Why your abs aren’t getting shredded and the exercises that will help

Ok. Here’s the million dollar question that personal trainers and fitness experts all over the world get asked on a regular basis –“how do I get shredded abs?”

First lets look at our abs. It’s a long flat muscle that runs down your abdomen, separated by fascia which creates the ‘six-pack’ look. These muscles are part of the group that make up our ‘core’ and keep us stabilized whether we’re lifting weights, running or simply standing up. Fair to say they’re pretty important.

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Does a visible six-pack mean a stronger core? Not necessarily. Having a visible six-pack comes down to three things:

1) your body fat %
2) your genetics
3) the amount of muscle mass you have

I know plenty of big strong guys that don’t look like much through the mid section yet they are incredibly strong through their core as a result of big heavy compound weight training (think power lifting or Olympic weight lifters). For these guys having a visible six-pack is not important.

I also know guys that have a body fat percentage below 10 (think distance running) and although super lean and flat through their mid-section, the six-pack doesn’t pop like the rest of us want it to.

Here’s a couple of tips to get you on your way…

Dylan Rivier shows that he knows a thing or two about shredded abs

Strength training

All over body strength training is key to developing your physique in general. Whether you’re lifting heavy weights in the gym or monkeying around doing calisthenics on a bar, increasing muscle mass means you’ll burn more fat (even when resting), which will in turn mean a stronger foundation of muscle and a decrease in overall body fat percentage. This is where your abs will thank you…

Reduce your body fat percentage

You might have a killer six-pack but if it’s hiding under a layer of abdominal fat, it’ll never see the light of day. This is where your diet comes into play. Everyone has heard the saying “abs are made in the kitchen” and there is some truth to that. You need to be eating the right amount of lean protein, quality carbs and good fat to lose fat – remember we don’t want to lose any muscle! Everyone is different so this will require some experimenting to find out what foods work for you, especially when you’re living an active lifestyle.

HIIT is a great way to reduce your BF% whilst maintaining muscle mass and in fact has been shown to boost growth hormone levels which is a win win when it comes to your abs. Not only is an increase in growth hormone going to help you build muscle, it’s also linked with anti ageing effects as well as torching stubborn body fat.

Training

Here’s the fun stuff. Your abs are muscles just like any other in your body that need to be trained. 1000’s of crunches is not going to be effective. Would you do 1000’s of reps per week of squats? Or deadlifts? Or bicep curls? Not if you’re serious about results. Heavy sets with less weight, lighter sets with more reps – just like you would train any other part of your body it’s important to mix these up.

Once your BF% is down and your strength is up, here’s my favorite ways to get that shredded look in your abs:

1) Involve the hips. Any kind of reverse move (think hanging leg raises, knee tucks etc) is shown to recruit more abdominal tissue than the straight up crunch or situp.

2) Work your obliques. Think twisting. Hang from a bar and bring your knees up to your opposite shoulder in a twisting motion. Try windscreen wipers, hanging from a bar or lying on the floor. Strong obliques helps to create that V shape above your hips that is so aesthetically pleasing.

3) Work your serratus. Boxing is an excellent way to really trim up the serratus anterior which give you that shredded look along your ribs.

4) Static hold. Yep the good ol’ fashioned plank is fantastic for strengthening your whole core and time under tension for your mid-section is great for developing strength for more difficult exercises such as front levers and human flags.

5) Super set. Triple set. Circuit. What do these things all have in common? More than one exercise. Try pairing, or doing three (or more) exercises in a set. Mix up your angles, rep ranges, resistance – the sky’s the limit as far as variety is concerned.

So there you have it. In a nutshell, increase your lean muscle mass, reduce your BF% and train your abs like you would any other muscle group. Simple right? Told you, you already knew the answer…

Happy shredding!

Dylan Rivier is the founder of Built By Dylan fitness and has been a trainer for over 10 years.

Find him at www.builtbydylan.com and at www.instagram.com/builtbydylan.