What Defined Abs Are (and Why You Already Have Them)
Before anything else, it’s important to understand a fundamental truth: your abs are already there. Yes, your abdominal muscles have their own shape and they exist, even if you can’t see them. The real challenge is getting rid of the layer of fat that covers them so they become visible.
Picture this: if you put a sheet over someone lying down, you can still see the shape of their body. Now, if you use a thick comforter, everything becomes an indistinct mass. That layer of fat works like that comforter. The thicker it is, the less definition you’ll see.
The key is to reduce your body fat percentage. Above 20%, your muscles are completely hidden. At around 15%, you can already notice a slight definition. Between 10% and 12%, the look starts to turn heads. And below 10%, the famous “beach body” look appears.
But be warned: very low levels of fat (below 7%) can be harmful to your health. The ideal range is to stay between 8% and 12% for a healthy and aesthetically defined physique.
Step 1: Stop Believing in Spot Reduction
There’s no exercise capable of burning fat in just one specific area. This idea is one of the biggest myths in the fitness world. Doing hundreds of sit-ups won’t remove fat from your belly.
What exercises do is strengthen the muscle. And in that process, it develops and gains volume. But if the fat is still there, the results remain invisible. Therefore, your focus should be on reducing overall body fat percentage with a balanced diet and aerobic exercise.
Step 2: Train Your Abs with Intensity
Just like you train your legs or chest with weight and intensity, your abs also need to be challenged. Doing 50 or 100 light repetitions won’t build muscle. Intense workouts with added resistance will.
The tip is to work with a focus on hypertrophy: fewer repetitions, heavier weight, and maximum contraction. Use machines, weights, or resistance bands to make the exercise difficult. Progressive overload is essential to stimulate adaptation and muscle growth.
Step 3: Avoid Restrictive Diets and the Yo-Yo Effect
Forget about radical diets like the pineapple, watermelon, or moon diet. They might lead to weight loss, but at the cost of losing water and muscle mass. Worse: as soon as you go back to eating normally, your body tends to gain everything back — and sometimes even more.
This happens because drastic diets slow down your metabolism. Your body understands it’s at risk and tries to conserve energy. The result is the dreaded yo-yo effect.
The best approach is a gradual and consistent dietary re-education. Evaluate what you eat, eliminate junk food, and make smart swaps. For example:
- Switch sodas for water with lemon.
- Replace refined pasta with whole-grain versions.
- Prefer lean meats and plant-based proteins.
Include one or two cheat meals per week to maintain emotional balance and avoid cravings.
Step 4: Control Hunger Intelligently
Even with an adjusted diet, it’s common to feel hungrier, especially in the beginning. A good strategy is to use foods and supplements that increase satiety:
- Foods rich in fiber (oats, chia seeds, vegetables).
- Lean proteins (chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt).
- Water! (we’ll talk more about this in the next step).
Some supplements also help, such as capsules that expand in the stomach upon contact with water, giving a feeling of fullness. They are mainly useful in the initial phases of the diet.
Step 5: Drink More Water to Eliminate Water Retention
Water retention can make your body look more “puffy,” masking your results. The good news is that the secret to eliminating this excess water is… drinking more water.
When your body receives too little water, it retains as much as it can to survive. By drinking water frequently, you signal that everything is okay, and your body starts to release this excess.
The formula is simple:
Body weight (kg) x 35 = ml of water per day
Example: 70 kg x 35 = 2,450 ml, or 2.5 liters of water per day. In the beginning, you’ll go to the bathroom more often, but in a few days, your body will adapt.
Step 6: Do Abdominal Exercises with Full Range of Motion
Short and poorly executed movements don’t produce good results. To strengthen and develop your abs, it’s necessary to work with a full range of motion.
The muscle needs to stretch as much as possible and contract forcefully. Exercises that don’t respect this cycle end up being ineffective.
Prefer:
- Weighted crunches.
- Cable crunches.
- Hanging leg raises with torso rotation.
Avoid relying solely on the traditional floor crunch. It can be useful for beginners, but it quickly becomes limited.
Step 7: Train with Adequate Frequency
A common question is: how often should I train my abs? Every day? Twice a week?
The answer lies in the total weekly volume, not the frequency. That is, it doesn’t matter whether you train every day or twice a week — as long as the volume of sets is the same.
Example:
- 3 exercises per workout
- 3 sets per exercise
- 2 workouts per week = 18 weekly sets
You can also divide this volume and do 3 sets per day for 6 days a week. The important thing is to maintain consistency and stimulate the muscle effectively.
Step 8: Do Smart Aerobic Workouts
Strength training is essential for increasing abdominal muscle volume, but aerobics are fundamental for burning fat. Invest in activities like:
- Brisk walking
- Light jogging
- Cycling
- HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
HIIT is particularly effective because it speeds up metabolism and promotes greater calorie expenditure, even after the workout.
Step 9: Change the Order of Your Ab Workout
Many people leave abs for the end of their workout, when they are already exhausted. This impairs the intensity and quality of the exercise.
The suggestion here is to start your workout with abdominal exercises, especially if that’s your focus. With energy and focus at the beginning, the stimulus will be much more efficient.
Step 10: Have Patience and Consistency
A defined body isn’t magic — it’s the result of consistency. With a balanced routine of workouts, good nutrition, hydration, and rest, the results appear naturally.
Remember: the abs of your dreams already exist inside you. You just need to reveal them, step by step. And with these 10 steps, you’re on the right track.
Did you find this guide helpful? Share it with friends and family who are also on the journey to a healthier body!