What a Six-Pack Can’t Do

REFLECTIONS IN MOTION

Talking six-pack abs through the lens of purpose

Last week, I came across a post on X/Twitter that hasn’t left my mind since. It referenced a study that opened with the line:
“In five years, having a six-pack will be rarer than owning a Rolex.”

Throughout history, defined abs have signaled that someone is in shape. From Greek statues to fitness covers, the six-pack has always been a visual symbol for discipline and strength.

And today? It still sells. Especially on social media, where performance doesn’t matter, only looks do.

When I meet athletes early in their strength journey, many start by obsessing over ab training. And sure, abs look good. But when it comes to performance? They don’t tell the whole story.

Your goals don’t care how your core looks when you’re sprinting, lifting, or on the field. They only care if you can perform at your best.

Below, we will explore how six-pack abs became a status symbol and why training for functional core strength is the smarter path. The irony? A strong core often results in six-pack abs as a nice byproduct.

Why should you care about training for core strength?

Your core is the center of everything. It’s the foundation of your performance. A strong core improves your posture, balance, and the transfer of force between your upper and lower body. It protects your spine. It helps you move with control.

Seeing your abs only as an aesthetic goal limits your potential. It misses the point of what your body is built to do.

Train your core for strength, stability, and performance, and your six-pack will follow as a byproduct.

Where training abs often goes wrong

When I see athletes training their abs, it’s usually some combination of sit-ups and planks with the occasional variation. These exercises burn, so they feel like they’re doing something.

But just because it burns doesn’t mean it’s useful. You’ll get better at sit-ups, sure. But how often do you use that motion in real life? Almost never.

Most people train their abs in ways that don’t match the role of the core in their sport. They chase the burn instead of training for real function, and then wonder why their core isn’t getting stronger or why their abs aren’t showing.

If you want a core that works for you in training, games, and life. You’ve got to train it for what it’s built to do: stabilize, transfer power, and keep everything connected.

THIS WEEK’S STOIC INSIGHT

A moment this week that taught me something

Live from Eindhoven

This Monday morning, I found myself negotiating about doing a leg day. My legs felt heavy from Saturday’s long run, and I just wasn’t feeling it. My mind threw out excuses: “You could rest,” “Just hit some upper body,” “Take it easy today.”

And I’ll be honest, on the ride to the gym, I had already decided to go easy. But standing in front of the barbell, something flipped. I stopped overthinking and just got to work. It turned into one of my best leg sessions in weeks.

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it, and this you have the power to revoke.”
— Marcus Aurelius

That session wasn’t just for training my legs; it was training for my mindset, also. That inner voice telling me to ease up? It got quieter that day.

How to train your abs the right way

Personally, I stopped training my abs with isolated movements about two years ago. I was setting up a new program and wanted to maximize muscle growth while keeping my time in the gym low.

If you're doing compound exercises like bench presses, deadlifts, and squats while activating your core, you're already providing significant stimulation to your core muscles.

Recently, I’ve come back to core-specific training but now with a focus on stability, to support both my running and lifting goals. I try to train my core in its actual function: full-body movements where it has to work hard to stabilize.

If I could only do one exercise for training my core strength, it would be this

If someone told me I could only do one exercise for my core in training, and nothing else. This would be my first choice.

(Although I’d still ask if I could sneak in a superset.)

For time efficiency and maximum benefit, I’d go with a superset of two slow, controlled movements:

• Pallof Press (with resistance band):
  A great exercise for building anti-rotational strength. Your core has to work hard to keep your body upright against resistance.

  • 12 reps on the left side

  • 12 reps on the right side

  • Option: hold each side for 30 seconds instead of reps for added tension

• Standing Landmine Rotation:
  This targets rotational control and stability in all planes of movement. It challenges your core not just to resist movement, but to control it through your full range of motion.

  • 8–10 slow, controlled reps on each side

  • Focus on form, not weight

The key to both exercises: go slow, stay controlled. Adding weight isn’t the priority; maintaining control is.

TRAINING IN PRACTICE

What I’m Building With

▶ Current exercise I am testing out: 5-minute Row-erg on my upper-body day

▶ What I am reading: Ernest Hemingway - The Sun Also Rises

▶ Tool or gear I’m using: Garmin Forerunner 255

▶ One quote I am obsessed with: ‘‘The path to heaven will feel like hell. The path to hell will feel like heaven’’

END ON PURPOSE

One question to ask yourself…

What would you do if you couldn’t fail?

A powerful question to ask ourselves from time to time when we are procrastinating on a choice. Taking the bold action will feel uncomfortable in the moment, but often yield the best results.

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