How To Forge an Iron Core: The Nincompoops Guide to
a Functional Six Pack
By Pat Flynn RKC
Hey you.
Yeah you.
Want a set of super awesome six pack abs?
Well who doesn’t!?
I know what you’re thinking and the answer is YES! Having great abs really does
make everything better!
So you still want to learn how to strip off that unsightly body fat and reveal that
chiseled set of six pack abs that has just been longing to come out?
Cool, because I’m going to show you how to do just that.
As a matter of fact I’m going to make it very simple for you too. Here are six simple
rules to follow in order to unearth that hidden set of six pack abs of yours:
Rule #1 – No more than 100 grams of carbs per day.
I am a strong advocate of the high fat, low carb, moderate protein approach when it
comes to keeping your bodyfat percentage as low as possible. Except there is one
pesky problem with this approach, and that problem is that your performance while
in a ketogenic state will suffer. Carbs are the primary fuel for anaerobic efforts, of
that there is no debate. So if you are into lifting heavy things up and putting them
back down, then a long term low carb diet will be less than optimal for such
endeavors.
So what is the solution?
Think of carbs as a supplement rather than a food! Simple enough right? Time your
carb consumption around your workouts and consume no more than 100 total
grams of carbs each day. My personal recommendation is to either consume 30-50
grams of complex carbs (with some protein and fat) two hours prior to your
workout, or 30-50 grams of carbs of waxy maize or vitargo (fractionized barley)
with your pre-workout drink of choice. Immediately post workout consume 50-70
grams of quick digesting carbs such as waxy maize or vitargo with your protein
drink of choice. Sugars are ok as well, but avoid fructose! Fructose preferentially
replenishes liver glycogen over muscle glyocen, so focus on consuming glucose
containing carbs post workout.
The rest of the day eat as you would on a low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet.
Consume meats, eggs, oils, nuts, some berries, seeds, poultry, fish, green veggies, etc.
The key is to keep insulin levels in check throughout the rest of the day. This will
ensure that you get the carbs you need to fuel your workout, the hormonal benefits
of an insulin spike that occur post workout (muscle and strength gains) without the
negative effects of spiking insulin all other times throughout the day (fat gain and
decreasing insulin sensitivity).
For more on the 100 grams of carbs or less a day rule and how you can shed
maximum body fat in minimum time , be sure to check out our Metabolic Reset: A
Binge and Purge Manifesto eBook over at ABS-SCIENCE
Rule # 2 – Don’t do your core work at the end of a workout
There are two ways that I prefer to train my core. One is intermittently between sets
of whatever you may happen to be working on that day, such as holding a 15-30
second plank between sets of back squats, or perform 5 -10 jhanda sit ups between
sets of double clean and press. The other benefit of this is that it sort of “sets your
core” to for the next set and is a way to make sure everything is primed and ready to
work. The other method is to devote a 20-30 minute training session entirely to core
work. These are effective methods by themselves. But taking advantage of both is
where you will see the most substantial results. Perform intermittent core work
between sets during your normal routines, but also devote 2-3 days a week to train
your core for 20 – 30 minutes.
Rule # 3 – Know the role that your core plays and train it accordingly
The primary purpose of your core is to provide stability, specifically to your spine. I
consider flexion, extension, and rotation to be important as well, but not as of the
utmost importance of the stability function. This means is that you should train your
core in three manners. The first and foremost focus should be on stability (planks,
bridges, rack holds, overhead presses, etc). The second is linear (flexion and
extension – jhanda sit ups/crunches, hanging leg raises, kettlebell swings, etc). And
the third is rotational (Russian twists, wood-choppers, landmine twists, windshield
wipers, etc). A strong balanced core not only looks great, but is also where an
athletes derives his/her power.
Rule # 4 – Throw some weight on there! … Sometimes…
Your core muscles respond to a stimulus just like any other muscles in your body. If
you want them to get stronger or to grow then you need to stimulate them to do so
like you would any other muscle in your body. What this means is that you will have
to perform some heavy core lifts at least some of the time. If your body fat
percentage is low enough, then you may not need to perform any additional core
work to see your abs. But if you want those super cut abs with the deep rivets, then
you will need to hit them hard at least some of the time. Mix it up between
heavy/weighted core movements (weighted planks, weighted Jhanda crunches,
Russian Twists), less weight higher rep exercises ( hanging leg raises, woodchoppers, swiss ball crunches), and low weight/low rep/slow tempo exercises ( no
momentum sit ups, L-sits, dragon flags)
Rule # 5 – Pre-engage your core before each and every rep
This one is simple. Before every rep you do, brace your abs as hard as you possible
can. This will ensure that you get the greatest stimulus possible out of each rep, but
don’t get frustrated if you aren’t able to get as many reps when you do this, as this is
normal.
Rules # 6 – Train at a high intensity 2 – 3 times per week
Look, you can do all of the most fantastic core work in the world, and have the most
incredible six pack known to man, but if you have a layer of fat covering it up then
no one will ever know! The truth is that if you want all of your hardcore core
training to pay off from an aesthetics stand point, then you need to have a pretty low
body fat percentage. The most important piece to this puzzle is the nutrition factor,
which I covered earlier. The second piece is training intensity. Studies have proven
again and again that the most effective form of training for fat loss is high intensity
anaerobic work, not silly aerobic work! The most effective form of this type of
training for stripping off body fat that I have come across is complex training and
metabolic conditioning. As a matter of fact, I have an entire eBook devoted to
kettlebell complex training and metabolic conditioning! And that is just one of the
FOUR eBooks that you receive when you purchase our eBook bundle package! Be
sure to check that out if you are serious about forever changing your appearance,
performance, and life!
But whatever form of high intensity resistance training that you choose, be sure to
train in that manner at least 2 – 3 times per week for optimal results. Here’s a
sample 20 minute follow along kettlebell workout that you can give a shot as well!
Core Exercise Menu
Hanging Leg Raises and Variations
Janda Sit Ups/ Crunches
Landmine Twists
Russian Twists
Wood-Choppers
Windshield Wipers
Plank
3 Point Plank (raise an arm or a leg)
2 Point Plank (you can figure that one out)
Kettlebell Swings
One Arm Kettlebell Swing
Windmill
Bent Press
Overhead Military Press (especially beneficial to the core if you use two different
size kettlebells)
Rack Holds ( Hold two heavy kettlebells in the rack position, focus on keeping the
core and glutes incredibly tight)
Halos
Around the Body Pass
Figure 8
Swiss Ball Crunches
Renegade Rows
Hardstyle Push Ups
Leg Lifts
Hip Pulse ( Top portion of a leg lift – push your heels toward the ceiling and drive
your hips off the ground)
Corkscrew Hip Pulse ( Same as the last one except this time twist your hips as you
pu;se them up in a corkscrew like manner, pulling from your obliques)
Cosmonaut Sit Ups (Hold a broomstick or straight bar like object in front of your
face. Sit up and visualize trying to reach the broomstick to the ceiling. Roll back
down very slowly one vertebrae at a time)
L – Sits
Diagonal Hanging Leg Raise (Think about raises your legs up next to your right
hand, then next to your leg hand)
Turkish Get Up
Quarter Get Up (First portion of the get up to the forearm position)
Side Plank
Dynamic Plank (Start on forearms, walk up to your hands, and then back down)
Superman
Ab Wheel Rollouts
Roman Chair Sit Ups
Programming
For the intermittent ab protocol simple perform a set of whatever ab exercise you
wish between working sets of whatever you are working on that day. For example,
say you are back squatting, so in between each set of back squats perform a set of 510 hanging leg raises. This is a favorite combo of mine because not only do you get
to keep your system working and do something productive during your rest period,
but the hanging leg raise will help to naturally decompress your spine from the
heavy back squats. Another example would be to perform a set of 5 – 10 ab wheel
rollouts between each set of pull ups. The possibilities are endless, just be sure to
work each aspect of your core (linear, rotational, and stability).
For the stand-alone core training session I recommend performing the heavy
strength movements first and working your way down to the lighter/higher rep
exercises. I also personally love to superset or even make a circuit out of my core
exercises.
Here are a few quick examples to choose from. Feel free to create your own circuits
and throw them together to create your own 20-30 minute core workout. I feel that
three ab exercises per circuit is optimal, any more than that and the fatigue will start
to compromise form.
Circuit 1: Perform each exercise back to back with little to no rest in between.
Perform 3 – 5 sets
Hanging Leg Raises (linear) – 6 to 8 reps
Weighted Jhanda Crunches (linear)– 8 to 10 reps
Plank – 30 to 60 seconds (stability)
Circuit 2: Perform 3 – 5 sets
Windshield wipers (rotational/stability) – 8 to 10 reps
Russian Twists (rotational) – 10 reps (R+L)
3 Point Plank (stability) – 30 to 60 seconds
Circuit 3: Perform 3 - 5 sets
L – Sit (stability/linear) – 30 to 60 seconds
Weighted Roman Chair Sit Ups (linear) – 8 to 12 reps
Hip or Hand Bridge (stability) – 30 to 60 seconds
Circuit 4: Perform 3 – 5 sets
Diagonal Hanging Leg raises (linear/rotational) – 6 to 8 reps
One Arm Swing (stability) – 20 reps (L+R)
Side Plank – 30 to 60 seconds (R+L)
Again, the possibilities are endless, but the important part is that you keep your core
work balanced. You may notice that I did not put a lot of extension work in those
circuits because as a kettlebell practioner I am constantly practicing extension!
Which is almost the opposite of what most Americans do, so if you live in flexion all
day, then I would advise you to incorporate more extension work into your core
routine with movements such as kettlebell swings, supermans, bridges, etc. Having a
great looking core is one thing, but having a great looking core that is also
functional, balanced, and strong is what we are striving for.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Or perhaps you just want to talk politics?
Whatever your problem, I’m confident that I will be able to offer a solution.
Pay me a visit sometime over at The Chronicles of Strength. I enjoy the company.
- Pat Flynn RKC
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