Abs! Everybody wants them. Few people have them, at least not the visible, sexy-looking, 6-pack variety.
I wanted to change that for myself. So, 22 days ago I began the “22 Day” Ab Workout (NO REST!) presented by Jeff Cavaliere at ATHLEAN-X. I diligently performed the routine every day, without exception. It’s now time to find out the honest results: Can you get abs in 22 days with ATHLEAN-X?
You can dramatically change your body and develop your abs with the “22 Day” Ab Workout (NO REST!) by ATHLEAN-X. My abs look better and feel stronger. I am more in control of my body and all of its movements after completing this workout for 22 days. It works… do it!
I have been exceedingly pleased with the results of this challenge. Because of that, I will continue to do this ab routine every day for another 22 days. That will make 44 days, or about a month and a half, in total.
Thank you, Jeff Cavaliere, for creating and offering this 22 Day Ab Workout for the world.
YouTube
I documented the results in a YouTube video. Check it out:
TIP: I plan on doing this challenge for a long time. I will publish update blog posts and update YouTube videos every 22 days to document my progress. Subscribe and hit the notification bell on YouTube to see what a simple ab routine, done consistently over time, can do for you and your body.
If you like the video, leave a like and a comment. More importantly, if you want to change your life, develop your body and see your abs shine like mine (eventually will), start this challenge for yourself. Let me know how it is going for you.
Let Jeff at ATHLEAN-X know, too! It is his program and routine, after all, and he is a legend for sharing all of his amazing content with us!
Realistic Expectations
As you can see from the results, I do not have a visible six-pack after 22 days of abs training, and that’s perfectly fine. I did not expect to. I have spent the last 33.5 years of my life neglecting my core. It would have been foolish to expect to magically change that in 22 days.
What you can expect is to have a much stronger core than when you began. I guarantee you that you will feel a difference in your muscles, even if you cannot visibly see a six-pack yet. The six-pack will come with time and weight loss; the strength and body control will be noticed much more quickly.
I can feel that my core muscles are stronger. I can feel it by touching them, and even by just engaging and moving my body. I have never felt this before, and it feels great!
I began a 2nd round of this 22 Day Abs Workout today. While doing some pullups at the gym, I was stunned to feel that my core was so engaged in the pullup movement. I’m now able to better engage my core muscles to support all of my lifts at the gym while continuing to indirectly stimulate my core muscles.
Perhaps your results will differ from mine. You might begin this workout with a better physique than I did. Your diet might be stricter and you might lose more weight than I did. Regardless of your starting point, this routine will challenge you.
“Why?”, you ask. Here’s why:
Train for Time, Not for Reps!
| Exercise Name | Movement | Extinction | Rest |
| Heals to the Heavens | Bottom Up | 45 sec. | 10 sec. |
| Step Through Planks | Bottom Up Rotation | 45 sec. | 10 sec. |
| X-Man Crunch | Mid-Range | 12 reps. | 10 sec. |
| Alternating Thread the Needle | Obliques | 10 reps. | 10 sec. |
| Alternating Jackknives | Top Down | 45 sec. | 10 sec. |
| Stationary Bike | Top Down Rotation | 30 sec. | 10 sec. |
The 22 Day Ab Workout (NO REST!) incorporates time as a metric, not just total repetitions completed as you are probably more accustomed to.
Instead of just completing 30 repetitions and calling it a day, you perform the movement for a set time period. If you succeed, you get a brief rest of 10 seconds before starting the same movement all over again.
This element of time allows you to train to failure with good form. It also means that no matter your current fitness level, you will be challenged to your absolute limits with this workout.
Let’s look at each part of the workout in more detail:
1. Heals to the Heavens
Extinction Time: 45 seconds
Rest Period: 10 seconds
If nothing else, I got much better at performing this exercise. By the end of the 22 days, I was performing it for five or 6 minutes. That’s about half of the time I spend doing the entire routine each day! My legs would often fatigue before by abs did.
2. Step Through Planks
Extinction Time: 45 seconds
Rest Period: 10 seconds
I went from being unable to complete the 1st round of 45 seconds to consistently entering the 2nd extinction round. Here, I found my shoulders and upper back would fatigue before my core did. Again, my body needs some balancing to optimally complete this routine.
3. X-Man Crunch
Extinction Time: 12 Repetitions
Rest Period: 10 seconds
This is my favorite exercise in the entire workout. If you do it slowly and really engage the muscles, it becomes quite intense. I improved significantly in this exercise, being able to regularly complete three or 4 complete extinction periods by the end of the 22 days.
This exercise uses repetitions as a metric, not strictly time; however, as you only get a 10-second rest between rounds, time is still a factor.
4. Alternating Thread the Needle
Extinction Time: 10 repetitions to each side
Rest Period: 10 seconds
I found this exercise difficult. My shoulders felt fatigued, but mostly, my obliques are very underdeveloped. I never successfully completed the 10 repetitions on each side, but I did go from about three each side to about six each side by the end of the 22 days. Progress is progress, and I hope to finish a full round by the end of Day 44.
Like the X-Man Crunch, this exercise uses repetitions as a metric, not strictly time; however, as you only get a 10-second rest between rounds, time is still a factor.
5. Alternating Jackknives
Extinction Time: 45 seconds
Rest Period: 10 seconds
Maybe I was doing something wrong, but I was totally incapable of performing this exercise. I watched and re-watched the ATHLEAN-X video to check the proper form, but my body would not cooperate with me. My legs would not stay afloat, and my upper back was very fatigued. I tried many variations, including basic ones, but to no avail. By this point, anywhere from 8-10 minutes had already passed and I was reaching my breaking point. I never completed more than 15-20 seconds of this exercise.
6. Stationary Bike
Extinction Time: 30 seconds
Rest Period: 10 seconds
Like the previous exercise, this one will demolish you. Only once did I complete a full extinction period of 30 seconds. Usually, I would make it 10-15 seconds before becoming incapable of moving my core any longer. At this point, my abs have been sufficiently stimulated and it is time to call it a wrap for the day.
Highly Recommended
I highly recommend this workout. I really enjoyed it and am happy with the results so far. I look forward to seeing what another 22 days can do for me and my body.
I hope you consider trying it, too. Good luck!
Related Questions
How Often Should You Train Your Abs? Based on what I researched, you can (and should) train your abs every day. You can train them directly, or you can train them indirectly by engaging them more in other exercises. High-frequency training with long-duration workouts seems to be an optimal routine for developing the core muscles and supporting the spire.
Watch this YouTube video by Jeff Cavaliere at ATHLEAN-X to learn more.
How long does it take to get a six-pack? That’s an impossibly unfair question of you to ask me. Shame on you. Shame!
In all seriousness, that will depend on your starting point, your current body-fat percentage, your training routine and its intensity, your nutrition, etc. There is no simple answer to this. There is, however, a long and thorough answer to this.
Again, I defer to Jeff Cavaliere at ATHLEAN-X for the answer. Watch this YouTube video for more details on getting a six-pack from him.