If you have a flat stomach and now you want to get ripped abs, this article will show you how to go from a flat stomach to six pack abs in just 6 weeks.
For abs to show, you need a low body fat percentage. For men, abs start showing at 10-12 percent body fat while women need a body fat percentage of 16-19 percent.
I’ll assume that your body fat percentage is in these ranges. If you don’t know how to calculate it, read this article.
The tips I’ll share below may not work for you if your body fat percentage is higher than the percentages I gave above. If that’s the case, you need to lose body fat.
I’ll be honest with you. Getting six pack abs isn’t easy. You have to train hard and consistently. But the good news is, once you build abs, you can maintain them without doing a single ab exercise.
Look at the photo below. As you can see, my abs are defined despite the fact that I haven’t done a single ab exercise in more than a year, seriously, I don’t train abs at all!
What most people don’t know is that doing full body exercises activates ab muscles. I usually focus on full body exercises such as pull ups, step ups, split squats, push ups, burpees and so on.
If you want fast results, combines full body exercises with ab exercises. But not just any ab exercises, I will show you the most effective exercises to tone your abs fast.
By now, you’re probably wondering why I haven’t mentioned diet. Well, here’s the thing, going from a flat stomach to six pack abs is more about exercise than it is about diet.
The saying that ‘abs are made in the kitchen’ doesn’t apply here.
Just make sure you don’t overeat. Stick to your current calorie intake. But you may maintain a small calorie deficit if you want to get leaner.
As long as you don’t have fat around your abdominal area, you can get abs without changing your diet.
The other important thing is drinking enough water. Every day, drink 8 to 10 glass of water. Being dehydrated causes water retention, which can prevent your abs from popping.
If you do all the things I’ve recommended above, you can go from a flat stomach to six pack abs in 6 weeks. Here’s a recap of what you should do in the next 6 weeks.
- Do full body exercises
- Do effective ab exercises
- Maintain your current calorie intake or a deficit if you want to get leaner
- Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day
- Walk for one hour every day (optional)
These tips won’t work if you don’t push yourself. As I said, getting abs isn’t easy. Therefore, if you want to get abs in 6 weeks, you have to train in a way you’ve never trained before.
What does pushing yourself mean?
- Do every set to failure (as many reps as you can, while maintaining proper form).
- Train even when your abs are sore (you can bet they’ll be sore after the 1st workout).
- Don’t skip workouts.
- Do more reps and sets than recommended.
The truth is, getting abs or even losing weight is more about attitude than it’s about the ‘how to’. Maintain a positive attitude from the start.
Believe that you will get abs in 6 weeks, believe that you will crush every single workout, and believe that you won’t slack. Don’t ignore this, it’s very important!
Now let’s get started.
Flat stomach to six pack abs workout plan
You’ll notice that I’ve only created one routine for every week. That’s because you’ll repeat the same routine for one week then start a new one the following week, makes sense?
You can do ab exercises at the start or the end of the workout. I prefer to train abs at the end since training them at the start weakens my core, which can distort my form when doing other exercises.
This is a 4-day routine, so repeat each workout 4 times a week. A good workout schedule would be:
Monday: Workout
Tuesday: Workout
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Workout
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Workout
Sunday: Rest
Week 1
Hand walkouts – 3 sets (maximum reps)
50-70 Burpees (without push-ups)
Flutter kicks – 3 sets (maximum reps)
Frog crunches – 3 sets (maximum reps)
Notes: Remember to warm up before every workout. Doing jumping jacks for 5 minutes will give you a good warm up.
Week 2
80-100 Burpees with push ups
Ab bicycles – 3 sets (maximum reps)
Flutter kicks – 3 sets (maximum reps)
Notes: Do more than you’re supposed to, aim for 100 burpees.
Week 3
100-120 Burpees with push ups
Lying leg thrusts – 3 sets (maximum reps)
Ab bicycles – 3 sets (maximum reps)
Week 4
100-150 squats
Mountain climbers – 3 sets (maximum reps)
Lying leg thrusts – 3 sets (maximum reps)
Flutter kicks – 2 sets (maximum reps)
Week 5
100-150 lunges
50 push ups
Planks – 3 sets (maximum duration)
Side planks – 3 sets (maximum duration)
Week 6
100-150 push ups
100 squats
V Ups – 3 sets (maximum reps)
Ab bicycles – 3 sets (maximum reps)
If you find these exercises too challenging, do easier variations. But remember that harder variations will give you better results.
It’s important to maintain proper form in order to avoid injuries and get the most out of each workout. So here video demonstrations on how to perform these exercises properly.
Make sure you know how to do each exercise properly before starting the routine.
Burpees
This is exercise works all the muscles in the body and builds core strength.
Hand walkouts
I love this exercise because it activates the back, triceps, shoulders, arms, and core muscles.
Flutter kicks
An effective ab exercises most beginners can do. Placing your hands under the butt makes this exercise less challenging.
Frog crunches
Great exercise for targeting the lower abs. Do it on a soft surface to avoid straining the spine.
Ab bicycles
This exercise targets the abs and the oblique muscles. Ab bicycles alone can give you killer abs.
Lying leg thrusts
This is one of the safest ab exercises since it doesn’t strain the back.
Mountain climbers
A full body exercise that mainly targets the abs. It also builds and strengthens the arms.
Squats
Squats are a lower body exercise and they strengthen the core.
Lunges
Lunges build the leg muscles and glutes. And they build core strength.
Push-ups
As you may know, push-ups target the chest, arms, shoulders, and core muscles.
Front Plank
Front plank works the abs muscles.
Side Plank
This exercise builds the oblique or side ab muscles.
V Ups
You should be able to do V Ups properly in 5 weeks if you follow this routine diligently.
Final word
You can go from a flat stomach to six pack abs in 6 weeks. You only need to be consistent and push yourself.
The best part is you don’t need a gym membership or any equipment to do this workout. However, there’s one equipment that can come in handy – an ab wheel roller. If you have one, do 3 sets after each workout. You may want to read this article on how to build killer abs using an ab wheel roller only.
Now go ahead and start this routine. Don’t forget to share your results after 6 weeks.
Are you ready to go from a flat stomach to six pack abs in 6 weeks? Let me know in the comments below!
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