A good ab workout isn’t just crunches
You can’t get a six-pack quickly, but a proper ab workout builds the strength and definition to get you there – if you put in the effort. The core is more than the muscle you can see: a complete session should hit direct flexion (crunches, leg raises), rotation and anti-rotation (bicycle crunches, side planks), and pure isometric bracing (planks). Miss one of those and you’ll have a gap in your core strength even if your abs look fine in the mirror.
One option that hits all three is high-intensity interval training. By alternating intense isometric work (planks), targeted bending and twisting (crunches, jackknives), and high-energy core cardio (mountain climbers), you tax the core in every direction in one 15-minute session.
“Each move complements each other to target your entire core, which will help sculpt your six-pack,” says Derek DeGrazio, trainer and managing partner of Barry’s Bootcamp South Florida, who designed this workout.
Even though you’re going hard, form matters more than speed here – a sloppy plank or a jerky crunch trains bad movement patterns, not abs.
The Workout
Work for the time listed, then take the rest interval before the next move. All rest intervals are 30 seconds. Run through the full circuit once.
- Forearm plank – 60 sec
- Mountain climbers – 30 sec [rest 30 sec]
- Right side plank – 60 sec
- Mountain climbers – 30 sec [rest 30 sec]
- Left side plank – 60 sec
- Mountain climbers – 30 sec [rest 30 sec]
- Leg raises – 60 sec
- Mountain climbers – 30 sec [rest 30 sec]
- Reverse crunches – 60 sec
- Mountain climbers – 30 sec [rest 30 sec]
- Jack knife – 60 sec
- Mountain climbers – 30 sec [rest 30 sec]
- Bicycle crunches – 60 sec
- Mountain climbers – 30 sec [rest 30 sec]
- Forearm plank – 60 sec to finish
Form Cues for Each Move
Forearm plank
Elbows under shoulders, body in a straight line from head to heels. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs like you’re about to be punched – don’t let your hips sag or pike up.
Side plank
Stack your feet, prop up on one forearm, and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line. Keep your top hip stacked over the bottom one instead of rolling forward.
Mountain climbers
From a high plank, drive your knees toward your chest one at a time at speed. Keep your hips low and your core braced – this is a core exercise first, a cardio finisher second.
Leg raises
Lying flat, legs straight, lower them under control until just before your lower back lifts off the floor, then raise back up. Stopping before your back arches is what protects your spine and keeps the tension on your lower abs.
Reverse crunches
Lying flat with knees bent, curl your hips off the floor toward your chest using your lower abs, not momentum from swinging your legs.
Jack knife
Lying flat, simultaneously raise your straight legs and torso to meet in a V-shape, reaching your hands toward your feet, then lower with control.
Bicycle crunches
Hands behind your head, drive opposite elbow to opposite knee in a slow, controlled pedalling motion. Speed without control just turns this into a neck exercise.
How Often Should You Train Abs?
Two to three sessions a week is plenty – the core recovers faster than bigger muscle groups, but it still needs recovery, and ab training won’t out-work a poor diet if visible definition is the goal.
Looking for more ways to burn fat fast? Check our 8 HIIT fat-burning workouts for men, or if bodyweight training is your main focus, see our beginner’s guide to calisthenics.
