Best Six Ab Exercises That You Never Thought Of!

It started with the 8-minute abs, then Harland Williams came up with the 7-minute abs because 6 minutes would be too ridiculous.

So where do we go from here?

How do we get the chiselled 8 pack with the lines that run into your pube trail?

In this week's blog post and podcast episode, I am here to share with you my 6 Absolutely Abstract Ab Exercises that you have never thought of and are guaranteed to turn heads on the beach this summer!

I can bore you with the anatomy and the blah blah transverse, the meh no thanks rectus and the ummm uhhh obliques or I can just give you the clickbait free exercises with no delay.

These aren’t your usual run of the mill planks and crunches either.

Ohhh no!

We are stepping outside the box and going DEEP into the Abstract Absolutely Ab Abliterating list of Ab Exercises. Alrighty then, here we go!!!!!!!

1. Sprinting

Sprinting could be one of the best non "ab exercise” exercises to enhance your abdominal development. Run 60m meters as fast as you can for 6-10 reps with complete rest in-between. I am talking all-out sprint, everything you got for 60 meters. Think about it. Your legs and arms are pumping as hard as they possibly can. Pulling, pushing, torquing and moving as hard and fast as humanly possible every stride for 60 meters. The upper body moves in one direction while the lower body moves in the opposite in a violent contra lateral dance. What part of the body connects the upper and lower body and has to handle the enormous loads being created by the powerful muscles of the glutes, legs, chest and arms? The Abs! 

2. Diet

I don’t care if you are vegan, keto, paleo or eat only foods that rhyme with orange. Your diet will be the number one contributor to how many abs we can count on your midriff. We all have a six-pack in there somewhere. Some of us just look like we have more of a keg party going on above the belt than a 6 pack IPA sampler. Lose the excess adipose tissue and you will reveal the abs that are hiding under that protective layer of stored energy. 

3. Suspension Supermans

The Suspension Superman exercise utilizes the abs in the way they were designed to be used. Anti-Flexion in particular but really anti any movement will train the abs. The squat to Superman isometric hold is a gut-busting, core crushing, abdominal aberration from Albania! To be honest I'm not really sure where its from but it is a badass exercise and the Albanians had to be good at something!

See pictures above for the full demonstration. The key is creating the hollow body position by flexing the abs and holding it for 3 breathes. You will need total body tension to hold this position. The only things holding you up are your tippy toes and your hands that are holding on to the suspension trainer handles. What's in between the fingers and toes? The Abs! 

4. Unilateral Farmer Carry/Statue of Liberty

The six-pack is all the rage but his/her/sie/zie counterparts the obliques and transverse have to handle sideband and rotational loads. The unilateral farmer carry puts enormous loads on the muscles that control side bend. The KB statue of liberty walk also puts loads through the core while adding demands on the diaphragm while you brace and control the spine. Love these and use them both with my athletes. 

5. Deadlift

The deadlift could be the best way to load the core. Utilizing the breathing and bracing techniques from my video series Breathing and Bracing you can use the abs in the way that nature intended. Lift heavy shit up and put it down again. Here the abs become the weight belt or corset to support the spine. The heavier the weight, the more support required which equals more abdominal contractions. 

6. The Bellylaclet or Undersize Yourself

This one is a bit of a stretch but if you wear clothes that are one size too small and you can resist stretching them out with your protruding gut, you will keep your waistline trim and slim. I use to have a client from Holland that wore a necklace around her waist at her navel. She said if it ever felt tight she had to manage either her eating or her exercise. This is a great strategy if you are already shredded and want to stay shredded. If you need to lose a few inches I recommend buying a pair of pants and a t-shirt that is one size too small. It will motivate you to make it fit kind of like your XL shirt motivates you to lose weight when it starts feeling snug. 

This list is in no way exhaustive on how you can help decrease the single ab population in your community but it is a start. I hope it helps you think outside the box a little when you are creating your game plan for your summer vacation bod!

Now listen to this week’s podcast where I discuss these strategies and so much more. Afterwards, go on your Instagram Story and share the podcast with your friends. Ohh and don't forget to be a silly goose this week.

You only live 1 life. Let's have some fun with it!