Six minutes a day for ultimate abs. Introducing the program to create a six pack.

In this issue, we introduce a program designed by personal trainer Mr. Taiyama Matsuura to push your abs to the limit in just six minutes. If you do this every day, you will surely be able to create a six-pack, the symbol of manliness!

Supervision

Taizan Matsuura

In 2016, he began working as a trainer as a member of Beyond Gym’s start-up staff. Served as store manager of the Horie store in Osaka, Japan; in 2017, he reached the pinnacle in the Mr. Japan contest, after which he went independent. In October 2022, he founded Waffle Gym in Tachikawa, Tokyo. He is always ready to propose muscle training menus that meet the needs of customers.

A program to push your abdominal muscles to the limit in 6 minutes while watching a video! All you have to do is move along with the trainer!

This 6-minute program is available on the official OTOKOMAE YouTube account. While watching the video, try training your abdominal muscles in accordance with the trainer’s movements, with an interval between each exercise, but if you find it too hard to continue for 6 minutes, you can take a break in the middle of the workout. Detailed explanations of the exercises and tips for performing them are given below.

This is the menu to push your abdominal muscles for 6 minutes!

The program presented here includes seven exercises: crunches, leg raises, bicycle crunches, heel touches, side crunches, flutter kicks, and knee toe chests. The side crunches are done on each side, so there will be eight sets. There is a 10-second preparation period at the beginning, 30 seconds for each exercise, and a 15-second interval. The workout is designed to strengthen the abdominal muscles in a well-balanced manner and takes only 6 minutes, so please give it a try.

Detailed movements and tips for each exercise are introduced! Keep the points in mind for effective muscle training!

From here, we will introduce the correct way to perform each of the aforementioned exercises, as well as tips and tricks. Check them out because the effects will be enhanced if you keep in mind the points to be aware of.

6-minute abdominal workout 1: ” Crunch

Lie on your back with your knees at 90 degrees and your hands on your thighs. Then, while raising your upper body, slide your hands down to your knees. Once your hands reach your knees, return your upper body in a controlled manner. Repeat the exercise.

Check out the video

This is the key to crunches!

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

In order to contract the abdominal muscles firmly, it is good if you can raise your shoulder blades so that your shoulder blades float at least one fist length. Another important point to make it work is to round your back so that you can look at your navel when you raise your upper body. If you are a beginner or have back pain, make sure to move as far as you can!

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6-minute abdominal menu, two “leg raises.”

Lie on your back with your hands under your hips, legs aligned and extended and slightly lifted off the floor. From there, raise your legs high toward the ceiling. When the legs are raised enough to the hips, return them to their original position. Repeat the exercise.

Check out the video

This is the key to leg raises!

It is always preferable to keep your abdominal muscles strong, so just keep your head slightly elevated as if you are looking into your belly button. If your neck hurts, don’t force it. Also, do not break this form, as placing your hands under your hips will make it easier to work and also prevent lower back pain.

6 Minute Abdominal Menu, 3 “Bicycle Crunches”

Lie on your back with your hands next to your ears and stand by with your legs extended. From there, bend your left knee and pull it to your chest, while twisting your upper body to the left to attach your right elbow to your left knee. Once firmly attached, return to the original position and now attach the left elbow to the right knee. Repeat this action alternately on the left and right sides.

Check out the video

This is the key to the Bicycle Crunch!

You want to stimulate the lower abdomen while working the sides firmly, so it is good to be aware of the twisting movement of the upper body and the pulling of the knees. The key is to make large movements while stabilizing the torso so that the position of the hips does not blur. It is also recommended to do it rhythmically, like pedaling a bicycle, so that the muscles remain tensed without interruption!

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6 minutes Abdominal Menu 4 “Heel Touch”

Lie on your back with your palms facing down next to your body. Stand by with your feet about two fists apart and your feet close to your hips so that your knees are high. When you raise your upper body to look into the navel, tilt your upper body to touch the kakato. Repeat alternating left and right in succession without returning to the original position.

Check out the video

Here is the key to heel touch!

Be aware that you should only move from the waist up, and keep your body fixed from the waist down. When leaning forward, contract your abdominal oblique muscles as if you are crushing your side belly. Also, always keep your shoulder blades floating, but do not get up too high or you will lose the load and hurt your lower back, so keep your shoulder blades floating about 3~5 cm.

6 Minute Abdominal Menu, 5 “Side Crunches”

Lie on your side and bend your knees into a crouch. Place your upper hand next to your ear and your lower hand on your side. Holding this posture, raise only your upper body sideways while looking at your side stomach. Once you have raised your body firmly, slowly return to the original position. Repeat.

Check out the video

This is the key to side crunches!

I want to work the oblique muscles of the abdomen, so it is better to raise the upper body as if the ribs are attached to the pelvis, with an oblique movement in mind rather than raising the body directly to the side. Also, when you bring your upper body back, do it with good control.

6 Minute Abdominal Menu, 6 “Flutter Kicks”

From a prone position, raise your upper body with your elbows just below your shoulders, and extend your legs to lift them off the floor. From there, move your legs up and down alternately to the left and right as if you were fluttering. Do this for 30 seconds.

Check out the video

Here is the key to the Flutter Kick

We want to bring awareness to the lower abdomen, so keep your eyes a little below the navel,round your hips, and tighten your grip. From there, move your legs up and down in large movements to stimulate your lower abdomen. If it gets tougher in the middle, don’t stop the movement as much as possible, but narrow the range of motion and stick with it to the end!

6 Minute Abdominal Menu 7: “Neat Toe Chest”

From a prone position, raise your upper body with your elbows just below your shoulders and keep your legs extended and lifted off the floor. From there, pull your knees in toward your chest. When returning, be aware of the slow motion and imagine the leg is far away from you until the knee is extended. This is the last event in this 6-minute program, so give it your all and push it to the limit.

Check out the video

Here is the key to the knee-toe chest!

This exercise also targets the lower abdomen. As with the flutter kick, be aware of your lower abdomen. Also, pull your knees to your chest and at the same time, pull your chin back and round your upper body a little to make it easier to perform. Try your best to exert all your strength until the very end!

To make it work properly, it is also important to be aware of your “breathing!

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

It is common to exhale when contracting the abdominal muscles, such as when raising the upper body or lifting the legs, and to inhale when returning them to their original position. Be especially conscious of tightening your abdominal muscles when you exhale. Also, in alternating left-right events such as bicycle crunches, heel touches, and flutter kicks, there is no best time to breathe, so just be aware not to stop.

How often should I do the 6-minute abs program?

There are two schools of thought on abdominal training: “You can do it every day” and “Like other muscles, you should leave an interval of at least three days between workouts,” but I think this depends on the content of the workout. The series of workouts introduced here are hard enough to make your abdominal muscles sore, but they do not contain any high-intensity exercises, so you should do them every day if possible. If that is not possible , you should do them once every two or three days. This workout takes only 6 minutes of your time, so it should be easy to try even if you are busy!

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Can I do the 6 minute abdominal workout even if I have back pain? Should I continue even if my back hurts?

I have structured the workouts based on events that are less stressful on the lower back, so if you have chronic lower back pain, you should be able to do them without difficulty. If it starts to hurt, you can stop training halfway through and see how you feel before resuming, or you can decide to refrain from training for a while. Also, if you have acute back pain such as a slipped back, you should definitely refrain from training.

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How long do I have to follow the 6 minute abs program to get a six pack?

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

It depends on your body fat percentage, but generally speaking, it takes about 3 months to change your body. However, since the abdominal muscles are naturally ripped, a good-looking six-pack can be achieved in about 1~2 months if the body fat percentage is low. Even if your body fat percentage is high, you should be able to get well-defined abdominal muscles in about 3~6 months by incorporating aerobic exercise and following a strict diet.

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