Getting washboard abs is simple if you follow these two steps.
In a world where about two thirds of the United States is overweight or obese,1 having six-pack abs is considered the ultimate sign of leanness.
It’s also considered extremely difficult.
Everywhere you look, there’s a book, supplement, or workout program designed to help you get rippled washboard abs. They all have three things in common:
They cost money.
They’re often complex, annoying, and/or time-consuming.
They don’t work.
As with most things, getting a six-pack is simple, though not always easy.
It doesn’t matter if you want a six-pack to impress your friends, be healthier, or as a personal challenge — this article is for you.
Here are the two things you need to do:
1. Create and maintain a caloric deficit to lose body fat.
You already have a six pack. The problem is that it’s probably hiding underneath a layer of fat.
To let your abs see the light of day — you need to lose fat.2,3 The actual size of your abs isn’t going to make any difference in their appearance until you reach a lower body fat percentage.
Unfortunately, ab and lower back fat tends to take longer to disappear than other areas — it’s stubborn. This means you usually have to lose a lot of fat from other places before your abs start to appear.
There is no way to lose fat specifically from one spot on your body — spot reduction doesn’t work. You have to create a caloric deficit and maintain it until you lose enough body fat for your abs to materialize.
Be patient. Men usually need to drop to around 10% body fat before their abs show. Women usually need to get to ~12-14% body fat. If you want more definition, you need to get leaner.
People store fat in different places, and can lose fat at various rates from different parts of their body.4-7You may need to lose more or less fat from other areas of your body than someone else before your abs appear. As long as you maintain a caloric deficit, however, eventually you’ll have abs.
You can create a caloric deficit through diet or exercise, though combining both tends to work best. This brings us to the next step.
2. Lift weights that engage your upper body.
When it comes to exercise for abs, Lyle McDonald
says it best:
“You need two main exercises:
Table push aways: when you start to get full, just push away from the table.
Head shakes: when someone offers you food not on your diet, twist your head right and then left and repeat going 'No thank you.'
Getting a 6 pack is mostly about losing fat.”
In truth, you don’t need to lift weights to get a six pack — or exercise at all.
However, strength training can help maintain muscle mass while you’re in a caloric deficit, which will generally produce better results.8-10 Lifting weights can also help contribute to your caloric deficit by burning some calories (though that shouldn't be the main reason you lift weights).11,12
Most guys are obsessed with ab exercise like crunches, torso twists, sit-ups, and the like. These aren’t necessarily bad exercises, but they’re not always essential or all that helpful.
Full body exercises like squats and deadlifts can activate the abs as much as more direct ab exercises like side planks.13 You’ll also get a fair amount of ab activation from most compound movements like chin-ups, overhead press, and bench press (if you do it right).
It’s probably a good idea to do a few direct abdominal exercises as well, but don’t get carried away. To start, pick 1-2 ab exercises and train them once a week. Do 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps. You can do more than that, but it probably won’t be of much additional benefit.
Abs for All
Getting abs is like a rite of passage if you’re trying to be lean. It’s a sign of health, fitness, willpower, and commitment (and for some, a little vanity).
Don’t be fooled. You don’t need to take supplements, use special exercise equipment, or avoid your favorite foods.
The only thing you need to get abs is a caloric deficit, although strength training can help you maintain muscle mass and get better results. Some direct ab exercises won’t hurt, but focus on your diet above all else.
