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The workout plan to get a six-pack without doing a single crunch

Reveal a set of ripped abs in just six weeks with this full-body workout program.

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The Workout Plan to Get a Six-Pack Without Doing a Single Crunch
milan2099 / Getty
The Workout Plan to Get a Six-Pack Without Doing a Single Crunch
milan2099 / Getty

Believe it or not, if you want a ripped midsection, training your abs directly should be last on your list of priorities.

The first step is cleaning up your diet. The second should be this program, which focuses on training the biggest muscles in your body to burn the most calories (thereby shedding the fat that covers your abs). In six weeks, you’ll already be revealing some of the definition you may have buried beneath a layer of lazy belly fat. And you’ll be shocked at how few abs exercises it took to get there.

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How it works

This program comes in two parts. You’ll do one phase of workouts for three weeks and then another three-week phase with different workouts.

The first part has no direct ab training at all, just circuits of tough, big-muscle exercises like squats and presses that rev up your

In the second phase, once your body-fat levels are down enough to reveal some ab definition, we’ll target the six-pack with a hanging leg raise and weighted crunch variations, two of the most effective moves for adding dense ab muscle that pops through the skin.

Directions

Alternate each workout (Day 1 and Day 2) for three total sessions per week, resting a day between each. So you can do Day 1 on Monday, Day 2 on Wednesday, and Day 1 again on Friday in the first week. (You’ll do Day 2’s workout twice the second week and repeat the cycle.)

The first three weeks make up Phase 1. After the third week, switch to the workouts in Phase 2, which are done in the same pattern. Exercises marked “A,” “B,” and “C” are done in sequence. Perform one set of each, and then rest after C. Repeat for the prescribed number of sets. Note that in Phase II, the ab exercises are A and B (not C), so rest after B.

Routine

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Phase 1

Day 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 1 of 7

Front Squat

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
6-8
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 2 of 7

Dumbbell Overhead Press

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
8-10
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 3 of 7

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
8-10
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 4 of 7

Dumbbell Bench Press

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
8-10
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 5 of 7

Single-Leg Squat to Bench

Equipment
Bench
Sets
4
Reps
8-10 (each side)
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 6 of 7

Feet-Elevated Pushup

Equipment
Bench
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 7 of 7

Farmer’s Walk

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
3
Rest
Walk 60 sec.

Phase 1

Day 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 8 of 7

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
6-8
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 9 of 7

Wide-Grip Pullup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
4
Reps
8-10
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 10 of 7

Swiss Ball Leg Curl

Equipment
Swiss Ball
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 11 of 7

Wide-Grip Bentover Row

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
8-10
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 12 of 7

Back Extension

Equipment
Bench
Sets
4
Reps
12-15
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 13 of 7

Seated Cable Row

Equipment
Lat Pulldown Bar
Sets
4
Reps
12-15
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 14 of 7

Bear Crawl

Equipment
Sets
3
Reps
Work for 30 sec.
Rest
30 sec.

Phase 2

Day 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 15 of 7

Bulgarian Split Squat

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
6-8 (each leg)
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 16 of 7

Dumbbell Front Squat

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
8-10
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 17 of 7

Jefferson Squat

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
12-15
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 18 of 7

Barbell Overhead Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
6-8
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 19 of 7

Dip

Equipment
Dip Station
Sets
4
Reps
8-10
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 20 of 7

Incline Dumbbell Press

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
10-12
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 21 of 7

Hanging Leg Raise

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
3
Reps
As many as possible
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 22 of 7

Hanging Knee Raise

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
3
Reps
As many as possible
Rest
0 sec.

Phase 2

Day 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 23 of 7

Sumo Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
6-8
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 24 of 7

Dumbbell Swing

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
12-15
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 25 of 7

Barbell Hip Thrust

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
12-15
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 26 of 7

Renegade Row

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
8-10 (each side)
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 27 of 7

Cable Row to Neck

Equipment
Cable Machine
Sets
4
Reps
10-12
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 28 of 7

Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

Equipment
Lat Pulldown Bar
Sets
4
Reps
12-15
Rest
60 sec.
Exercise 29 of 7

Weighted Swiss Ball Crunch

Equipment
Swiss Ball
Sets
3
Reps
8-10
Rest
0 sec.
Exercise 30 of 7

Swiss Ball Crunch

Equipment
Swiss Ball
Sets
3
Reps
As many as possible
Rest
60 sec.
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