6 Pack Abs: Merlin’s Master Class

Let’s talk about abs. In my 35-year career as a bodybuilder, trainer, and contest prep coach I have never come across anyone that wasn’t interested in making significant improvements to their midsection.

For some fitness enthusiasts, this means losing belly fat and creating a flatter and tighter tummy. For others, greater core strength is the primary goal. However, when it comes to most serious gym rats the ultimate achievement lies in forging a rock-solid, shredded 6-pack that appears carved from stone!

Now, I must tell you – while flattening the stomach and/or strengthening the core are tasks of only reasonable difficulty, creating a ripped-to-shreds midsection that makes jaws drop is an entirely different animal!

This takes serious discipline, sacrifice, and dedication that only select individuals will “have the stomach for.” And this is precisely why only a precious few, even within most hardcore gyms, own a 6-pack worthy of superhero status.

But please – do not let those last few sentences scare you, because I am here to lay out a master (class) plan to help guide you toward achieving the kind of midsection that looks as if it could literally stop bullets!

No, it won’t be simple and will require a lot of hard work (very few things worth having come easy). However, with a clear direction in hand, and a 3-pronged strategy that includes advice on diet, cardio, and exercises, you can more confidently set a course toward planet 6-pack!

Diet

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat! No matter how well-developed your abdominal muscles are, they will not look all that impressive with a thick layer of fat sitting on top. Abs that look like bricks must be fat-free, covered only by a thin layer of skin, which means eating the proper foods, at the correct times and in the right amounts. Below you will find a list of high-quality foods that will deliver big on nutrients while encouraging muscle gain and fat loss.

• Proteins: lean beef (round steak, London Broil), 99% ground lean turkey, turkey breast, chicken breast, egg whites, game meats, white fish, salmon, non-fat cottage cheese, and protein powders (can be used for up to 3 meals per day).
• Carbohydrates: brown rice, white rice, sweet potato, white potato, whole grain bread, oatmeal, cream of wheat, quinoa, rice cakes, pasta, carb powder, and all fruits.
• Vegetables: all green and colored types.
• Fats: walnuts, peanuts, almonds, avocado, olive oil, fish oil, flax oil coconut oil, and nut butter.

To make things simple I put together a sample day’s diet for a reasonably lean (but not shredded by any means) athlete who is seeking abs of steel.

Meal 1

P: whey/casein protein powder mix (approximately 2 scoops)

C: oatmeal (3.1 oz. uncooked measure)

F: no added fats

Meal 2

P: chicken breast (7.1 oz. cooked measure)

C: brown rice (6.7 oz. cooked measure)

F: no added fats

Meal 3 (pre-workout)

P: tilapia (8.3 oz. cooked measure)

C: large mixed salad

F: olive oil (1 tbsp.)

Meal 4 (post-workout)

P: whey protein powder (approximately 2 scoops)

C: white potato (10 oz. cooked measure)

F: no added fats

Meal 5

P: top round steak (7.1 oz. cooked measure)

C: sweet potato (5.5 oz. cooked measure)

F: no added fats

Meal 6

P: casein protein powder (approximately 2 scoops)

C: none

F: natural peanut butter (2 tbsp.)

Totals: 300 g protein; 200 g carbs; 28 g essential fats

The above will serve as a good starting point, but small adjustments should be made weekly depending on how quickly (or not) results are coming. Additionally, as you begin to lose body weight, your overall calorie amount will need to decrease.

Cardio

Yes, there are a few genetic freaks out there that have such naturally high metabolisms that they do not even need to utilize cardio as a fat-burning tool and can simply rely on diet to get the job done.

However, cardio is a necessary evil for the rest of us mere mortals. That said there should never be a need for excessive amounts, which will only serve to burn off lean muscle (a scenario we do not want)! The keys to successfully and effectively utilizing cardio are listed below.

• Do it at the right times: In my experience, cardio is most effective for burning body fat when performed first thing in the morning and/or after weight training workouts. At these specific times, blood sugar is low, which forces the body to rely on stored fat for energy (at least to a greater degree). Additionally, in an atmosphere of low sugar, there will be higher levels of natural GH circulating throughout your system, which is a very powerful fat-destroying hormone.
• Use both types: Fitness experts argue continuously about whether medium-paced, steady state (SS) cardio or HIIT cardio is the most effective for incinerating fat. As a coach/trainer in this industry for almost three decades, I have learned that both SS and HIIT have their advantages (and disadvantages) and that each has its place within an intelligently designed fat loss program. I have found that SS cardio is great to do on an empty stomach in the morning, and HIIT is excellent after workouts. Don’t argue – use them both!
• Be progressive: Do not go from doing zero cardio right into seven days per week for 60 minutes at a clip! Start with a reasonable amount (perhaps 30 minutes, four days per week) and work your way up progressively on a weekly basis. This approach will keep you from burning out and will allow for steady fat loss without destroying hard-won muscle tissue.
• Split it up: In my experience, I have found that once you are performing about 40+ minutes of cardio at a time, you will get faster results by splitting the session into two parts – morning and evening (or after your workout). In other words, try getting in half your cardio as soon as you wake up and the other half after an afternoon workout, or even right before your final meal.

Abdominal Training

If your diet is on point and cardio is in full effect, you can now turn your attention to building your abdominal wall. Now – while we certainly are not looking to create “huge abs” in the same respect as biceps, shoulders, or pecs, it is still necessary to forge some thickness into each “ab-block” if you wish to display a truly wicked 6-pack! I have witnessed many athletes/bodybuilders over the years with low, single-digit body fat levels whose abs were not all that impressive. The reason for this is simply because their abdominal muscles themselves lacked development. We are not going to let this happen to you!

Ab Training “Rules”

• Train them twice weekly without fail.
• Treat them like any other muscle group rather than an afterthought.
• Slow the rep-tempo while focusing intensely on both the stretch and squeeze of each exercise.
• Add more resistance to every abdominal movement so that fewer reps can be performed.
• Take every work set to failure in a range of about 10-20 reps.
• Make sure to include movements that stress the upper, lower, and “side” regions of the midsection.
• Find a core of abdominal exercises that you “feel” the most and stick with them.

In regard to that last point, here are the exercises, which I have personally found to be the most productive and result-producing. 

• Weighted Floor Crunches (DB held on chest)
• Cable Crunches
• Seated Crunch Machine
• Hanging Straight and Bent Leg Raises
• Incline Straight and Bent Leg Raises
• Lying Side Crunch
• Cable Side Crunch

The POWER/REP RANGE/SHOCK™ Six-Pack Attack!

Briefly, for those who may be unfamiliar with my P/RR/S™ Training System, it is a cyclical method where each week we approach muscle hypertrophy via unique training protocols. Below is the exact program I utilized for my last competition in 2011, where many felt I had the best 6-pack in the entire show.

“POWER WEEK”

• Weighted Floor Crunches (with up to a 120 lb. DB on my chest): 3-4 x 10-12
• Hanging or Supported Straight Leg Raise (with DB held between feet): 3-4 x 10-12

“REP RANGE WEEK”

• Cable Crunch: 2-3 x 13-15
• Incline Straight Leg Raise: 2-3 x 16-20
• Lying Side Crunch: 2-3 x 21-25 on each side

“SHOCK WEEK”

• Dropset – Seated Crunch Machine: 2 x 16-20, drop, 8-10
• Superset – Hanging or Supported Bent Leg Raise/Incline Bent Leg Raise: 2 x 16-20 each
• Rest Pause-Cable Side Crunch: 1 x 13-15, rest 10 seconds…max reps, rest 20 seconds…max reps

*After two cycles of the above, I would shuffle around the exercises a bit to provide variation and constant novel stimulation to the muscles, mind, and CNS.

Try this program yourself utilizing the same exercises I do, or better yet, the ones you have found most personally effective. There is no magic formula behind building “bricks” for abs – what it takes is committing to working them with the same intensity, drive, and passion as any other major muscle group!