PerfePitchPitchperfect

England rugby star James Haskell needs a core of steel with no excess padding on the field.

Here’s how he gets it

’m not that interested in aesthetics – I don’t have a separate abs day or anything like that,’ says James Haskell. Fortunately for him, a by-product of his rugby training is a six-pack that most men who train solely to pose would envy. ‘That said, most things I do in the gym will work my abs, whether it’s squats, Romanian deadlifts, Turkish get-ups, or more specific stuff such as hanging knee raises.’

As explosive as he is on the pitch, the secret to his sculpted midsection is going slow. ‘You’ve got to keep things controlled,’ says Haskell. ‘ Time under tension is key. Maybe you can do 1,000 crunches and get a six-pack [You can’t – Ed], but I’ve found it’s much better to do ten slow ones that really make me work.’

The final piece of the six-pack puzzle? Diet. Haskell has his own supplement company but real, highquality food is the first item on his list. ‘I eat five to six times a day,’ he says. ‘I’ll have something like steak and nuts for breakfast, then have a cooked protein source of around 200g with 300g of carbs in every meal after that. Then I’ll take a probiotic, some fish oil and extra protein when I need to top things up.’ Nononsense and highly effective: just like his on-pitch performance.