While the amount of detail in your abs is most directly related to what you eat, don’t fool yourself into thinking that training them hard has somehow gone out of style. Blasting your abs with challenging and constantly varying workouts is crucial if you expect to have a middle worth showing off.

Too often, we become stuck in the same array of exercises, sets and reps, allowing the miracle of adaptation to rob us of any potential gains in muscle quality. By stepping things up and implementing more intense training protocols, you can swiftly enhance the appearance of your sixer.

This six-move abs workout, broken into two three-move tri-sets, will hit your upper, lower and side abs, as well as the deep-lying muscles of your core, to fire up your midsection so that your body has no choice but to make these crucial muscles bigger, stronger and more defined.

Do this workout twice a week for a month, increasing the weight or reps each week, and you’ll sculpt lean hard abs. To work your abs harder, engage them before the first rep of each set so that they work to stabilise your core.

Dumbbell crunch reach:

Targets: upper abs Sets: 3 Reps: 12 Rest: 10sec

How to:

  • Lie flat on your back with knees bent, holding a dumbbell in both hands.
  • Use your abs to crunch up, keeping your arms straight to raise the weight as high as you can.
  • Hold this top position, then slowly lower your torso back to the start.

Related article: Burn Fat And Build Endurance With 8 Bodyweight Moves You Can Do Outside In The Sun

Straight-leg raise:

Targets: lower abs Reps: 12 Rest: 10sec

How to:

  • Lie on your back with hands by your head or your sides.
  • With your feet together, raise them as high as you can, while keeping your legs straight.
  • Keep the tension on your lower abs as you slowly lower them back to the start.

Related article: 10 Home Bodyweight Exercises To Hammer Your Delts and Traps In To Shape

Mountain climber:

Targets: core Reps: 30 Rest: 2min

How to:

  • Start in a press-up position.
  • Without letting your hips sag, draw one knee up and bring it across towards your elbow.
  • Return to the start, then repeat with your other leg.
  • That’s one rep.
  • Keep reps fast but controlled.

Related article: The Perfect 20-Minute 3 Interval HIIT Workout You Can Squeeze in Anywhere For Maximum Gains

Modified V-sit:

Targets: core Sets: 3 Reps: 12 Rest: 10sec

How to:

  • Lie with your fingers by your temples and feet off the floor.
  • Draw your knees in towards your chest as your crunch your torso up so your elbows go past your knees.
  • Lower back to the start.
  • Don’t let your heels touch the floor.

Related article: Back To Back Dumbbell Exercises To Build Full Body Strength And Burn Fat

Seated dumbbell Russian twist:

Targets: core Reps: 12 Rest: 10sec

How to:

  • Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet slightly raised, holding a dumbbell in front of you.
  • Twist to one side, pause, and then twist back to the other and then return to the middle.
  • That’s one rep.
  • Aim to keep your feet off the floor throughout.

Related article: Master The Toes-to-Bar With These Progressions For An AB-solutly Elevated Abs Workout

Dumbbell T-raise:

Targets: core Reps: 6 each side Rest: 2min

How to:

  • Start in a press-up position with a dumbbell in each hand.
  • Keeping your core tight, lift one weight and rotate your torso to point it straight up.
  • Your head should follow the weight.
  • Reverse the move to the start, and alternate your lifting arm with each rep.