💪 Best Ab Workouts for Your Bodybuilding Goals

After all those months of bulking and cutting, it’s finally time to let your summer body shine. But if you ever need some last-minute tips on looking your best, The Ripped Report is always up to the task.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• The best ab workouts for beginner, intermediate, and veteran bodybuilders.

• Learn six tips that will help you eat for mass.

• And lastly, six-time Figure Olympia champ Cydney Gillion has 10 secrets to help rookie bodybuilders in their stage debut.

WORKOUTS

Ab Fab

There are two warring factions that constantly struggle to claim dominance over the core training conversation, even in bodybuilding.

The “squats are all you need” crowd, whose ethos is based on big compound movements being the endgame of exercise — and the “isolate everything” people, who would not dream of going through an ab workout with any less than four variations of the sit-up to ensure optimal abdominal development.

If you’re after a rock-solid midsection that looks good on the beach, or you’re prepping for your first appearance on the bodybuilding stage, you can’t have your path clouded by maybes and mysticism.

You need core workouts that work, no matter if you’re new to the gym or are a seasoned veteran. Here are three different ways to tackle your next ab day, tuned just right for your experience level.

NUTRITION

Mass Eater

Let’s be honest: Nutrition is often less glamorous than training. Straining and grinding in the gym is more appealing than deciding whether you should have the double-chicken burrito bowl with half rice and half beans or the double-steak burrito with no rice and extra guac.

Plenty of well-designed training plans have been steered off-track because they weren’t supported by an equally well-designed nutrition plan.

Getting enough calories, carbs, protein, and fats can mean the difference between packing on size and hitting PRs or spinning your wheels and burning out. Here’s how to set up a “diet plan” that will help you build muscle and move heavier weights.

PRO TIPS

Nail Your Debut

There’s a lot that goes into preparing before and during a bodybuilding show. Even grizzled veterans can get overwhelmed by the process — imagine what it’s like for someone in their debut?

Six-time Figure Olympia champion Cydney Gillon understands what rookies go through, so she recently took to her YouTube channel to share 10 tips to help amateur bodybuilders prepare for their first competition. Even if your dreams don’t lie on the stage, it’s worth a watch for any fans of the sport.

THE DROPSET

Big Ramy’s Fired Up

• Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay recently opened up about how he’s channeling the anger from his 2022 Mr. Olympia loss into his training routine this off-season.

• Adjustable dumbbells are a convenient way to save space for your home gym. And these are some of the best models on the market.

• You probably do lateral raises all the time — but do you do them right? Check out our guide to make sure.

SOUND OFF!

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