09 / 17 ELITE
CORE VALUES
BODYWEIGHT GURU TIM ROBARDS SHOWS YOU
HOW TO FORGE A STEEL STOMACH, STARTING
WITH GUT-MELTING HIIT WORKOUTS
To purchase the TRM 12-Minute Abs
Challenge, which includes workouts,
training tips and recipes aimed at
unveiling your six-pack,
go to therobardsmethod.comWHAT TIM ROBARDS doesn’t know about
creating a ripped midsection could be written
on a fish oil capsule. Over the next six issues of
Men’s Hea lth, the man behind the TRM
12-Minute Abs Challenge will reveal his secrets
to burning fat, strengthening your core and
revealing a head-turning six-pack just in time
for beach season.
HIIT YOUR FAT STORES
In your quest for rippling abs, crunches alone
will not suffice. “You might have a six-pack,
but if your overall body-fat percentage is too
high, no one’s going to see it,” says Robards.
The answer is to turn your body into a
fat-burning machine via HIIT sessions that
will leave you burning kilojoules at an
accelerated rate for many hours after you
hit the showers.
RUN, MAN, RUN
Exactly what form your HIIT workouts take is
up to you. Your options are vast. Robards’
preference is to blend high-intensity exercises
like burpees into his strength sessions so he’s
building muscle and burning lard in the same
highly efficient workout.
“But I also love getting out for a run and
tackling some hill sprints or stair intervals,”
Robards adds.
Jog to warm up for five minutes, then do
15-20 minute blocks alternating between 30
seconds’ sprinting, stair climbing or hill
running and 60 seconds’ jog-or-walk recovery.
Cool down for a few minutes and you’re done.
“If you’ve got injuries you can follow the
same format in the pool. There are no
excuses,” says Robards.TURN UP THE VOLUME
How many of these HIIT sessions should you be
doing each week? To force your body to change
you need to ask more of it, Robards
explains. “So start by doing a little more
than whatever you’re doing now and
increase your load as you build fitness.”
If you’re active and combining other
types of training, like resistance or
steady-state cardio, one session could be
enough. “But if HIIT is your only training
you’ll want to aim for three sessions per
week. And I’d recommend adding in
some mobility and f lexibility work to
shield yourself against injuries.”ONCE YOU CAN HOLD A
STANDARD SIDE PLANK
FOR 60-90SEC, TURN UP
THE HEAT ON YOUR
OBLIQUES WITH THIS
ADVANCED MOVE.
START WITH THREE SETS
OF 15 SECONDS PER SIDE,
THREE TIMES PER WEEKDIRECTIONS
Get into a side-plank position,
supporting your body on one
elbow and your knees. Bend
your other arm with fingertips
to ear and elbow pointing to
the sky. Activate your
obliques as you crunch,
moving your elbow down to
the ground and back up.SIDE-PLANK CRUNCH