Six-Pack Boot Camp: Abs-Sculpting Tabatas

This article originally appeared on Oxygen

The leaner you are, the more visible your abs will be. Nutrition is the most important factor when it comes to losing body fat, but training plays a big role, too. And no training style is more effective for fat loss than high-intensity interval training, which consists of alternating bouts of all-out work with low intensity or full rest in a given workout.

The nice thing about HIIT is that it doesn't take long -- it's a much more efficient way to do cardio than a long, slow walk or jog. A prime example of this is the technique used in the following workout: Tabatas, during which you go 20 seconds "on" (high intensity) and 10 seconds "off" (full rest) for eight rounds, four minutes at a time. ISSA-certified trainer Aneshea Shali, owner of Core Camp Challenge and former U.S. Marine, designed this workout to get your heart rate up and sweat dripping down your brow in no time.

In Shali's workout, you'll do two separate Tabatas with a short break between them, which will have you finished in no more than 10 to 12 minutes. In each Tabata, you'll perform four different bodyweight-only exercises, doing each twice in the span of eight rounds. The exercises go back and forth between full-body moves like burpees, jumps and squats to isolated core work like planks and V-ups.

"The high-intensity calisthenics are great for burning calories and body fat, and the isolation exercises will help sculpt the muscles of the core," says Shali, explaining the rationale behind her Tabata programming. "This workout is short, sweet and effective!"

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Fat-Burning, Ab-Sculpting Tabata Workout

For each of the below Tabata HIIT routines, do eight rounds of 20 seconds for the exercises listed, with 10 seconds of complete rest between each round. You'll rotate through four different exercises per Tabata, doing each move for two 20-second intervals.

For example, in Tabata No. 1, you'll do burpees for 20 seconds straight, rest 10 seconds; Supermans for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds; star jumps for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds; V-ups for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds; and then repeat one more time through. Rest two to four minutes, then do the same thing for Tabata No. 2.

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