» Wesley Vissers’ 4 Go-To Ab Exercises

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Cable Crunches 

Weighted ab exercises like cable crunches maximize resistance loads, building strength and thickness. Vissers sits reverse on a lat pulldown machine to reduce hip flexion and bias the rectus abdominis. Kneeling is fine, too. 

Train the abs like you would any other muscle group

—Wesley Vissers

Despite common advice to train abs with high reps, the abs also require progressive overload to grow. (1) Vissers aims for 10-15 reps to failure but avoids pushing past failure to minimize oblique engagement. Moderate reps are more efficient for hypertrophy. (2) 

Keep your abs tight for the entire range of motion.

—Wesley Vissers

Glute-Ham Developer (GHD) Sit-Ups

Vissers complements cable crunches with bodyweight GHD sit-ups using the curved bench to achieve a deeper stretch. Body weight and gravity provide concentric resistance.

While concentrics and eccentrics are important for muscle hypertrophy, evidence suggests resisted stretching is slightly and, in some cases, significantly more hypertrophic. (3)(4)

GHD sit-ups limit hip flexion, which Vissers considers essential for lower ab development. Since hip flexors often dominate during ab exercises, minimizing their involvement maximizes lower ab activation.

Reverse Leg Raises/Dragon Flags

The legs provide resistance during leg lift variations. For this exercise:

1. Lie on a flat surface.
2. Hold a stable object overhead for stability. 
3. Lift the legs and glutes vertically.
4. Slowly drop the glutes to the bench, then lift the lower abs toward.
5. Repeat for as many reps possible.

Keep the legs vertical to maintain tension on the lower abs. To replicate hanging leg raises, maintain a posterior pelvic tilt by tucking the tailbone, which will flatten the curve in the back. The anterior pelvic tilt, creating a convex curve in the lower back, will bias the hip flexors. 

For a more challenging variation from the same position, form a straight line from head to toe, squeeze the glutes, and then use the abs to lift and lower the body from the floor to the vertical, also known as dragon flags. 

Squeezing the glutes prevents hip flexion since the glutes extend the hips. 

Vacuums: A Forgotten Classic

An often forgotten old-school technique, vacuums, as the name suggests, involve blowing air out, then sucking the stomach in, and holding for several seconds. 

• Visualize pulling the belly button back toward the spine. 

A 2022 study saw significant overall core development from vacuums. (5) 

Vacuums create a tighter waist.

—Wesley Vissers

Vissers recommends performing vacuums before eating or training to maximize oxygen flow. Aim for three sets of 15 seconds, and increase by five seconds as you progress. Easier progressions involve lying on your back, kneeling, and crouching over; the technique is still the same.

Takeaways for Six-Pack Abs

• Ditch side bends. They’re suboptimal and don’t shrink love handles. 
• Use weighted resistance for thicker abs.
• Use bodyweight movements to target the lower abs.
• Include vacuums for a tighter waist and overall core development.

You don’t need to do anything specific for the obliques; they’ll grow regardless.

—Wesley Vissers

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Featured image: @wesleyvissers on Instagram