Getting the bulletproof abs you hear so much about is actually not that hard. The secret is choosing the right exercises and doing that ab workout on a regular basis. Consistency builds greatness.
A flat stomach with visible abs is great for the warm season and looking good at the beach, but the actual benefit in training your abs is increased athleticism and a better posture. In the long run this is the real benefit of taking care of your abs.
In this article you will learn how a good ab workout looks like and what sets and reps to aim for. After getting that covered we’ll jump right into the exercise selection. The last part of this article covers details regarding training your abs with resistance bands and an in depth explanation about the specific abs muscles.
Workout For Six-pack Abs
When it comes to effective ab workouts there are 2 factors which we have to get right. First is having multiple exercises to hit every muscle in your abs. The second is putting them into a workout to get the right amount of sets and repetitions to get results.
We will get both right!
First we cover two effective workout routines to train our abs followed by a detailed step-by-step guide how to do the exercises in the workout. You will find what muscles the exercises will put an emphasis on and how the start and finish position look like.
Each exercise used in the workout can also be done without resistance bands. Remember bands are a tool to get a higher resistance, if your body weight is enough to get the job done at the moment it is fine. Start with your body weight only and include resistance bands after you get better at the exercises.
There are two methods to have a great ab workout. You can either do a set/rep based workout or a time based workout. I personally like to switch between these methods. This way it doesn’t get boring 😉
Set/Rep based Ab Workout:
- Execute the 5 exercises back to back without a break – this is one set
- 20 reps per exercise
- Rest for 90 sec after finishing each set
- Repeat for sets – aim for 3-5 total sets
Time Based Ab Workout:
- Start with the first exercise and execute for 1 minute – set a timer
- Rest for 15 sec
- Execute the next exercise – Repeat for all 5 exercises
- Aim for 1-2 total sets
Time under Tension (TUT):
With time, you will get better at the exercises and at working out your abs. Make sure not to increase the reps for a given exercise. Instead, increase the resistance. This will bring you better and faster results.
To increase the resistance you have two options:
- You can slow down your reps.
- You can add a resistance band to the exercise to get additional load
You can also combine both methods to get an even greater load on your abs!
Workout App
In case you’re looking for a workout program for other parts of your body or a structured and effective workout routine you can follow on a daily basis – with resistance bands only – check out our workout app. To get a preview and all the details about the app – check out this page: BIQ Workout App
In the Workout app included is a searchable collection of all exercises you can do with resistance bands. For each exercise there is a how-to video as well as a step-by-step explanation.
The Best Abs Exercises To Do With Resistance Bands
#1 – Lying Crunches
Focus: Rectus Abdominis
Band: Medium
The lying crunch can be done with body weight only or by attaching a band to an anchor point behind you. Make sure to crunch up by leaving your lower back in the floor and rounding you upper body forward.
Step-By-Step How-To:
- Attach the band behind you and get down on the floor
- Grab the band with both hands and hold it in front of you
- Crunch up by raising your shoulders off the ground, so your hands go between your legs (Leave the lower back on the ground)
- Hold for 1 second and return to the starting position
- Repeat for reps
The kneeling version is great when you get to a point where you want to use a band with a higher resistance. This way you get into a more stable position and will be able to handle a higher load.
Get a detailed insight into how to do crunches 100% correctly every time in our full article on this exercise: Crunches With Resistance Bands
#2 – Reverse Crunches
Focus: Rectus Abdominis
Band: Light to Medium
Step-By-Step How-To:
- Attach the band to an anchor point – floor level
- Wrap the band around your feet
- Lie down on the floor and bend your legs 90-degrees (knees and hips)
- Bring your knees towards your shoulders – Lift your butt slightly off the ground to get a better contraction in your abs
- Hold for 1 second and return to the starting position
- Repeat for reps
#3 – Wood Chops
Focus: Obliques and Transverse Abdominis
Band: Medium
This will be your bread and butter exercise for your side abs – the obliques. There are two versions of wood chops. Either you pull from high to low – this version is shown in the pictures. Or you pull from low to high. Make sure to try both and mix it up to keep it interesting!
Step-By-Step How-To:
- Attach the resistance band at the height above you
- Step away and turn 90 degree – so your shoulder is pointing towards the anchor point
- Get a wider stance with your feet for stability – Bend your knees slightly
- Extend your arms
- Rotate your body and bring your hands to the opposite side of your body (Make sure that your arms are aligned with the band throughout the movement)
- Repeat for reps (Don’t forget the other side)
#4 – Pallof Press
Focus: Obliques and Transverse Abdominis
Band: Medium
Step-By-Step How-To:
- Attach the resistance band at the height of your chest
- Step away and turn 90 degree – so your shoulder is pointing towards the anchor point
- Get a wider stance with your feet for stability – Bend your knees slightly
- Extend your arms straight in front of you
- Retract your arms towards your upper body
- Repeat for reps
#5 – Russian Twists
Focus: All Ab muscles Groups
Band: Light
This is a great finisher for your workout. The Russian twists can be done or without a resistance band. To do it only with your body weight, raise your feet off the ground and touch alternating the floor with your hand on your left and on your right side. For the version with resistance bands do this:
Step-By-Step How-To:
- Attach the band to an anchor point above you
- Grab the band with both hands and bring your hands towards your stomach, so you feel a resistance in the band
- Bend your legs a little and place your feet on the door/wall underneath the anchor point (this will make sure that your legs stay in place)
- Now twist to one side and then to the other side – try touching the floor with your hands
- Repeat for reps
Can You Train Your Abs Effectively With Resistance Bands?
Abs can be trained effectively with body weight only. With resistance bands you can add load to the exercises and therefore get better and faster results. Resistance bands are even superior to free weights, cables and machines when it comes to training your abs. Since resistance bands have a variable strength curve your abs have to work harder to complete a rep. And this will lead to progress!
So Yes! – Abs can be trained very effectively with resistance bands!
One important thing to add to get your expectations straight. You won’t get visible abs by doing a bunch of ab workouts. When it comes to visible abs there are 2 key factors. Genetics and body fat. The most important thing to get right to get visible abs is to get a low body fat percentage. Only after losing the surface fat on your stomach you will get the abs to pop. The other thing is genetics. Not everybody out there will have perfect six or eight pack abs – it simply depends on your genetics. Be happy with what you have!
Also: You won’t lose fat on your stomach by doing a bunch of ab exercises. Our body simply doesn’t work this way. Humans can’t lose fat specifically on a target area. We lose fat everywhere on our body. So to get visible abs you need to drop your body fat percentage and to that you need to take care of your diet and add more cardio to your workout routine. Get more insight in this article: Fat Loss With Resistance Bands
Still not convinced? To get a better understanding about effectivity of working out with resistance bands, check out our in depth article in this topic: Why Does Training With Resistance Bands Work
Benefits of Training With Resistance Bands:
So working your abs with resistance bands is effective, but are there any other benefits? Yes there are! Some of them are the following:
- Follow the natural strength curve of your muscle! The resistance of a band will always increase the more you stretch it and that’s also the natural strength curve of our muscles, having the most power in the full contraction.
- Joint Friendly! Resistance bands are easier on the joints compared to weights. This will reduce the chance of injury.
- Workout Anywhere! With bands you can do your workouts anywhere and anytime. No opening hours of gyms. No expensive equipment for the garage gym. Even on your holiday. Simple throw them in the suitcase and work on your goals anywhere in the world.
- Universal! You can use resistance bands for any fitness goal. Build muscle, lose fat, get stronger.
But there are even more advantages when using resistance bands as a tool to add load to your resistance training. We collected all benefits you get by using bands in this article: Benefits Of Resistance Band Training
Are There Different Ab Muscles?
Our abs consist of 3 distinct muscle groups. Most people think that abs and six-pack is the same. But our abs are much more than that. The 3 muscle groups in our abs are illustrated in the following picture:
Rectus Abdominis – This muscle group form the six-pack of your abs. The function of the Rectus Abdominis is bending your upper body forward as well as bringing your legs up by bending at the hips.
Obliques – These are the side ab muscles. When you rotate your upper body relative to your lower body or the other way around the obliques do a lot of work to stabilize your body.
Transverse Abdominis – These muscles are often not appreciated enough. They play a key role when it comes to stability while holding a position isometrically or in dynamic movements.
