For anyone working towards a six-pack, it’s common to focus on countless crunches, thinking that the more ab exercises you do, the quicker you’ll get shredded. But if you’ve been chasing that elusive six-pack solely with sit-ups, you may have already learned a hard truth—it’s not that simple. The concept of spot reduction, which suggests you can lose fat from one specific part of your body through targeted exercise, is misleading. To get a well-defined core, there’s a lot more to the process than just doing crunches.
You might have heard the phrase “abs are made in the kitchen” and wondered if it really holds any truth. Well, the simple answer is yes—nutrition plays a key role in whether or not your abs are visible. However, that doesn’t mean you can skip core workouts altogether. Even with great nutrition, a strong, functional core requires targeted exercises beyond what your daily movements might offer.
The information in this article is based on a video shared by Cori Lefkowith. She founded Redefining Strength in 2014 with a mission to empower people through fitness, nutrition, and proper supplementation. She is a former Division I athlete who wants to train smarter, not harder. Cori also has a YouTube channel with nearly 1 million subscribers that you can check it out.
A well-rounded approach combining nutrition, core training, and progressive exercise is what will get you the results you’re after. Let’s break down why. And, later on, tell you which are the 2 intense ab exercises that most people skip, but you are clever and won’t, right? RIGHT? Good.
Table of Contents
Why You Can’t Spot Reduce Belly Fat
One of the biggest misconceptions in fitness is the idea that you can burn fat from a specific area by focusing on exercises for that area. When it comes to fat loss, your body doesn’t discriminate where it pulls fat from—fat loss happens systemically, meaning it occurs all over your body as you maintain a calorie deficit through diet and exercise. No amount of crunches will melt away belly fat on their own; you need a comprehensive approach that addresses your overall body fat percentage.
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What’s important to understand is that your core will become more visible as your body fat decreases. While doing endless ab exercises will strengthen your core, they won’t necessarily help you burn fat from your midsection. This is where proper nutrition becomes essential. Reducing your overall body fat percentage is key to seeing the definition in your abs, which means paying attention to your diet and focusing on quality nutrition.
Abs Are Built Through Proper Nutrition and Core Training
Think that dialing in your nutrition means you can skip the core exercises? Think again. Even when you’re eating right, building a strong and defined core still requires more than just diet. Core exercises target the muscles that help define your abs, but they also play an important role in overall body function—supporting your spine, preventing injuries, and aiding in more efficient lifting and movement.
When it comes to core training, it’s important to work the muscles in multiple ways. Many people mistakenly think that exercises like squats and deadlifts are enough to train their core because they require stabilization. While these exercises do engage your core, they primarily focus on stabilization rather than working the full range of motion your abs are capable of. For a well-rounded core workout, you need to include exercises that focus on spinal flexion (such as crunches and sit-ups) as well as exercises that resist extension (such as planks and anti-extension movements).
The Key Components of Effective Core Training
To get the best results from your core workouts, you need to focus on two critical components that are often ignored: muscle activation and progression.
1. Muscle Activation
If you’re not feeling your abs working during ab exercises, it’s a sign that other muscles, like your hip flexors or lower back, are compensating. When this happens, those compensating muscles are taking the brunt of the work rather than your abs. This is often because the exercise is too advanced, or your form is incorrect. To get the most out of your ab exercises, focus on proper technique and regression if necessary. Make sure you’re feeling the right muscles working—if not, slow down, reassess your form, and adjust as needed.
2. Progression
As with any other muscle group, to see growth and definition in your abs, you need to continually challenge them. This doesn’t mean adding massive amounts of weight, but it does mean progressing your exercises. This could be done by changing the range of motion, increasing the resistance, or introducing instability. For example, start with basic crunches, then progress to weighted crunches, or work with an incline bench for increased difficulty. Keeping your reps high—between 15 to 25 per set—can also help drive muscle definition when combined with proper nutrition.
2 Intense Exercises for the Abs That Most People Skip (But Shouldn’t)
Here are two of the most effective exercises to help build a stronger and more defined core. These exercises focus on both spinal flexion and anti-extension, ensuring you’re working your abs through their full range of motion.
1. Reverse Crunch Roll with Overhead Hold
This variation of the reverse crunch targets your lower abs while helping to prevent lower back engagement and over-reliance on your hip flexors. By incorporating an overhead hold and locking your heels back into a roller, you can engage your posterior chain and focus more on your abs. This move requires you to pull down hard on a bench or bar, creating tension through your lats and protecting your lower back while allowing for greater ab engagement. As you progress, try straight leg variations or add a lift at the top of the movement for extra spinal flexion.
2. Plank Extensions (Body Saw)
Plank extensions take the classic plank to a higher level, requiring your abs—particularly your lower abs—to work hard to prevent spinal extension. This exercise involves walking your hands or feet back into an extended plank position while maintaining core tension. As you improve, you can introduce tools like sliders or rollouts to increase the difficulty and target your abs even more. It’s essential to focus on bracing your core throughout the movement to avoid any lower back involvement.
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The Bottom Line: Building Your Six-Pack the Right Way
Achieving a strong and defined core goes beyond performing endless crunches. It requires a combination of proper nutrition to lower body fat and a strategic core training regimen that engages your abs fully. Focusing on muscle activation and progression in your exercises will ensure that your core muscles are doing the work and not relying on other parts of your body to compensate. By incorporating a variety of movements that target your abs in different ways, you’ll not only develop a strong core but also reveal the six-pack you’ve been working towards.
Key Takeaways Table
| Component | Key Points |
|---|---|
| Spot Reduction Myth | Fat loss happens throughout the body, not from a specific area by targeting it with exercises. |
| Nutrition is Key | Proper nutrition is essential to reduce overall body fat and reveal the abs underneath. |
| Muscle Activation | Focus on engaging your abs during exercises to avoid compensating with other muscles like hip flexors. |
| Exercise Progression | Challenge your abs with increased resistance, range of motion, or instability to build definition. |
| Top Exercises | Reverse Crunch Roll with Overhead Hold, Plank Extensions (Body Saw). |
