ANOTHER LEVEL

Ryan Terry uses 60:40 training to make his

six-pack positively three-dimensional

used to be one of those guys who’d train their abs for 20 minutes six times a week,’ says Ryan Terry, winner of multiple bodybuilding titles including Mister International. ‘I had the shape but never the size, because I was never giving the muscles time to recover. Now I train them like any other muscle group: using heavy weights and giving them three to four days off.’

And he’s never looked better. Terry’s approach to his abs workouts is characterised by what he calls a 60:40 split. ‘I’ll go hard on my upper abs one day, doing weighted crunches and hanging leg raises, and lighter on my side abs (transversus and obliques). Then in the next session I’ll do the opposite – going hard on the obliques.’

As for nutrition, Terry’s less didactic than some. ‘I eat five or six times a day, with all my carbs in the first four meals,’ he says. ‘I’d suggest keeping your diet caveman-style, eating complex carbs and high-energy fat sources such as steak or mackerel. And try setting yourself a four-week goal – if you’ve got a timeframe in mind, you can stay on track. Just saying, “I want to eat healthier from now on” is unsustainable.’