The everyman six-pack workouts

Pick your programme

Beginner
Length of session (min) 12
Reps per set 10
Sets per exercise 3
Rest between sets (sec) 60
Workouts per week 3

Intermediate
Length of session (min) 15
Reps per set 10
Sets per exercise 4
Rest between sets (sec) 45
Workouts per week 3

Advanced
Length of session (min) 15
Reps per set 12
Sets per exercise 4
Rest between sets (sec) 45
Workouts per week 3

Workout 1: upper abs

#1A Swiss ball plank

A Assume a press-up position, this time with your feet on the Swiss ball. This will recruit more of your upper abs than if they were on the floor, according to the University of Auckland.

B Drop onto your elbows and hold for 45 seconds. This is 1 set; perform 3.“ For the advanced, rock back and forth to add tension,” says Ross. You’ll have to be on the ball to get this right.

#1B Swiss ball pike

A Get into a press-up position, with your shins on a Swiss ball. Your body should form a straight line.“ Just holding this position alone works your abs intensively,” says Ross.

B Without bending your knees, roll the ball towards your body by raising your hips as high as you can. Pause, then return the ball to the start position by lowering your hips and rolling it backward.

#1C Single-leg Swiss ball crunch 

A Lie with your back on the Swiss ball, arms folded across your chest. Raise one foot off the ground, keeping yourself steady by tensing your abs.

B Rise up into a crunch, keeping your foot off the floor. “This drives your hips into the ball keeping your upper abs engaged,” says Ross. That’s the top half of your midsection done and dusted.

Workout 2: obliques

#2A Swiss ball hip roll

A Get into a press-up position – as above. Research in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy found this exercise used more than 60% of your obliques.

B Lift your left leg off the ball and move it to the left so your trunk twists. Repeat on the other side. “This one is more difficult to stop than to start,” says Ross.

#2B Standing oblique crunch with cable

A Research in the journal Clinical Biomechanics found that standing moves such as this are very effective at targeting obliques. Stand in front of a pulley and grab a handle in each hand. Take a small step back.

B Bend at the waist and bring your upper body down towards your legs. Keep your arms fixed and use your abs to crunch your chest towards your left knee. Repeat on the other side.

#2C Swiss ball rolling plank

A Get into a plank position with your elbows bent and resting on the ball. Research in the journal Chiropractic and Osteopathy has shown that this position maximises the work done by your oblique muscles.

B Rotate your upper body to the left until the back of your upper right arm is on top of the ball. Rotate to the start. “Do it slowly or you’ll have trouble balancing,” says Ross. Repeat on the other side.

Workout 3: lower abs

#3A Hanging knee raises

A Grab a pull-up bar with both hands and let yourself hang.“ Start with your feet slightly in front of your hips to maximise the portion of lower abs this exercise is recruiting,” says Ross.

B Bring your knees up towards your chest, hold, then return to the start. “If you start swinging, stop and start again when you’re still,” says Ross. A San Diego University study found that this lack of movement keeps your muscles under almost constant pressure.

#3B Reverse crunch from bench

A Lying with your back on a bench, bend your knees and hips to 90 degrees and pull your feet together. Hold on to the bench behind you. Research in the journal Physical Therapy found this exercise was one of the most effective for targeting lower abs.

B Lift your hips and feet as high as you can while keeping a bend in your knees. Slowly lower to the start without letting your hips rest on the bench.

#3C Frozen bicycle

A Lie face up on the bench, legs straight and off the floor. Raise your legs up over your hips.

B Keeping one leg straight bring the other knee to your chest. Hold this position while lowering both legs as far as you can with control. Return to the start and repeat with the other leg. “Form is everything. A few performed well is better than many done badly,” says Ross. Think quality not quantity.

Photography: Adrian Weinbrecht; Model: Ben Kirby at Flair Talent; Illustration: Peter Crowther Associates at Debut Art