdominals.
This routine is gonna have no rest. We’re gonna keep our high-intensity levels up. We’re gonna be using the floor, raising ourselves, and hanging.
1. Hanging high knee raises
15 Reps
Just like knee raises, except your gonna bring your knees even higher. Make sure you’re squeezing your hands, engaging your core, and breathing. Do not hold your breath.
2. Russian twist
45 Reps
Regulate your breathing. Focus on your form. Keep your legs as straight as you can.
While you’re doing all these exercises is to keep good posture. Try to keep your back straight and overall good posture in your upper body.
3. High knee taps
45 Seconds
We’ll bring that heart rate up, keep up that intensity. Bring those knees up. Regulate your breathing. Keep good posture.
4. Toes to bar
12 Reps
The tighter your grip, the easier it is. Keep legs straight. Control the dissension just like you do when you come up.
5. Plank knees to elbow
15 Reps each side
And as you can see we keep switching up the angles switching up the flexions.
6. Lying leg raises
45 Seconds
You gotta keep the intensity up if you really wanna make this highly effective.
7. Boat hold
Maximum Hold
Keep your legs straight, hands straight, your body in the shape of the bottom of a boat. Core tight, regulate your breathing.
