Top 5 Exercises For Building 6 Pack Abs That Are Functional Too!

I am so sick and goddamn tired of seeing people do 10 million Bosu ball crunches and trying to spot reduce fat by rocking back and forth in front of a mirror with a weight in one hand.  Newsflash, that same bullshit bodybuilding mindset that leads people to spend their entire workout on arms is the same reason why you look at your stomach day after day and wonder why you don't have abs!  Now, I will always be honest about this, I have always been at least chubby.  The most important factors in having visible abs are nutrition and fat burning.  It doesn't matter how much you build your abdominals, if you're too fat, you won't see them!  Until this summer, when I finally learned how to build the muscles of my lower back and abdominals using functional movements, I NEVER saw my abs.  For those of you who've had the same problem all you life, here's what you might have been missing, (in no particular order).

Al Kavadlo Back Lever

1) Front and Back Lever Training--Front and back levers are advanced gymnastics bodyweight exercises.  The truth is, I can't do a perfect front or back lever at this point.  They're extremely difficult.  But in order to do anything that you can't do yet, you need to train for it.  With this in mind, front and back lever progressions are some of the best "core" exercises you can do. They require static strength and stability of the entire trunk musculature including the upper back.  In order to do a front lever, you need to keep your arms straight hanging from either a pull up bar or gymnastics rings.  Lift your legs keeping you entire body straight so that at the end of the movement, where you will hold your position, your body is completely parallel to the ground.  To progress to this movement, you first need to master the straight leg raise and the pull up, because this move requires both incredible abdominal and lower back strength as well as upper back strength and stability.  To progress, start by doing the movement with your knees tucked, then work to one knee tucked, then to legs straight but spread, and finally the full movement.  The back lever is the opposite.  An easier move then a front lever, you will need to flip you body over and hold the position so that your body is parallel to the ground with your chest and stomach facing the ground.  The progressions for this move is identical.  Soon I'll be taking some pictures and doing a video tutorial of the progressions and training for the front and back lever, in the meantime, check out some guys who can do it much better then I can.

Front Lever

2) Carries--Nothing builds your entire core musculature like carrying heavy shit!  It doesn't matter what it is, don't discriminate.  Rocks, dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, trap bars, sandbags, big boxes, anvils, logs, etc.  The list is absolutely endless.  You can carry these objects in front of you in the rack position, on the back of your neck, on your shoulder, or just hold them in your hand.  The reason this is so effective is because it forces you lower back, upper back, and abdominals to contract the entire time under tension in order to keep your spine, (which they are designed to protect) in line and safe.  Keep the volume low and the intensity high on these.  2-5 rounds in any one workout is plenty.  Vary the distance, weight, position that you carry the object, and the object itself to make this most effective.  To make this exercise even more difficult, carry two different objects or two similar objects that are different weights in order to force your body to further stabilize the weight.

Offset Sandbag and Kettlebell Carries

3) L-Sit Pull Ups-- Don't think too far into these, they're extremely simple.  Instead of letting you legs hang or crossing them behind you, hold your legs straight out in front of you while doing pull ups.  This will make the pull up much harder, but it will engage you're abdominals and lower back tremendously.  Use them as often as you'd use any other pull up variation.

Parallel Bar Straight Leg Raises

4) Straight Leg Raises--The simplest exercise on this list, just hang from a pull up bar or hold yourself up on a dip bar or a pair of parallel bars and keeping your legs completely straight, raise your legs until they are parallel to the ground or past parallel.  Keep your back contracted and your torso parallel.  

5) Deadlift/Front Squat/Squat--If you want to build strength and muscle in your lower back and abdominals, there is almost nothing better then heavy compound lifting.  When you deadlift or squat or front squat, in order to complete the lift and prevent serious injury to your spine, you have to powerfully contract the muscles in your lower back and your abs, (as well as nearly every other muscle in your body which is what makes these lifts so effective).  Taking this concept a step further, in you want to progress on these lifts and be able to lift heavy weight, you have to build a foundation of extremely strong "core" muscles.  Your body is meant to function as a unit.  TRAIN IT THAT WAY.


These are just five of the best functional movements for building an incredible set of abs.  There are plenty other that could be on there, including other favorites of mine like the plank and its variations, and the ab wheel rollout.  Start including these exercises in your regular routine and build a powerful, strong core that looks damn good!