Defined abdominal muscles are usually the first thing you think of when you think of a “fit” person, and we all want them - at least a little bit. You might ask a trainer what exercises you need to do to get that six pack, but in reality, those visible abs are built in the kitchen, rather than the gym. To further burst your bubble, the way your abs look when you do achieve a low body fat percentage is largely determined by your genetics. No ab machine or exercise will give you an extra two abdominal muscles.

To restate the obvious, if you want visible abs, you need to be in a caloric deficit with a focus on protein to lose body fat. If you want to train for abdominal hypertrophy, my favorite core exercises are cable crunches and hanging leg raises. Training for hypertrophy for a period and then cutting fat might make your abs easier to see.

However, visible abs are not necessarily functional for most people. Carrying a low body fat percentage can affect your body negatively, including hormone disruption and mood swings in some cases. If you want a strong and functional core that supports you and helps you move better, there are plenty of things you can do in the gym to achieve it, and you do not need to be in a severe caloric deficit to do them.

Heavy Compound Movements: Think squats, overhead presses, and deadlifts. Compound movements are movements that involve more than one joint and recruit multiple muscles groups. When we progress these exercises, they place great strain on the primary muscle groups, but they also target stabilizing muscle groups.  For instance in the squat, the quads and glutes are the primary muscles targeted, but the low back and core are also targeted. As you train your body to support and move heavier loads, your core will grow stronger right along with the larger muscles you train.

Loaded Dynamic Movements: Exercises like farmers caries, yoke walks, and lunges with a medicine ball or sandbag place great stimulus on the core while moving. They require your core to remain stable and braced under load for a defined period of time. This could help you the next time you want to take all the groceries inside in one trip or help your buddy move.

Anti-Rotation and Anti-Flexion Movements: Movements like lopsided carries, asymmetrical deadlifts, dead-bugs, bird-dogs, and palov presses challenge the core’s ability to stay rigid against rotation and flexion forces. You might think that is counterintuitive to fluid movement, but those exercises paired with appropriate stretching will allow your core to rotate and flex with greater ease.

Start slow and implement one or two of these exercises in your routine. If you have trouble or unique limitations, don’t be afraid to ask a trainer for help.  With a little time, you’re sure to get stronger and move better with the help of strong, functional abs.