Getting a six pack in the gym, at home or at any location takes a blend of the right exercises and the right eating habits. If you neglect to follow a diet that is low in fat and high in nutrient-dense foods, your abs will suffer. As for your exercises, the important thing is that you build as much muscle as possible, burn the fat on your stomach and work your lower abs, upper abs and obliques. A gym has plenty of tools to choose from to make this possible.
Step 1
Use a cardio machine to burn the fat in your belly. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60 to 90 minutes of cardio to lose weight. Use a treadmill, elliptical machine, stair climber, versa climber, rowing machine or exercise bike for this time frame to do cardio. You will lose weight throughout your body, your stomach included.
Step 2
Perform weight-training exercises to build as much muscle as possible. Gyms have barbells, dumbbells an weight machines available to achieve this. The more muscle you gain, the more calories you will burn while at rest. Do exercises like bench presses, upright rows, lat pulldowns, triceps extensions, barbell curls and leg presses. Aim for three to four sets and 10 to 12 reps with each exercise.
Step 3
Use a captain's chair to do knee raises for your lower abs. A captain's chair is a tool that has padded forearm supports, hand grips, foot rests and a padded back support. Place your feet on the rests, pin your back to the backrest and grab the handles. Lift your feet off the rests and let your legs hang straight down. Pull your knees up to your chest and squeeze your abs forcefully for a full second. Lower your legs back down slowly, and repeat 15 to 20 times.
Step 4
Kneel on a torso twist machine to work your obliques. Adjust the lower padded support so your knees are facing to your right, pin your chest against the upper supports and grab the handles. Keep your upper body still as you twist your lower body as far to the left as possible. Move your knees back to the starting position slowly and repeat. Do 15 to 20 reps, switch the direction of the knee pad and repeat.
Step 5
Lie face-up on a stability ball to do sit-ups for your upper abs. Bend your knees, place your feet flat on the floor and elevate your head and shoulders slightly. Place your hands on the sides of your head and lift your torso forward. Squeeze your abs forcefully for a full second, slowly lower yourself down and repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions.
Step 6
Add resistance to your ab exercises when possible. Wear ankle weights if your gym has them with your knee raises and hold a medicine ball, dumbbells or a weight plate above your chest when doing sit-ups. Adjust the resistance on the torso machine by sliding the pin into the weight stack. By increasing your resistance, you will activate more abdominal muscle fibers.
Tips and Warnings
- Do your weight training and cardio three days a week on alternating days of each other. Work your abs after your weight training sessions.
Things You'll Need
- Barbells
- Dumbbells
- Weight machines
- Captain's chair
- Torso twist machine
- Stability ball
- Medicine ball
- Ankle weights
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