Video | Six-pack abs in 30 days: five exercises to get you there – forget the crunches and sit-ups

When it comes to getting rippling abdominals, crunches and sit-ups are often the first exercises to come to mind. But that may be the biggest fitness misconception people have.

“You can do crunches all you like. That is not going to get you abs,” says Tricia Yap Li-ping, director of fitness at Goji Studios and a mixed martial arts fighter. “Obliques, transversus abdominis – there are a lot more other muscles that make up your core.”

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Yap recommends five better exercises to add to your workout routine that will help you sculpt a toned six-pack. The first is relatively easy, the others progressively more difficult. Each has options to suit people at different fitness levels.

1. Four point plank into Superman (see main photo above)

Put your hands right under your shoulders and your knees under your bottom on the ground. Raise your opposite arm and leg. Extend both limbs in a straight line and hold for as long as you can. Then do the same for the other limbs.

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“I would recommend holding each position for 60 seconds. While you’re doing that, think about squeezing your shoulder blades together, squeezing your bum, as well as engaging the core,” says Yap.

“Engaging the core is a little difficult for most people, because sometimes they don’t understand what that means. Think about how you’d brace if somebody were to punch you in the abdominals.”

2. Barbell ab roll-out

Put two plates on either side of a barbell and make sure it can roll like a rolling pin. Sit up with knees on the floor and arms straight, holding the bar. Roll yourself forward until your face is almost touching the floor and roll back in.

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