The Abs Protocol
You Don't Have Bad Ab Genetics
You've just never been lean enough to see them — or trained them like a real muscle. This is the exact protocol that took mine from invisible to blocky. Built for men.
Same abs. Different body fat.
The abs were always under there. Getting lean didn't just make them visible — it made them look bigger, thicker, more 3D. That's the part nobody tells you: lean doesn't shrink your core. It makes it pop.
"My abs just won't show — must be genetics."
Two fixable reasons, every single time: you're not training them right, and you're not lean enough. Neither one is your DNA. Fix both and they show — here's exactly how.
Train them right
Like a real muscle — not an afterthought.
Forget planks, sit-ups and endless crunches. Two moves, ~6 hard sets a week. Copy it.
This is just your ab schedule — add it on top of your normal training split. A "no abs" day isn't a day off the gym, just no direct ab work. Abs are the finishing touch, not the whole plan.
8–15 reps, every set close to failure. Intensity is the whole game — junk sets grow nothing.
Passing 15 reps on hanging leg raises? Add a dumbbell between your feet.
That's the lot. 6 quality sets beat 60 junk ones.
The form that actually makes it work
You can throw all the sets, reps and weight in the world at your abs and they won't grow a single gram if the form's off.
Just swinging your legs up trains your hip flexors — not your abs. The abs only fire when you curl your pelvis up toward your ribs, not just lift your legs. Keep your lower back from arching — picture a coin pressed between your lower back and a wall, and don't let it drop.
The easy one. Sit in, don't over-arch, and crunch by bringing your ribs toward your hips under control.
Here's the honest catch: a page can give you the cue — it can't watch your reps and tell you you're still swinging. Nailing the form on every set is exactly what coaching fixes. That's the line between training abs for two years with nothing to show, and abs that finally grow.
Burn the fat off them
You can't see what's covered.
No matter how good your ab training is, you won't see a thing until the fat comes off. Here's roughly where they start to show:
Getting there comes down to the right calories and macros — eat for the deficit, hit your protein, keep the muscle. Figure out your exact numbers free, in 2 minutes:
Get my free Macro Calculator →Lean makes your core look BIGGER
Getting lean + building your abs properly doesn't just reveal a six-pack. It makes your whole core look bigger, blockier, more masculine — at a lower weight. The fat was hiding more than you think.
The part a protocol can't do
Want me to do it with you?
This is the what — the levers that actually work. But nailing your form every set, and dialling exactly how lean YOU need to get without losing the muscle underneath, is different for every man. That's the coaching. I build it around you and adjust it every week until it's done.
Apply for 1:1 coaching →I take a handful of men at a time. A few quick questions to see if it's a fit.
General guidance for healthy, active adult men who train at a proper gym — not personalised nutrition or medical advice. Individual results vary. Check with a doctor before starting if you have any medical conditions.
Henrifit — built to be seen