Six pack abs are a badge of honor. Those who have them wear them proudly. Those who want them train and diet endlessly. Still, only a few achieve them and maintain them over time. On July 30th, 2019, I decided that I wanted six pack abs, too! I have trained my abs every day since then. This is what I have learned…
Most people CAN get six pack abs over a six-month period. It will not be easy, but six months offers an adequate amount of time for most people to develop their core muscles and lower their body fat percentage sufficiently for their six pack to be visible.
While it CAN be done, there exists the very real possibility that six months will not be enough time for you to get a six pack. Despite your best efforts, the goal of the six pack might still elude you.
I’ll show you my progress photos during my abs journey so far, as well as share with you everything I have learned about getting a six pack. Let’s go…
Before I Started Training My Abs Every Day
I used to weight 296 lbs. (134.5 kgs.)!
Me
Me when I was more obese 
Me after losing 108.4 lbs.
I was fat. I was really fat. Honestly, I was obese. I was 17 years old at the time. Now I am 34 years old. Much has changed in the 2nd half of my life.
What changed? In short, I made exercise and nutrition a more important part of my life over the years. It was a gradual process. There were ups-and-downs along the way, and not just with my weight. I learned much, and by July 30th, 2019, I am happy to say that I weighed 187.4 lbs. (85.2 kgs.).
That’s a total weight loss of 108.6 lbs. (49.4 kgs.) over a 16-year period! Not bad, if I do say so myself. I am quite proud of this achievement, and most people who meet me for the first time have no idea that I used to be so big.
I’m especially proud because, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, Americans struggle with long term weight loss.
Still, despite the maintained weight loss, I felt that it was time to take my fitness and my physique to the next level. I wanted a personal challenge. I wanted to finally get a visible six pack!
What Is My Daily Ab Routine?
I lost the 108.4 lbs. doing things I enjoyed doing: hiking, swimming, eating healthier food, and going to the gym. And by go to the gym, I mean lifting things up and putting them down, not training my abs. In fact, I hated training my abs and rarely did it. So, the first step was to educate myself.
I watched every video on YouTube about abs and read every article I could find. In the end, I found myself drawn to a routine by a man who I trust and respect very much… Mr. Jeff Cavaliere of ATHLEAN-X.
I chose his 22 Day Ab Workout (NO REST!!!) as my daily ab workout routine. It’s an awesome routine which is designed to hit every part of your core and to be done every day. It gets more difficult as time goes by and you get stronger. Click the link to find out why, or watch it right here, right now!
I diligently performed this ab routine every day for the last 176 days!
The Results After 176 Days of Training My Abs
The workout was designed to be performed for 22 consecutive days. This is to ensure that daily ab training becomes a habit. It worked for me! I took before-and-after photos after each 22 day period. As a reference point, here are the dates for each round:
- Round 1: Jul. 30, 2019 – Aug. 20, 2019 (22 days)
- Round 2: Jul. 30, 2019 – Sep. 11, 2019 (44 days)
- Round 3: Jul. 30, 2019 – Oct. 8, 2019 (71 Days* / 66 Days)
- Round 4: Jul. 30, 2019 – Oct. 30, 2019 (93 Days / 88 Days)
- Round 5: Jul. 30, 2019 – Nov. 21, 2019 (115 Days / 110 Days)
- Round 6: Jul. 30, 2019 – Dec. 13, 2019 (137 Days / 132 Days)
- Round 7: Jul. 30, 2019 – Jan. 4, 2020 (159 Days / 154 Days)
- Round 8: July 30, 2019 – Jan. 26, 2020 (181 Days / 176 Days)
Full Transparency: You will see that in the 3rd round there are two sets of dates. That is because I got quite ill with a nasty cold/flu during this round and needed to rest for 5 days. Instead of pushing myself too hard, I got the rest I needed and fully recovered. Then, I picked up right where I left off.
I also kept track of my weight during this six-month abs-training period. Getting a six pack and your body fat percentage (which is your total mass of fat divided by your total body mass) are very much related. As you can imagine, weight plays a role in how much fat mass you might have.
So, I tracked my weight throughout the entire process. This is what I weighed after each round of the workout. These weights correspond to the photos you will see shortly:
- Day 1: 187.4 lbs. (85.2 kgs.)
- Day 22: 185.7 lbs. (84.4 kgs.)
- Day 44: 187.4 lbs. (85.2 kgs.)
- Day 66: 187.2 lbs. (85.1 kgs.)
- Day 88: 185.2 lbs. (84.2 kgs.)
- Day 110: 185.7 lbs. (84.4 kgs.)
- Day 132: 189.2 lbs. (86.0 kgs.)
- Day 154: 191.4 lbs. (87.0 kgs.)
- Day 176: 187.2 lbs. (85.1 kgs.)
Looking at my weight over time, you might notice a few things:
- My weight fluctuated up-and-down, but not by that much.
- I weigh almost exactly the same after 6 months of training as I did on Day 1.
Ok… I have set up the background and the numbers… let’s see the photos!
Here Are the Before and After Photos from Each Round:
Here Are the Before and After Photos from Day 1 to Month 6:
Day 1 Day 176
An Interview with Myself
Do I have visible, six pack abs after 6 months of training my abs intensely every day? No, I do not!
Are my abs more developed and much stronger than they were six months ago? Yes, they are!
Has my physique improved and changed despite no change in my weight? Yes, I believe it has!
So, I trained my abs every day for six months, I did not get visible six pack abs, and yet I claim that people CAN do it, right? Yes, that is correct. Even though my results came up a bit short, it has been done, and it can be done by you. Don’t believe me? These people on YouTube did it. Click the links to watch their videos and get inspired, or do a quick search and find even more results:
I have learned much over the last six months, and I would like to share this knowledge with all of you who aspire to train your abs every day and achieve your very own six pack of abs.
What I Learned Training My Abs Every Day for 6 Months
The most important thing I learned over the last six months, and I think the pictures say it all, is that if you want to get a visible six pack, you must lower your body fat percentage to a level low enough for your abs to be seen. It’s that simple!
According to this Livestrong article I found, the target body fat percentages for men and women to see their six packs are:
- Men: between 6-9% body fat
- Women: between 16-19% body fat
So, you can train, train, train your abs, but if your body fat percentage is too high you will never see them. Or as the saying goes…
You can’t out-train a good, but not great, diet.
Me, again
In my case, I could not out-train an OK, but not great, diet. While my body composition did change quite a bit with the added muscle I developed, I did not actually lose enough weight (or fat compared to muscle) to get my personal body fat percentage to the 6-9% range.
I could make excuses, such as:
- It’s not fair! I already lost 108.4 lbs. and my body did not want to lose any more.
- It’s not fair! I have so much loose skin that I will never see my abs no matter how hard I train.
- Blah, blah, blah…
Or, I can be happy with the great improvements that I made already, and accept that with more effort put towards improving my diet (which may not have been as good as I thought it was), that the core muscles I have grown and developed will pop more spectacularly once I do lower my body fat percentage to the 6-9% range!
I am not giving up. I spent 33 years of my life not training my abs. I am thrilled at how they look and feel after only 6 months of finally training them. Be sure to follow my progress as I train my diet as much as my abs for the next six months and beyond…
Jack Clancy YouTube Video
Have you seen my Jack Clancy YouTube Channel yet? I make and publish loads of content there, too. For example, watch the video I made about my 6-month, six pack ab journey, plus all of the other content that I publish.
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Learn More About This Challenge
Have you seen my Fat, Broke and Stupid Abs Training Page yet? If not, click the link to head on over and see a summary of this daily ab workout challenge, plus more…