Whether you're looking for six-pack abs that look great or a rock-solid core for lifting monster weights, these exercises are exactly what you need.
Most twisting ab exercises are TERRIBLE for your lower back. Any oblique work you get out of them is offset by the potential damage you can do to your spine with a loaded twisting movement. This exercise will strengthen your core while working the anti-rotation function of your deep abdominal muscles.
This is a monstrous (in a good way), highly-efficient exercise for targeting the deep core muscles very strongly...the obliques and the transversus.
This unique sit-up variation just hammers the six-pack abs, with a strong focus on the lower abs. You will need a couple of kettlebells to perform it.
This 3-phase cable crunch exercise is goes beyond the simple spinal flexion that you get in a regular crunch. Because in addition to spinal flexion, there will be an isometric component (similar to a roll-out) AND a supported spinal extension component (almost like "pushing" crunch).
This variation of the abdominal sit-up brings in a "push" to the exercise using your arms, along with the pull of your six-pack abs. This brings in the deep muscles of your core to assist with the exercise and take away some of the lower back stress.
The Human Flag is a TOUGH exercise that very few people are strong enough to do. This version allows anybody to perform a version of the exercise to help tighten up the muscles under the love handles.
You want six-pack abs? You need to work the rectus abdominis (the six-pack ab muscle) with focused tension...and, ideally, WITHOUT spinal flexion and torque on the lower back. That's where this new exercise comes in.
The Hanging Knee Raise is a great exercise for developing the six-pack abs and the hip flexors. This simple adjustment of a dip belt will allow you to add extra resistance to the movement to build even more power in the abs and hip flexors.
You're going to hate me for this one...this is one of my very favorite "secret weapon" core training exercises. And when you're done, you're going to feel like you can punch through a brick wall.
The serratus muscles are the small, diagonal "fingerlike" muscles that sit on the rib cage between the lats and the pecs and they are VERY hard to effectively train and build. This exercise targets them PERFECTLY and with heavy weight.
This combination exercise is literally one of THE best waist-tightening exercises I've EVER found. After completing your first set, you will actually FEEL the muscles in your waist pulling inwards and tightening like shrink wrap.
This is a monster deep core strength exercise that utilizes a simultaneous push-pull in the upper body to send massive torque in through the obliques and transversus muscles.
Whether you want to build core strength for lifting heavier in the big exercises or tighten up your waist by working the deep muscles of your core, the one-arm curl squat is one of the best exercises you can do.
Dumbbell Crawling is one of THE single best deep core exercises you'll ever do. It's literally off-the-charts effective for developing deep core strength and power.
This variation of the Pallof Press is going to hit your core with a completely novel movement pattern. It's killer strength training for the deep core muscles in a way they've never experienced before.
This Janda Sit-Up variation will set your six-pack abs on FIRE. You'll be performing a sit-up, with your heels braced to take the hip flexors out, while adding band resistance at the top.
This is an uncommon variation of the plank that primarily targets the posterior aspect of the core and body. Adding weight is also going to bring in the anterior core very strongly as well.
This exercise will literally CRUSH your core...that's why it's the name of the exercise! It puts MASSIVE tension through the entire upper body with a specific focus on the core, based on where and how you hold the resistance.
This variation of the leg raise targets the lower abdominal area in a different fashion than standard leg raises...you'll be "pulling" the abs up and in rather than simply flexing at the hips.
The Janda Sit-up is a variation that helps take hip flexors out of the sit-up by activating your hamstrings. This push-back method adds additional resistance to the sit-up by pushing backwards against resistance.
This version of the abdominal plank improves upon the original in two ways...it puts more focus on the lower abs to help tighten any belly bulge there and it uses counterbalanced weight to take pressure off the lower back and keep it on the abs.
This simple twist to the Goblet Squat puts even more loading on the core, to help improve bracing strength for squats and deadlifts.
To really get your six-pack abs to pop out (even at higher bodyfat levels), you need to hit them with resistance. This crunch variation uses body position and bracing to give you great resistance over a full range of motion.
This is a fantastic exercise for any sport that requires force transfer through the core (between upper and lower body)...in other words EVERY SINGLE SPORT ON THE PLANET. You'll be swinging kettlebells while you walk...
This exercise will give you a pump in your six-pack abs...which is an amazing feeling. It uses a similar, but opposite, concept to the Janda sit-up where you use muscle activation to increase loading on the six-pack abs.
The sit-up can actually be a great exercise for developing core strength and for targeting the six-pack abs. This version creates a push/pull dynamic that takes out hip flexors while increasing tension on the six-pack abs.
This version of the Goblet Squat adds a small twist to the exercise...which actually brings in the deep muscles of the core very strongly. This small change makes a BIG difference.
To really get your six-pack abs to pop, you need to work them with targeted resistance...endless crunches won't do the trick. This exercise will work the six-pack abs in two ways at the same time...top-down and bottom-up.
This one is just miserable...in a good way. The movement itself resembles a classic rollout, but the setup changes the level of tension on the core so that you get NO break from the start of the set to the end of the set.
This version of the dumbbell bench press is the ultimate beach body exercise, targeting the six-pack abs and the chest. The setup places your upper back off the end of the bench, which means it's the abs supporting you while you press.
Your obliques are going to HATE me for this one, I promise. This combines an isometric, offset-loaded hold for the deep core with another isometric hold in the other direction while doing a split squat.
Your obliques are going to HATE me for this one, I promise. This combines an isometric, offset-loaded hold for the deep core with another isometric hold in the other direction while doing a split squat.
This is one of the most functional deep core exercises you'll ever do, along with tightening up the waist. Every step you take, your deep core has to stabilize the spine against the rotation of the load.
The unique up/down loading of this exercise hits your deep core and pelvic floor muscles in a way they've never been hit before. Instead of normal anti-rotational work (push/pull), you're going to hit them with up/down torque.
This is an incredible core and upper body exercise that is going to tighten up the entire abdominal area. You'll be holding a heavy kettlebell or pair of dumbbells to counterbalance your bodyweight in a lever hold.
This exercise will take your six-pack abs from a great stretch to a strong contraction, on every single rep. By developing these muscles with this kind of resistance, you'll be able to see your abs even at higher bodyfat levels.
This combo exercise will destroy your six-pack abs from top to bottom. It'll take you from strong stretch to full contraction under full load. Advanced trainers only!
This is a variation of one of my favorite "secret weapon" core training exercises, this time done on an incline bench. When you're done, you're going to feel like you can punch through a brick wall.
This loading strategy targets a whole different aspect of core training that I call "anti-tilt" strength. This means strength to prevent your torso from tilting to one side or the other. If you think that sounds weird...wait til you see the exercise.
Dig deep into your core with this movement-based abdominal exercise. You'll be holding a heavy dumbbell at the top of the curl position, while you come down into a reverse lunge.
This version of the sit-up creates a push/pull dynamic that takes out hip flexors while increasing tension on the six-pack abs. You can do it lying on the floor...elevating your body on a bench changes the strength curve of the exercise and allows you to use substantially more weight.
This one is a MONSTER on the deep core muscles, hitting the abs not only with the challenging loading of a Zercher position, but heavy, single-arm offset loading at the same time. It actually works the legs pretty effectively as well.
It's like the 12 Days of Christmas with AWESOME training instead of birds...
Flying in the face of conventional wisdom, he’s known around the world as the "Mad Scientist of Muscle” for a reason.
An expert in kinesiology, physiology and anatomy, Nick helps people just like YOU create the body you want, especially when nothing else seems to do the trick.
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