The question that I’m asked the most often is – “Hey Coach JVB, what are the best exercises to get a 6 pack?”

My answer for abs is DIET. if you have body fat around your abdominal area, no amount of reps or variations of abdominal exercises are going to get you ripped abs. Quite simply – “YOU CAN’T FLEX FAT.”

Now if you’re asking me what my favourite abdominal exercises are to tighten and strengthen the core, then that is a completely different question! I use a variety of different exercises to strengthen my core with different volume. Quite recently I have begun incorporating “Hanging Knee Raises” as part of my core training and I love them!

Unfortunately when I started doing this exercise I found myself swinging and realized my core wasn’t as strong as I had hoped. There’s no better feeling than when you find something you’re weak at and decide to work on it and improve. Then kickin’ it’s butt and COMPLETELY OWNING IT!

The key to successfully completing this exercise is the tension. Really squeezing this movement is the key to results. Too often I see many people attempt this movement only to be either swinging like crazy or doing it ridiculously fast. I can’t imagine they’ll look any different in another few months with that form.

Attached is an image of me performing the “Hanging Knee Raise” from a photo shoot I did with the ultra talented Nikko Lim (www.nikkophotography.com) at Fitness 365. Again the key here is squeezing, tension, form, and not swinging!

Give it a try the next time you’re in the gym training your core…and use proper form/technique! It will feel like a burner 🙂