How to Get a Six Pack, According to a Personal Trainer with Flat Abs

It’s easy to think the elusive six-pack is nothing more than an urban legend (or something only made possible with Photoshop), but this fitness goal is totally attainable. Six pack abs won’t happen overnight, but by adding some core-focused workouts to your schedule, you may start to see some definition in your torso.

And honestly, even if you can’t see your abs, the core strength you’ll build is incredibly valuable: Your core helps you in almost all of your basic movements, like standing up, twisting to look behind us, or picking up heavy objects.

What better way to seek your future six-pack than with a routine made by someone who already has one? In this episode of Kickstart Workout, certified personal trainer Holly Rilinger has six core-strengthening moves that you can do from start to finish in just 10 minutes. The best part? This six pack workout doubles as cardio.

This intermediate workout for six pack abs uses the following moves:

• High Plank Kick Throughs

• Bicycles

• Squats with Rotation

• Mountain Climbers

• Roll Ups

• Plank Rotations

You’ll do each move for 30 seconds, with no rest in between (hence: cardio). The entire series is repeated three times. Anytime you feel like quitting, remember to focus on only those 30 seconds—not the entire workout. (This is one of Holly’s favorite mental tricks to finish workouts without quitting.)

You’re not likely to see a six-pack after one or two attempts at this workout, but if you do this two or three times a week and stick to it, you’ll definitely start to see (and feel!) a difference.

For more workouts to get a six-pack, try this 10-minute yoga routine for core strength, or Holly’s 15-minute killer abs workout.