The average six pack workout these days is abysmally ineffective. Not only are the efforts inefficient, but they are headed in the wrong direction. There is only one style of training made to get the abs you’ve always wanted.

The aim of your six pack workout, first and foremost, should be fat loss. Everything else comes secondary unless you have very low levels of body fat (single digits in guys and very low double digits in girls) and nevertheless do not see the abs you desire. Most people will find that they have a great set of abs; they are just obscured by a layer of fat.

The best six pack workout then is whatever burns calories most efficiently, and that would be High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This is something akin to running on steroids without any negative consequences. Your heart rate will be much higher than a simple steady-state cardiovascular routine, and as a result, will burn much more calories on a per minute basis. Due to the strain it puts on the system it also continues to melt away calories for up to 48 hours following a session while the system is repairing itself.

HIIT is essentially any kind of activity that boosts your heart rate close to threshold levels for short bursts and then allows you a short break to catch your breath before repeating. Minus the warm up and cool down a session can be completed in 20 minutes.

It comes in a few different forms, and some forms have been renamed. Interval sprinting is the type that almost everyone associates with HIIT. Quick, hard bursts of swimming also achieve the same goal. You use up massive amounts of energy doing either action.

Another form was recently popularized under the name turbulence training. It is essentially circuit training with lighter weights, higher reps, and low cool-downs until you attain the desired heart rate for long enough. This is followed by a slightly longer cool-down before starting the circuit again.

If you aren’t utilizing some form of HIIT in your six pack workout every other day, it is a waste of both your time and effort.

Not ready to scrap your old six pack workout? Learn five simple techniques you can enhance your existing six pack workout (and don’t forget to grab your free report on 27 ways to boost your metabolism).