2 TRX Exercises That Actually Build Visible, Defined Abs

There are hundreds of core exercises you can do with a suspension trainer…

But only TWO actually helped me build visible, defined abs…

And after training over 8,000 people with suspension training, I’ve seen this pattern repeat…

The ones who grew their abs fastest weren’t doing MORE exercises…

They were doing these specific two movements that actually make the muscle fibers thicker and more visible…

So in this video I’m going to show you exactly how to do them and why they work when others fail.

First here’s what most people don’t realise about getting DEFINED abs…

Don’t have time to read the post in full? Then watch the video below to learn the ONLY 2 TRX exercises you need for six pack abs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0q7gu9vD3E

You NEED To Know THIS To Get Defined Abs

You can make your abs more visible by reducing the layer of fat between your abs and your skin.

But another overlooked way is just to increase the SIZE of your ab muscle fibers…

So they’re thicker and poke through that fat more.

Which If you’re like me and weren’t blessed with thick abs to begin with, is a great approach.

The problem is most suspension trainer ab exercises you see online are useless for actually building those six-pack muscles fibers…

Why Most TRX Core Exercises Fail

Take TRX planks…

Sure, they’re decent for overall core strengthening.

But your body’s just stabilising in that position…

It’s not actually growing the ab muscles because it’s not challenging them through a full range of motion…

Your abs have one main job:

Bring your ribcage and pelvis together by rounding your spine. 

Which contradicts the advice of:

‘Keep your back straight during ab exercises.’ 

Just Look at TRX Bicycles exercise…

I was doing these for years, thinking they were building my abs.

But if your back stays flat, and all you do is pull your knee to your chest…

Then your abs will contract to stabilise…

But really, it’s going to be your HIP FLEXORS that do all the work to pull your knees forward

The thing is, it’s actually pretty easy to build your abs once you stop letting your hip flexors do all the work…

And start challenging your ab muscles through a full range of motion.

And the best part is, you can target either your upper abs or your lower abs more, based on the type of exercise you do.

To keep things simple…

Let me share my two favourite suspension trainer exercises for both…

And the ones I really credit for building my six-pack.

Exercise 1 – Lower Ab Muscles

Let’s start with the lower abs…

A lot of research suggests that muscle regions closest to the moving body part will grow the most.

For example, hamstring leg curls…

Have been found to grow the lower hamstrings more than leg extension…

Which seem to emphasise the upper hamstrings more.

So to target the lower abs, we just want an exercise where the BOTTOM half of our body moves towards the top half…

And if you’ve been keeping up with my recent videos…

You know that muscles seem to grow best when they’re challenged from their most STRETCHED position to their most contracted.

A big range of motion

So how do we achieve both those things?

Let me show you…

Lower Abs Exercise Technique

Get your TRX straps adjusted so the handles hang about mid-shin height. 

Then get both feet in the straps, toes pointing down and get into a push-up position.

Quick tip: if this position kills your wrists, turn them out like this below…

Or grab floor handles

That will take the strain off your wrists.

But if the push-up position is too much to hold right now, use your forearms.

Brace your core to hold your body in a straight line to start.

Now we’re going to bring our knees to chest, but remember what I said about hip flexors.

If you move with a flat back, your hip flexors take over.

So instead, think C-shape curved back…

Exhale, then pull your knees towards your chest…

BUT, and this is critical, create a curve wth your spine as you do.

Imagine you’re pulling your HIPS toward your CHEST, rather than just dragging your knees in.

Allow your spine to curve round…

That’s the difference between challenging your abs instead of hip flexors.

Place your mind in the ab muscles.

Really focus on squeezing them hard to cause the movement. 

Pause briefly when your knees are close to your chest, then slowly control the way down back to that starting plank.

Now I’ll admit, this is a tough exercise.

So let me first show you a more beginner-friendly version…

Followed by a more advanced version that you can gradually work up to…

Beginner Level Progression

If you’re just starting out, don’t worry about getting your knees to your chest.

Just focus on doing a little hip raise from the plank position

Like an inverted V shape…

Hold for a second at the top squeezing your abs. 

And then slowly lower back down.

That alone will work your abs effectively.

Once you get stronger, then try adding a mini knee tuck at the top….

And gradually build your way up to full knee tuck with rounded spine.

And if you want to make this even more effective, slow down the eccentric.

Take three to four seconds to return to that plank position.

This significantly increases the time under tension…

And remember, time under tension is what builds muscle and makes the exercise harder.

Right, let’s hit the upper abs…

Exercise 2 – Upper Abs

With lower abs, we brought the bottom half up.

For upper abs, we do the opposite…

Fold your upper body down toward your lower body.

Now, the easiest way to hit the upper abs as a beginner is with regular crunches…

Same thing here though, avoid that mistake of just flattening your spine and moving in an L-shape.

We want that C-shape curve. 

Think about folding your chest down towards your pelvis….

And you can increase the range of motion by using a towel under your back.

Once crunches get too easy, move on to Supermans, and you’ll see why they’re called that in a second.

They are incredibly effective because:

1. It fixes your hips in place
2. provide a great range of motion.
3. and long time under tension.

Here’s how to set up…

Upper Abs Exercise Technique

Set your TRX straps to mid-length

Put the straps over your shoulders facing AWAY from the anchor point and walk forward to get tension.

You want to be in the starting position, standing at a slight angle, and squeezing your abs to slightly round your back…

With straps down in front of you…

Then keeping your abs squeezed…

Fold your body out slowly by raising your arms above your head until your whole body is in a straight, solid line.

Now here’s the key…

Hold this position to stretch those ab muscles.

Then focus on driving your chest down towards your hips to fold your body in.

like you’re doing a mini standing crunch…

This is the part that hits your upper abs the most

So keep that mind-muscle connection strong…

Aqueezing your abs hard right down to the bottom folded position.

Here’s how to progress further…

Progression

Now it might take a few reps to get the hang of this if you’ve never done it before, 

And you can make it easier by standing more upright…

But as you get stronger,

Progress by stepping slightly backwards towards the anchor point.

The closer your body gets to horizontal…

The longer the lever arm and the harder your abs work in that stretched position.

You can also add a longer pause in that end-range superman position…

To build anti-extension strength in your deep back stabilisers…

Or slow down the eccentric part, unfold your body back into extension over three to six seconds. 

Both increase time under tension

Now here’s what you need to know about training to grow your abs…

TRX Core Training Recommendations

Treat them like any other muscle…

Train them hard with progressive overload, but also give them time to rest and recover.

I recommend:

Three sets of each exercise, six to twelve reps.

Once you can hit twelve reps on all three sets with perfect form…

And I mean perfect muscle-centric technique with slow and controlled range of motion, and that abs squeeze throughout…

Then make it harder by increasing the tempo for knee tucks or adjusting your body angle to increase the lever for supermans

Start with training them once a week.

And if you’re really serious about building visible abs, bump it up to two, then three times a week.

But honestly, you can have the thickest abs in the world, and they’ll still remain hidden if they’re covered by too much fat…

To get the best results, you want to combine ab training with full-body muscle-building.

Because more muscle means you burn more fat at rest.

It’s that simple.

So checkout this post next and I’ll show you the I’ll show you the 8 essential TRX moves every one must master…

And exactly how to do them to boost full body muscle, mobility, and confidence.

I’ve also created a free 4-week muscle and strength workout plan for those 8 exercises that you can download below…

Here’s to your Fitness Freedom!

Coach Adam, aka TRX Traveller