There is a common assumption in the fitness industry that more is better and never is this truer than when you’re trying to get abs;

More exercises

More training sessions

More protein

More muscle

More fat loss

More everything

You’ll do anything, or more accurately, do everything to try and get abs, mistakenly thinking the issue is with your effort.

However, the reality is the issue is with your programming.

You want to use a well-designed program that promotes a focus on the essentials, the things that will make the biggest changes and encourage long-term adherence.

Yet, you’re still in the gym doing exercise after exercise, set after set and rep after rep. You’re chasing the burn, focusing on the wrong things and thinking you can crunch your way to glory.

The results do not match your effort or your desire and sooner or later you begin to think that getting abs is a luxury reserved for other people. This is bullshit. 

You can have abs too. You just need to cut away all the nonsense to get to what is truly necessary. In this article, we’ll do exactly that and look at the best exercises to build and reveal your solid six-pack abs.

The Best Exercises for Abs
#1: Walking
Ok, we know that getting abs is a matter of lowering your body fat enough to see them, which means you need to be in a calorie deficit. 

The problem with this is that being in a calorie deficit for a prolonged period has a bunch of side effects which can slow down or halt fat loss;

Slower metabolism

Increased hunger

Decreased performance
#2: High Intensity Interval Training
What if you’re too busy to walk for 30 – 60 minutes a day? This is where high intensity interval training (also known as HIIT) comes in.

HIIT is characterised by short periods of intense exercise followed by slightly longer periods of recovery repeated for a set duration of time. For example, cycling flat out for 30 secs, resting for 60 – 90 secs and repeating for 20 minutes.
#3: Compound Exercises
Part of the abs equation is having the physique to support it; you don’t want to have abs but no muscle anywhere else. Not to mention training the whole body also helps train the abs.

The best way to train to support ab development as well as build a strong and capable physique is through the use of compound exercises. Compound exercises are any movement that trains multiple muscles with movement at multiple joints, examples include;

Bench presses

Squats

Deadlifts

Lunges

Rows

Pull/chin ups
#4: Patience
Patience is absolutely key to achieving washboard abs. Most, if not all changes in fitness are incremental and the result of consistent effort towards a singular goal over time. This means you must patient in the pursuit of your goals and continue to work at it over the long-term.

A good rule of thumb is to double or even triple the amount of time you think you need to get the results you want, as there is a tendency to underestimate both the amount of effort and time needed to make a transformation.

By increasing the amount of time, you need to make the changes you want, you move your expectations more in line with what is realistic and give yourself a buffer.

This is important as not getting results within the time frame you think is possible is one of the biggest reasons for giving up. Realise that if you work consistently towards your goal and stay patient you will get there.
#5: Full Core Training
A strong core is not only important for a well-developed set of abs, but it also contributes to good posture, injury prevention, better strength, mobility and the transferal of force.

Your core is made up of;

Rectus abdominis

External obliques

Internal obliques

Transverse abdominis
#6: Self-Control
As well as exercising your core, exercising self-control is arguably one of the best things you can do if you want to get abs.

It’s best to think of self-control as the way you regulate all the variables that affect your ability to achieve and then maintain a 6 pack.

Calorie Intake: when it comes to food intake self-control relates to your ability to stick to your diet and hit your calorie and macros goals day in and day out. It also means getting right back on track if you do mess up your diet.

Alcohol: when it comes to drinking and goal achievement it is possible to do both. However, it requires self-control to know when to say no and stop drinking, you need to be controlled in order to prevent over-drinking and the inevitable over-eating associated with being drunk. You can do this by;

Stopping after 1 – 3 drinks

Sticking to low calories alcohols

Not eating when drunk

Keeping the bigger picture in mind

Knowing your limits