WHETHER YOU GO by summer’s official start (June 21st) or its unofficial kickoff (Memorial Day), one thing is certain: Outdoor season, in all of its shirtless glory, is nearly here. That means your abs will soon see the light of day after spending months under cover, making now the time to consider the state of your core and whether it’s ready for the big reveal. But turning heads at the shore, pool, or park isn’t the only reason to chisel your middle.
Strengthening the armada of core muscles that encircle your torso from your traps to your glutes will pay dividends in nearly everything you do. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a pro athlete, a weekend warrior, or an everyday guy simply looking to elevate his game—targeting your core more often in your workouts will boost your stability and power, reduce your risk of back pain and injury, and enhance your performance in the gym and beyond.
All that said, we know you’ve got your tank top body on the brain, so let’s get back to that summer six pack. There’s still time to sculpt one—especially if you add the following 7-day abs challenge (designed by MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.) to your current training plan.
Every day for the next week, you’ll blast your core with three rounds of a targeted circuit, each consisting of three exercises. During the first round, perform each movement for 40 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest. During the second and third rounds, change your work-to-rest ratios to 45 to 15 and 50 to 10, respectively. You’ll be done in nine minutes flat.
Tack this challenge onto the end of your regular workouts or perform it on its own whenever your schedule allows, whichever fits your schedule. Just make sure you do it every day, and don’t hesitate to repeat it once or twice if you like the results. Layered onto a smart training plan and dialed-in diet, it can help you not only improve your core strength and power, but also attract approving glances whether you’re wearing a shirt or not.
The Summer Body 7-Day Abs Exercises
Mountain Climber
How to Do It:
Start in a high plank position, with your palms flat on the ground stacked directly below your shoulders, lats activated by turning your elbows forward. Your shoulders should be higher than your hips, so keep your butt down, squeezing your abs and glutes tightly to create tension. Look down at the ground to keep a neutral spine. From this starting position, drive one knee high toward your torso, while keeping your core stable. Drive your working leg back into the starting position as you begin the movement with the other leg. Continue performing reps at a controlled pace for the amount of time prescribed.
Programmed on Day 1, Day 4
Plank Up-Down
How to Do It:
Start in a plank position, with your elbows should be positioned directly beneath your shoulders, neutral spine, active lats, abs and glutes squeezed to create full-body tension. Drive one knee to your elbow, then repeat with the opposite side. After this, raise yourself up to a high plank position with your palms flat on the floor beneath your shoulders. Repeat the knee drive on each side, then return to the starting plank position.
Programmed on Day 1, Day 7
Plank Shoulder-Tap
How to Do It:
Start in a high plank position, with your palms flat on the floor directly below your shoulders, neutral spine, active lats, abs and glutes squeezed to create full-body tension. After holding for a beat, move one hand off the floor to touch the opposite shoulder. Squeeze your abs and obliques to keep your shoulders and hips from shifting to compensate for the movement; maintain the lower body tension by continuing to squeeze your glutes. After a beat, return to the starting position. Repeat with the other arm.
Programmed on Day 1, Day 5
Side Plank Thread the Needle
How to Do It:
Start in a side plank position, supporting your weight on one elbow (elbow facing forward, forearm perpendicular to your torso) with your hips raised and feet on the ground. Squeeze your abs and glutes to create tension and prevent your hips from sagging while also squeezing your shoulder blades. Raise your off arm, keeping your head in a neutral position. From here, “thread” your off arm down through the space between your torso and the floor, following the movement of your hand with your gaze. While your move, maintain full-body tension and keep your core tight to avoid shifting your hips.
Programmed on Day 2
Situp to Cross-Body Punch
How to Do It: Lie down with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Hold your arms slightly above your torso, with your hands in fists. Squeeze your abs to lift your torso off the floor, while keeping your feet still. As you rise into the situp, punch with one arm across your torso. Keep your gaze directly in front of you throughout the movement, preventing yourself from fully rotating your spine with each strike. Reverse the movement to return to the starting position, then repeat with the other arm.
Programmed on Day 2, Day 5
Hollow Hold
How to Do It:
Lie on the floor, with your arms extended above your head. Drive your lower back into the floor, flexing your abs and glutes to create tension. Lift your legs and shoulders off the floor, continuing to drive your lower back into the floor. Maintain full body tension for the amount of time prescribed. To scale the movement, you can shift your arms to above your torso or raise your legs higher off the floor or even bend your knees.
Programmed on Day 3, Day 6
Hollow Rock
How to Do It:
Lie on the ground and assume a hollow hold position (arms and legs elevated, abs and glutes squeezed, lower back driving down into the ground). After a count, shift your weight forward and back, doing your best to maintain your posture and tension.
Programmed on Day 3, Day 6
Modified V-Up
How to Do It:
Begin lying on the floor in the start of the hollow body position, with arms extended above your head. Lift your feet up a few inches, while grounding your lower back into the floor. Begin the movement by bending your knees and driving your legs back, while lifting your shoulders off the floor and crunching forward, moving your head toward your knees. Reverse the movement, keeping your arms extended above your head throughout. Don’t return your feet to the floor until the work period is over.
Programmed on Day 3, Day 7
Bear Plank to Plank Shoulder-Tap
How to Do It:
Start in the bear plank position, stacking your wrists directly under the shoulders and your knees below your hips, with your weight on your toes. Squeeze your abs and glutes, keeping your back flat. Your shoulders should be above your hips. Lift one hand off the ground, tap the opposite shoulder, fighting to keep your hips square. Repeat with the other hand. From there, hop both feet back into a high plank position. Repeat the shoulder taps in the high plank position. Alternate between stances, moving deliberately and maintaining tension to prevent any loss of balance.
Programmed on Day 4, Day 7
V-Up
How to Do It:
Start in a hollow hold position, lying on the floor with your arms extended above your head. Drive your lower back into the floor, flexing your abs and glutes to create tension. Lift your legs and shoulders off the floor, then crunch forward to raise your torso while lifting your legs so that you touch your feet with your hands. Then, return to the starting position.
Programmed on Day 4
Plyo Spiderman Lunge with Rotation
How to Do It:
Start in a high plank position, squeezing your shoulder blades, abs, and glutes to create tension. Step one foot up next to your hand in a long lunge position. After a quick beat, cycle your feet, jumping one forward and the other back, three times. Raise your hand on the same side as your forward foot up off the ground and reach straight up to the sky, rotating your thoracic spine and keeping your gaze locked onto the elevated hand. Rotate back down, placing your hand on the ground. Cycle your feet three more times, and repeat the rotation with the other hand. Step your front foot back into the high plank position.
Programmed on Day 5
Tipping Hollow Rock
How to Do It:
Lie on the ground and assume a hollow hold position (arms and legs elevated, abs and glutes squeezed, lower back driving down into the ground). After a count, shift your weight side-to-side, doing your best to maintain your posture and tension.
Programmed on Day 6
The Summer Body 7-Day Abs Workout Challenge
This three-round workout will take nine minutes.
- Round 1: 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off
- Round 2: 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off
- Round 3: 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off
Day 1
●Mountain Climber
●Plank Up-Down
●Plank Shoulder Tap
Day 2
●Side Plank Thread the Needle Right
●Side Plank Thread the Needle Left
●Situp with Cross-Body Punch
Day 3
●Hollow Hold
●Hollow Rock
●Modified V-Up
Day 4
●Mountain Climber
●Bear Plank to Plank Shoulder-Tap
●V-Up
Day 5
●Plyo Spiderman Lunge with Rotation
●Situp to Cross-Body Punch
●Plank Shoulder-Tap
Day 6
●Hollow Rock
●Tipping Hollow Rock
●Hollow Hold
Day 7
●Plank Up-Down
●Modified V-Up
●Bear Plank to Plank Shoulder-Tap
Trevor Thieme is a Los Angeles-based writer and strength coach, and a former fitness editor at Men’s Health. When not helping others get in shape, he splits his time between surfing, skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and trying to keep up with his seven year-old daughter.
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