No matter the time of year, we all know you want those rock-solid, head-turning abs. But here’s the thing—most experts, including your doctors, physios, and nutrition coaches, won’t tell you what works. Why? Because if they did, you wouldn’t be paying them anymore! There, I said it! But I’m about to tell you precisely what you need to do. Whether you’re in your 30s, 40s, or even 50s, these five secrets will get you those 6-pack abs you’ve always wanted—and might get me blacklisted from all professional forums for the rest of my career. Worth it!
Secret #1: Sprint Intervals Are the Fat-Burning Machine You Need
First things first, if you want visible abs, you’ve got to lose the fat covering them up. But here’s what your doctor won’t tell you—those hours you spend plodding along on the treadmill, the drugs they prescribe and the extra appointments they book are a waste of time.
What you really need are sprint intervals! Research has shown that when people do “ab exercises” like crunches, sit-ups, or hours of excess cardio or fat-loss drugs, they don’t lose a gram of body fat that actively shows their abs. However, when you add some sprints, you can strip off 1 to 2 kilos of pure fat, most of it from your belly.
At Vasse Strength and Conditioning, this is why we put such a strong emphasis on time as your primary exercise variable to achieve results. Time has more bearing on your achieving results than anything else. Pair that with intense work periods mixed with rest, and you’re now doing intervals designed to burn body fat right off your body and get you closer to the ab goals you crave.
Secret #2: The Real Nutritional Blueprint for Abs
Doctors, physios, and nutritionists often make nutrition sound like rocket science, but the truth is much simpler. You don’t need fancy diets or meal plans. It would help to have high-quality, high-protein food, lots of veggies, and nutrient-dense REAL food.
Here’s the blueprint:
- Protein and Fat at Every Meal: Aim for 10 grams of essential amino acids per meal. Meat, fish, and eggs are your best friends here.
- Cut Back on Carbs: There, I said it! You want rock-hard abs? Cut back the carbs! Focus on getting your carbs from veggies and fruit rather than bread, cereals, and pasta. If you’re going low-carb, throw in some starchy veggies like sweet potatoes every 5 to 7 days to keep your metabolism in check, but that’s it.
Ultimately, there’s some rubbish floating around on the internet that you need carbohydrates to fuel the brain, and blah, blah, blah. Sure, there is some merit in that, but the truth is, you can probably get enough from eating high-quality, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables. The problem is that the internet tells us we must ‘eat a balanced diet,’ that ‘80/20’ life. Well, the news is, you’ve already eaten an unbalanced, swung-too-far-in-the-wrong-direction diet, and you need to bring that back to the left. If you want abs and you’ve been eating ‘balanced’ for the last 30, 40, or 50 years and it hasn’t worked for you, then you’ve got to spend some time in the trenches getting dirty! Say hello to meat, fresh vegetables and salad, some fruit, and eating sugary foods and processed carbs barely ever!
Last part of this rant: I’m writing this right now after a workout with no carbs consumed so far today, and this post is lit. My brain is working fine. No carbs are needed, so enough said!
Secret #3: Big Lifts Build Big Abs
The real secret the real pros know but don’t always share: heavy multi-joint lifts like deadlifts, squats, and chin-ups are the ultimate ab exercises. Why? Because they force your abs to work hard as stabilisers, which leads to more muscular, more defined abs.
A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research supports this, showing that big lifts activate core muscles far better than isolated ab exercises.
Your Go-To Lifts:
- Deadlifts & Squats: Aim for 70-85% of your 1RM. These are your foundation.
- Chin-Ups: These will not only carve out your abs but also improve your overall body composition.
- Olympic Lifts: If you’re up for it, these lifts will give you the thick, strong ab muscles you’ve always wanted.
Secret #4: Engaging Your Core Is Not What You Think It Is.
I just said in Secret #3 that deadlifts and squats will give you killer abs, and they will. But here’s the catch: most people don’t engage their core properly during these lifts. And if you’re not engaging your core, you’re not getting the full benefit.
Even if you’ve been lifting for years, you might not squeeze those abs like you should. Studies show that people who actively engage their core during exercises have better movement patterns and tighter abs. But here’s what your doctor, physio and other professionals don’t tell you is you can do this by taking a big, deep breath, engaging before you lift, and using the intra-abdominal pressure of breath control.
Sure, you’re a cooked biscuit who hasn’t lifted weights for 30-plus years and has a bad back because you’ve had to carry a few extra kgs around the front for too long. That doesn’t mean you need to go and start Pilates. You need to do steps 1 and 2 first, pull back the weights a little, and let your ability to control your midline to extremities catch up. Plus, a good warm-up, done correctly, with some inchworms, plank holds, a few glute engagement exercises and the correct muscle activations, is more than enough when combined with heavy lifting to engage and build abs.
Look, I see many more people who lift heavy weights at intensity and progress faster in exposing their abs than I’ve seen any of the doctors, physiotherapists, or nutrition coaches represent lately. With an excellent warm-up, I’m just saying that you don’t have to muck around with weird pilates and ab engagement exercise rubbish. Without it, you can achieve what you want. Rock hard abs and lift weights safely and effectively!
Secret #5: Manage Stress Like Your Abs Depend On It
Finally, I might be able to share our views on stress management with these so-called experts. When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that makes your body store fat, especially around your belly. Most people are stressed all the time, which is why they struggle to see their abs, no matter how hard they train or how well they eat.
The solution here is to manage your stress like a boss. Get enough sleep, eat well, breathe deeply, and keep a positive outlook. If you can do that, your body will stop storing fat, and those abs will finally start to show. As they say, ‘The definition of madness is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result!’ If you’re constantly stressing and getting nowhere with your health, fitness, and abdominal muscle cravings, it’s time to relax, enjoy the process, and do the work without the stress. Or, as I like to tell people, quit your job, sell your kids, and devote your life to getting abs. That’ll deal with your stress for sure.
The Conclusion You Need To Hear
I’ve tried to be humorous and direct and hit the points home so you can finally learn the truth. I’m yet to hear of anyone leaving a doctor’s, physio’s, nutrition consult, or any other professional appointment with these 5 secrets to getting 6-pack abs over 30, 40, or even 50 years old. Now that you’re armed with this knowledge, it’s time to take action. These strategies aren’t just for young guns—they work for anyone at any age. Age is mind over matter; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. So let’s go, become extraordinary, and get after it!