Arguably the most common goal of anyone engaged in an exercise program is the acquirement of “six-pack” abs. Visible abs signify high levels of physical fitness and makes you look awesome naked; it’s a no brainer why people are so eager to have them. Contrary to popular belief, everyone has a six-pack whether they do traditional ab exercises or not. Most people just can’t see their abs because they carry a layer of excess body fat, and the only way to remove that flab is through proper nutrition and dieting.
Now just because you can see your abs at low levels of body fat does not mean you have a strong core or a large amount of abdominal development. Your abs, like every other muscle in the body, need to be consistently challenged in training in order to grow and get stronger. Dieting may make your abs visible, but it is a consistent overload that makes them really pop!
Compound vs. Isolation Exercises
I think the best way to develop a wicked strong core and Leonidas caliber abdominal definition is to strike a balance between compound and isolation movements. Compound exercises that resist spinal extension, such as the overhead press, chin-ups, pushups, etc. lead to large amounts of core development because the abs must be engaged throughout the lift in order to stabilize the spine and effectively transmit force.
We must always consider the principle of progressive overload, and you simply can’t load isolation exercises nearly as high as you can load the compound lifts. The abdominals may not be the prime movers during compound exercises, but they are going to receive more stimulation and overload stabilizing under heavier loads than they will during lighter isolation movements.
However, that is not to say that isolation exercises are not important (people should just put more emphasis on the big lifts). Hypertrophy is largely a by-product of metabolic stress and time under tension, and isolation exercises are much more adjustable (without taking away from other areas of the program) in regards to volume, rest time, varying tempos, the implementation of intensity principles (supersets, drop sets, compound sets, etc.) etc. On that same note, full muscular development is only possible when a muscle is trained from all angles and forced to perform all of its major actions. Certain compound movements do a great job of training the abs to stabilize under heavy load (anti-extention), but they don’t effectively train full flexion, lateral flexion, or rotation.
I would argue that you can build a solid core through compound lifts alone, but throwing in some isolation exercises as accessory work will only help your abs grow and develop. Not to mention that the anterior core is usually a weak point for most people (they sure are for me), so throwing in some extra abdominal training is always a good idea. If you had to pick one or the other, go with compound movements. If you have time for additional core work, it will do nothing but enhance your performance and really take your abs to the next level.
*I want to note that I didn’t include squats and deadlifts as major contributors to anterior core development because the abs don’t appear to be nearly as engaged during those movements as the spinal erectors as the goal is to resist spinal flexion (rounding of the low back) under load. Training the posterior core is extremely important in developing a well-rounded and fully functional core, but because the main focus of this article is on the anterior core/abdominals, we are not going to cover the squat and deadlift any further. For more information on erector compared to abdominal activation during the squat and deadlift, check out these two studies:
- Effect of instruction, surface stability, and load intensity on trunk muscle activity
- Trunk muscle activation during dynamic w… [J Strength Cond Res. 2007] – PubMed – NCBI
My Favorite Abdominal Exercises
I wanted to give you a few of my favorite exercises for building the anterior core. This is nowhere near the total amount of exercises you can do for your abs; they are just common exercises found in the majority of my training programs.
Compound:
-Overhead Press
-Inverted Rows
-Pull-ups
-Chin-ups
-Pushups
-Loaded Carries
Isolation:
-Hanging Leg Raises
-Weighted Decline Crunches
-Cable Crunches (on knees or standing)
-Planks (All Variations)
-V-Ups
-Barbell Roll-Out
-Wood Chops
-Cable Palof Press
– Mason Twists
How to Program Abdominal Training
Your anterior core is receiving a major stimulus from the big, compound lifts, so you don’t really need to overdo it on the isolation work (unless they are a weak point at which point you should include more abdominal exercises in to your program until they catch up relative to the rest of your body). I like to program my ab training in one of three ways: One separate abdominal day, 2-3 exercises after two of my major lifting days (I’m on a 4- day split), or doing one or two ab exercises every day.
Experiment with various abdominal training templates and figure out what works best for you. I prefer training abs on off days because I am so tired after my main lifts on regular training days that I tend to put less effort into my abdominal training then I would if I was fresh. To each their own. Pick a template, monitor the volume and intensity, and continue to make adjustments as your abdominals grow and get stronger.
Summing Up
Getting a visible six pack is easy. Eat a majority of nutrient-dense foods, train hard, and introduce a caloric deficit that is progressively adjusted until you can see your abs. If you want core strength and aesthetics, you need to train your abs just like you would any other muscle group. Emphasize compound movements, throw in some extra abdominal work on the side, and you will end up with one hell of a six-pack.