What it really takes to get abs
In Part 1 of this series, we busted the biggest myths about getting abs and reframed the conversation around performance, health, and long-term sustainability (if you missed it, you can check it out right here).
In that post, I uncovered the 3 ingredients that do matter when it comes to building muscle, losing fat, and revealing the strongest version of yourself – with or without a six-pack.
Today, I’m breaking each of these ingredients down into practical, actionable advice - including what is and isn’t going to get you results!
Training to get abs: build muscle + burn energy
To see visible abs, your training needs to target two key outcomes:
Build and strengthen the abdominal (ab) muscles
Create the energy deficit necessary for body fat reduction
Let's explore both in depth.
1️⃣ How to Train Abs Effectively
The kettlebell birddog row is a great way to train anti-rotation and hit your obliques, not just your ‘six-pack’ muscles!
Your ab muscles respond to strength training the same way any other muscle group does. The goal is not to chase the burn or exhaustion, but to stimulate hypertrophy (muscle growth) through mechanical tension and progressive overload.
✅ What To Do:
Progressive overload: Muscles grow when they’re exposed to a stimulus (the stimulus being strength training!) that challenges them enough that they have to adapt. In simple terms, if you want your body to keep changing, you’ll have to keep pushing it to change - not repeating the same workouts! For ab training, this could look like:
Increasing sets and reps (volume)
Increasing time under tension (doing exercises more slowly)
Adding weight to certain exercises (e.g. cable crunches)
Increasing difficulty of exercises (e.g. knee raises ➡️ straight leg raises; sit ups ➡️ tuck-ups ➡️ V-ups)
Train 2–4 times per week: This frequency offers a good balance between stimulating growth and allowing time for recovery. Leaving 48hrs between directly training the same muscle group again is a good rule of thumb. Aim for 2–3 sets of 2–3 exercises per session.
Include all planes of motion: Train spinal flexion (crunches), rotation (Russian twists, cable chops), and anti-extension/stabilisation (planks, ab rollouts) to fully engage the core.
Out: following influencers’ ab workouts ❌
In: training abs with a plan ✅
❌ Mistakes To Avoid:
Equating ‘difficult’ with ‘effective’: 20-minute continuous YouTube ab workouts or holding planks for 5+ minutes might feel hard, but you’re training endurance, not muscle growth.
Doing random circuits: Progressive overload is the key to strength and muscle gains. This means you need structure. Choose a handful of exercises that you can progress, and stick with them.
Overtraining: Your abs need recovery like any other muscle. You don’t need to train abs daily, and in fact, training abs less frequently will allow you to hit your ab workouts with better intensity = more gains.
2️⃣ How to Train for Fat Loss
Beyond targeted ab training, your overall exercise strategy plays a massive role in reducing body fat. Fat loss is systemic, not local (meaning you can’t choose where your body loses fat from) – meaning that total energy expenditure (‘calorie burn’) is the name of the game.
✅ What Works:
Structured, progressive, full-body strength training: An effective, full-body training programme will not only increase energy expenditure (aka ‘burn calories’), it will also help you build muscle, which increases your resting metabolism, and supports an overall ‘toned’, or ‘defined’ look. Compound movements like deadlifts, squats, rows, and presses are ideal as they recruit large muscle groups, burning more energy and preserving lean mass during fat loss.
Low-intensity cardio: Sessions like steady-state cycling, rowing, or brisk walking support cardiovascular health and increase weekly energy burn, without diminishing your strength gains when timed effectively.
High-intensity intervals (HIIT): When used sparingly (1–2x/week), HIIT can boost calorie expenditure while preserving muscle mass. If you include HIIT, try to minimise its impact on your strength training by doing it afterwards, or during separate training sessions. Be mindful of what muscle groups you’re targeting, too, and remember the ‘48hr rest’ rule of thumb!
Deloads and rest days: Chronic stress (both training and lifestyle-related) increases cortisol, which can interfere with fat loss. Strategic rest is essential for hormonal health and recovery.
❌ Mistakes to Avoid:
Some cardio can be your friend. Too much cardio? That’s a recipe for burnout and slow progress!
Excessive cardio: High volumes of cardio can impair muscle growth, increase stress, and create an unsustainable training load. Plus, your body can quickly adapt to more activity, meaning you’re not burning as much energy as you think.
Inconsistent strength work: Many people see cardio as the priority for fat loss, so are inconsistent or non-committal with strength training. Short term, this approach might lead to scale weight dropping more quickly, but from a health, performance, and body composition point of view, tends to result in muscle loss, plateaus, and a ‘smaller-but-not-defined’ physique.
Thinking more is better: More is just…more. Whilst in theory, more activity means more energy burned, over-training will leave you unable to recover from any of your workouts - killing your gains, leaving you exhausted, and even compromising your health.
So, now you know how to train effectively.
But here’s the thing: the ‘best ab workout’ isn’t going to do anything to reveal your abs if you’re not paying attention to the second, far more important ingredient:
Nutrition: Fuel for Fat Loss and Strength
Nutrition - not training - is the most powerful tool you have for altering body composition. It impacts energy, recovery, hormones, mood, and of course, fat loss…but it’s where 90% of people get stuck!
Here’s what really matters when it comes to eating for abs:
1️⃣ A Calorie Deficit for Fat Loss
To lose fat, you need to eat fewer calories than you expend. But it's not just about eating less – it's about doing so strategically.
Key Principles:
Setting calories accurately: Thinking you’re in a calorie deficit isn’t the same as being in one. Get clear on how much you’re eating right now - ideally, use a food tracking app like MyFitnessPal to do this - and from there, create a small to moderate deficit by eating ~10-20% lower than this. Don’t rely on guesswork, calculators, or how many calories someone else needs in a deficit - use your data. This is such an essential step that it forms Phase 1 of The Athlete Nutrition Blueprint - my nutrition programme that teaches you how to fuel like an athlete for fat loss, muscle gain, and performance!
👉 Click here to learn more + save £100 when you join before 28th June!Avoid aggressive cuts: Going too low with calories can lead to muscle loss, fatigue, irritability, hormonal disruption, and poor performance. If you’re not eating enough to fuel your workouts, you’re sabotaging your results.
Track and adjust: Monitor your weight, performance, and hunger. Fat loss is not linear, and your calorie needs will change over time.
2️⃣ Strategic Fuelling and Recovery
Just ‘eating less’ isn’t going to reveal your abs (or improve your performance!) To maximise the results you get from training and support sustainable fat loss, you need strategic fuelling.
This means eating the right foods, in the right amounts, at the right times - to ensure that you’re heading into your workouts with enough energy to push hard, and giving your muscles the nutrients they need to recover afterwards. Here’s what that looks like:
➡️ Protein intake: Aim for 1.6–2.2g of protein per kg of body weight daily. Protein preserves muscle and keeps you fuller for longer.
➡️ Carbohydrates for performance: Don't fear carbs. They are your body’s preferred fuel for high-intensity workouts. Timing them around your training can enhance performance and recovery.
➡️ Healthy fats: Essential for hormone function, especially in women. Sources like nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish are ideal.
➡️ Micronutrients and variety: Eating a rainbow of whole foods ensures you’re getting the vitamins and minerals that support energy, immune health, and recovery.
This pre-workout fuelling timeline highlights what to eat and when to feel and perform your best in training.
➡️ Nutrient timing: Your body digests and absorbs all these nutrients at different speeds, and uses them for different functions. Timing your meals and snacks effectively can not only accelerate your results by giving your training and recovery a huge boost, it can also skyrocket your energy levels in and out of the gym, and help you regulate appetite. You’ll feel better, and find it much easier to stick to your plan.
Which brings me onto the last of the key ingredients…
Consistency: The Key to Long-Term Change
When you’re figuring out the best plan for you, remember this: nothing works if you can’t stick with it. The following tips, therefore, apply to both training and nutrition.
➡️ The right plan adapts with you
Your body is constantly changing, and so are its needs. For example…
A training plan that doesn’t incorporate structured, progressive overload won’t keep bringing results.
A nutrition plan that doesn’t adapt with these changes will result in frustrating plateaus and finding yourself unable to stick with the plan (cue the spiral of guilt and self-blame!).
The key to results that stick? Finding a plan that you can enjoy.
You need a plan - or a coach - that keeps up with your progress and your priorities.
➡️ Drastic measures will backfire
Let’s take the example of the leanest people on the planet: bodybuilders. They may have shredded abs on stage, but gain 10kg+ in the off-season and spend the majority of the year struggling with swinging from one extreme to the next.
Compare that to the well-fuelled athlete who eats and trains smart year-round: a consistent, sustainable physique that works for life and performance.
The lesson? Prioritise health and performance, and the aesthetic results will take care of themselves.
➡️ Long-term results require realistic, sustainable action
If you have to flip your whole life upside down, say no to every social occasion, and sacrifice actually enjoying your life to follow your plan, you’re unlikely to stick with it long term.
And honestly, what’s the point of attaining a certain physique if you’re not truly happy?
Ready to take action?
You now understand what it really takes to achieve fat loss, a lean physique, and strong, visible abs.
But information alone doesn’t create change – taking action does.
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