The MH Ultimate Series: Seven Steps To Amazing Abs

The key to an impressive midsection: work smarter, not harder.

- Sean Garner And Ebenezer Samuel

Here’s a secret about six-pack abs: you don’t actually need six cubes of muscle in your abdomen to live a happy and productive life. You do, however, need an all-around great core workout if you want to fix your posture, avoid injury, and, oh yeah, look pretty damn good on the beach. That’s where certified strength and conditioning coach, Andy Speer, comes in. Speer’s devised this programme that’ll make your torso rock solid.

DIRECTIONS:

Train 5 straight days, then rest 2 days. Do this workout 3 days a week, with heavy-weight workouts in between.

On your first heavy-weight day, do 4 sets of 10 deadlifts, then do 30 minutes of running.

On your second, do 4 sets of 10 lunges per leg and 4 sets of 10 dumbbell rows per arm, then jog for 30 minutes. Begin every workout with a warmup: 1 minute of jumping jacks and 5 reps of cat-cow stretches.

THE WORKOUT

Do this as a circuit. In weeks 1 and 2, do each move for 30 seconds, then rest 15; do 3 rounds. In weeks 3 and 4, work for 45 seconds, then rest 15; do 4 rounds.

1 Two-Step Getup

Lie on your back, a dumbbell in your right hand directly over your chest, right knee bent. This is the start (a). Press the bell upward, propping yourself onto your left elbow (b). Pause. Push your torso off the floor (c). Pause. Return to the start. Do 1 set on each side before doing the next move.

EB SAYS: Never take your eyes off the dumbbell. This will help you keep the bell (and your shoulder) stable.

2 Ab Runner