Ryan Terry finished in the top three at the Olympia in 2018
This, and the fact he’s fronted more than 40 magazine covers, make him one of Britain’s best bodybuilders. But how does he get in stage-ready shape? Recently, Terry shared his full abs workout routine on social media.
The secret to Ryan Terry’s abs workout is similar to how you’d train any other muscle for growth. He hits the abs from a variety of angles, and with high volume.
The same applies whether you’re training your chest, legs or biceps.
Ryan Terry’s abs workout routine
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Terry, a former heating engineer from Worksop, says his current abs workout routine looks like this:
- Decline ab crunches: 5 sets of 20 solid, controlled reps
- Lying leg raises: 5 sets of 18-20 solid, controlled reps
- Weighted cable crunches: 5 sets of 18-20 solid, controlled reps
- Standing cable wood chops: 4 sets of 12-15 reps on each side
- Ab crunches on fitness / Bosu ball: 5 sets of 18-20 reps (holding the contraction)
- Upper body iso tension work to finish: 4 rounds of one minute tensing with a 60 second rest in between sets
You might be surprised to see ‘tensing’ form part of a bodybuilder’s actual workout. It’s not just for show, though.
By repeatedly flexing a muscle, you are improving your ability to move that muscle under tension, and against resistance. That’s pretty much what weight training is in a nutshell.
This is worth bearing in mind if you’re trying to put some muscle mass on, at least.
No abs workout will give you a ripped midsection without getting your diet in check first, however.
Ryan Terry previously told JOE that diet is more important for getting shredded than time spent in the gym.
“Food over training, every time,” he said.
“You can’t just rely on the gym to get the results you want. When you start dieting, you must look at the food you’re consuming. It’s not a 12-week diet, it’s a lifestyle change.”
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In terms of the diet specifics, Terry said:
“I follow a high-carb, low-fat, medium-protein diet – consuming two grams of protein for every kilo I weigh. These are amounts I can sustain and that help my metabolism.”
Terry also said that when you consume your food is as important as what you’re eating.
“For the early part of the day, which is generally when I train, I will have eggs and oats for breakfast and then I’ll eat white fish and white meat such as turkey, tilapia and chicken.
“These are lean protein sources that digest very quickly without much fat. My carbs are also high around this time in order to fuel my training.”
