A simple abs workout hack I wish I knew before I started working on my six pack

Can this easy abs workout hack supercharge your fitness journey and grant you access to six pack heaven? Despite Instagram being the online place people can showcase their washboard abs nowadays, getting a six pack is still on top of everyone's fitness agenda. And that is fine: there are worse things to spend time with during lockdown than trying to get a six pack. 

When people think about abs workouts , they imagine doing crunches and situps day and night, but those two abs exercises are probably the least effective in building a solid abdominal area. The best core exercises, such as the hanging leg raise and the hardstyle plank, will build abs definition way sooner and a strong core can also help you lift heavier in the gym or at home.

But enough chit chat about strong core: how can you get lean and strong low abs? Celebrity trainer, Andrea Marcellus, says turning out your legs does the trick. That's because this disengages your hip flexors and requires your actual low abs to do the work, hence strengthening, sculpting and toning them. While there are a few strategies to putting the focus into your low abs, this simple hack is perfect for beginners. 

• This 10-minute medicine ball full body workout lets you burn fat fast in a small space
• Get a six pack with the help of this Manny Pacquiao-inspired 8-minute core workout

As Andrea perfectly explains in the video above, by rotating the knees out during lower abs exercises such as lying leg raises, you disengage the hip flexors which otherwise would take some of the load off the abs when performing such exercises. This trick only works for abs exercises that involves moving the legs: it wouldn't work with ab rollouts, for example. We reviewed the best ab roller on the market today: the Ab Carver Pro is a beast of a home gym equipment that'll give your abs a run for its money.

As well as including more hip flexor-disengaging abs exercises, you should also look at ways to boost metabolism in order to reveal your six pack sooner. Blasting belly fat is possible for most of us as long as you do your abs workouts frequently, avoid processed/sugary foods, drink plenty of water and include some cardio workouts throughout the week. Easy peasy.

Liked this?

• These identical twins compared weighted vs bodyweight workouts. Which is BEST for muscle building?