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You are here: Home / Adventures / Six Pack Abs ≠ Impossible

Six Pack Abs ≠ Impossible

July 23, 2012 By Joel Runyon 66 Comments

For the last 3 months I’ve been quiet on the personal challenge front. It’s not because I haven’t been doing anything – in fact I’ve been rather busy – but I’ve been working on something that’s taken a ton of focus. Fortunately, it’s finally time for me to share.

When I first started the list, one of the first things on it was

Get a six pack and do a photo shoot to celebrate

The Six Pack

It’s always been a little weird to have on the list as it’s unapologetically vain but, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. When I started a few years ago, I used to be cautious about going after it. I tried it a few times, and never really committed myself to it and was never successful. In my years as an athlete, I had gotten close and even gotten in really good shape, but was never actually able to get that elusive six pack. It was one of those things that I didn’t know if I could actually do or not – I figured genetics just didn’t have it in the cards for me.

That all changed after a St. Patrick’s day conversation with Vic at SxSw, I decided to go for it again – a good 2 years after first putting it on my list. To make sure I was committed, I kickstarted it with my own edition of cold shower therapy, got a killer fitness coach and focused on this goal solely for the next 8 weeks. Considering I was traveling at the time in the Dominican Republic, the workout program that we developed had 3 rules:

  • No equipment/gym/weights required. As I said, I was traveling and wanted to be able to do this anywhere in the world.
  • Workouts should last less than 30 minutes/workout
  • No excuses. Just results.

I turned my intensity and focus onto my diet and over the next 8 weeks, I lost 34 pounds, dropped to 5.4% body fat and finally got the ever elusive six pack abs I always thought was impossible. I did this in 8 weeks, never visiting a gym and using nothing but a jump rope and body weight exercises you can do anywhere in the world.

These are the results.

Impossible Abs Before/After

(The lighting differential is from the two different mirrors I took the photos in).

I’ll share more about exactly how I did this next week (sign up for updates here), but after 8 weeks of dedicated focus, I finally crossed it off my list.

Six Pack Abs: Impossible

But I wasn’t done…

The Photo Shoot

The second part of the goal was to do a photo shoot to celebrate. As it turned out this was the hard part.

In order to reflect the fitness regimen that we developed, I wanted to find an old warehouse or abandoned warehouse for the photo shoot. The idea being that even if you had no equipment and were stuck in this building with nothing but your jump rope, you could still do all the workouts you need in order to get into incredible shape.

After searching for a bit, we found a location just outside Chicago. It was old, abandoned, had incredible graffitti and had the warehouse feel I was looking for.

Somehow I convinced Jeff and Marla to do a photoshoot at said location – sight unseen. They agreed immediately (I think they trust me a little *too* much).

They didn’t realize The fun thing about the shoot was that we shot it at the top of the building – 150 feet in the air or so. It wouldn’t be too big of a deal if we had the useful things like stairs or a lift elevator, but the location had been abandoned for 30 years or so and scrappers have long since taken the stairs to sell for cash. This left one route to get to the top – a rickety old ladder that  creaked half way through, reminding you of your untimely meeting with death if you freak out, slip or just get tired.

There’s no good way to actually describe how tall this ladder was silos actually were, how brittle this ladder seems and how intense the entire experience actually getting to the shoot location was, but it was totally worth it. The photos speak for themselves.

—-

The Experience

This entire experience was the most intense and one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life – due to the 8 weeks of focus and intensity involved in the diet and workouts – not to mention the last few days of incredible self-control, combined with water manipulation, scouting and actual preparation for the photo shoot.

I used to think that certain physical aspects of fitness was all genetics, and that average people like me could never get abs. Over 8 weeks, I realized that not only is that not true, but there’s an exact formula for doing it. It’s not quick and easy, but it is simple and possible if you know how to do it and are willing to put in the work. There’s a blueprint and it works. Hint: it involves fasting.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be talking ab little more about the fitness regimen I used  to get the results I did and lay out a specific blueprint for how I got my results. If you’d like to be notified when they’re up, subscribe to the blog or sign up for more information here.

Impossible Abs Is Now Available Here.

In the mean time, it’s time to knock another thing off the list:

Get a six pack and do a photo shoot to celebrate.

Impossible

#boom

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Filed Under: Adventures, Fitness, The Impossible, The Impossible List Tagged With: fitness, six pack, Six-Pack Abs, weight loss

About Joel Runyon

I started IMPOSSIBLE to push myself to try to live a life worth writing about by pushing my limits, living an adventure & telling a great story by doing the impossible. You can get free updates in your inbox via your new favorite newsletter, free fitness training tutorials, and see all my businesses at Impossible X and our philanthropic efforts at Impossible.org

Comments

  1. Thomas Frank says

    July 23, 2012 at 11:16 am

    Congrats Joel! And welcome to the club 😉

    IMO, getting a six pack has a lot less to do with workouts and a lot more to do with your diet. I had success using a version of Mark Sisson’s Primal diet; paleo and keto diets work really well too.

    I’m a little jealous of all those awesome photoshoot locations you’ve got in Chicago 🙂

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 25, 2012 at 12:14 am

      You just gotta look a little bit to find the good spots 😉

      Reply
      • denise says

        August 11, 2014 at 12:02 am

        hi joel its cool how you did that in 8 weeks what kind of bodyweights did you do and for how long did you jump rope or how many times did you jump the rope? please answer asap cuz i want to try this ☺ thanks bye

        Reply
        • Joel Runyon says

          August 12, 2014 at 12:44 pm

          Hi Denise, – check out impossibleabs.com and noexcuseworkout.org for the answers to your questions.

          Reply
      • denise says

        August 11, 2014 at 11:10 pm

        so you did this just jumproping and body wieght exercises?cool and how long did it take to start see the results?

        Reply
  2. Will Peach says

    July 23, 2012 at 11:27 am

    This is actually really fucking impressive mate. Well done. I’m intrigued to find out more about the program.

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 23, 2012 at 3:05 pm

      Thank you sir. Going to have it out here soon.

      Reply
  3. Dodo says

    July 23, 2012 at 11:38 am

    wow! the photos look awesome. you have inspired me to find the most epic celebration of the sixab i am going to get the following weeks.
    congratulations on your accomplishments!

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 23, 2012 at 3:05 pm

      Massive props to Spyr.me – they climbed 150 foot ladder for me. Best. Photographers. Ever.

      Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 24, 2012 at 2:58 pm

      Having a celebration planned is the best & most motivating part 🙂

      Reply
  4. Todd Schnick says

    July 23, 2012 at 12:12 pm

    nice work dude…

    Reply
  5. Toni says

    July 23, 2012 at 12:44 pm

    I know I should talk about fitness since your journey is very impressive and I’m working on my own abs at the moment but I’m just going to say you’re hot. End of discussion 😀

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 24, 2012 at 3:00 pm

      *blushes*

      Reply
  6. Patrick Hitches says

    July 23, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    It’s all about relentless consistency with the “right” plan of action. And that’s it.

    Solid work brother. You made it happen and look great!

    P

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 24, 2012 at 3:00 pm

      Being consistently consistent is the #1 thing.

      Reply
  7. Greg Cherry says

    July 23, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    Just found my way to your site. Love it! Going to start following you, and following up on the recommendations. Keep it up

    Reply
  8. Dean says

    July 23, 2012 at 1:29 pm

    Don’t. Eat. Carbohydrates.

    Painfully difficult to do in western culture, but 90% of problem in reaching optimal body-weight (and therefore having stellar abs)

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 23, 2012 at 3:04 pm

      Simplest advice ever :). Love it.

      Reply
    • Patrick Hitches says

      July 24, 2012 at 9:18 am

      Minus a once a week “Leptin Reset” carb feast. Without this component the body will try to save itself and slow down that metabolism stat.

      But yes, avoid carbs like the plague all week long for fat loss focus and embrace the bacon!

      Reply
  9. Tim Moon says

    July 23, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    Man, photos 028 and 001 rock. Good job on the focus and attaining a challenging goal. Onward and upward.

    Reply
  10. paurullan says

    July 23, 2012 at 5:19 pm

    Great work and congratulations! 😀

    Reply
  11. Rita says

    July 23, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    JOEL!!! Never one to swear online..I just have to say…HOLY SH*T!!! this is incredible! The photo shoot is amazing! wow. WAY TO GO!

    Inspired.

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 24, 2012 at 2:57 pm

      Technically, you still didn’t swear 🙂

      Reply
  12. Debra says

    July 24, 2012 at 1:08 am

    Joel, fantastic post, killer body and photo shoot! I just stumbled on you from Twitter and so glad I clicked through.

    Looking forward to your blueprint.

    Congrats on all your hard work and results!

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 24, 2012 at 2:57 pm

      Thanks Debra 🙂

      Reply
  13. Paul says

    July 24, 2012 at 1:58 am

    Hi Joel – as always, impressed by your journey and the way you celebrate this with a public photoshoot (great location..)This is one goal I have little desire to achieve, but you. keep. doing. it.

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 24, 2012 at 2:59 pm

      Glad you’ve stuck around since the beginning Paul 🙂

      Reply
  14. Andrew says

    July 24, 2012 at 2:30 am

    Six Pack in just 8 weeks. Amazing Joel, I really Impressed with your dedication towards fitness and Six Abs. @Debra,Yes Joel’s body is really killer and attractive. I too want to build like this

    Reply
  15. John Southee says

    July 24, 2012 at 8:17 am

    Joel, I’ve been reading your blog since earlier this year and so far this post has most resonated with me. This too has been one of my life goals. I’ve been attacking it all year. I wouldn’t say that I have made significant results but after 7 1/2 months I still don’t feel like I am where I want to be.

    I do work out every day and eat very clean. Now, though, having seen you accomplish this in just eight “simple” weeks, I am too eager to see how you did accomplish it. Congrats on accomplishing a life long goal and keep achieving the impossible!

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 24, 2012 at 2:57 pm

      The definition of “eating clean” varies from person to person. A lot of it was just added focus and intensity, but I’ll have a post up next week detailing exactly what I did.

      Reply
  16. Sandy Nguyen says

    July 24, 2012 at 10:30 am

    Wow. In 2-month, that must have been a lot of work. I am also working my “abs” off to gain muscle and reduce body fat. This is very inspiring!

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 24, 2012 at 2:56 pm

      It was hands-down one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

      Reply
      • Rita says

        July 24, 2012 at 5:57 pm

        JOEL! Everybody wants to know HOW?! I shared this with some friends yesterday…Okay, well all my friends 🙂 and they all asked the same question. I’m guessing it would take me longer than 8 weeks but HOW!!? When do we get to know the how??

        Reply
        • Joel Runyon says

          July 25, 2012 at 12:12 am

          It’s coming up next week. In the meantime, check out http://impossibleabs.com

          Reply
  17. Thomas Kohn says

    July 24, 2012 at 8:50 pm

    Impressive work. Time after time, I’ve said “I’ll work this year to get a 6-pack.” It never came, even with 4000 miles of cycling. Because the high aerobic activity led to carb binges and maintaining the weight I already had.

    This year, though I didn’t promise myself a 6-pack, I’ve done less distance in my bike work and cut my diet to fewer carbohydrates. And I’ve been dropping pounds, about 3 per month. The Apollo’s Girdle has returned, and my abs are beginning to show. So I second the advice about diet.

    Congratulations on your work, determination, and results. And yes, Toni is right: you are hot.

    Wondering, though… Are all these shots with you tensing the abdominals and shifting into the best light? Or are the poses more natural, unstudied?

    Tom

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 24, 2012 at 11:33 pm

      The postes are all in natural light. Some I’m flexing and some I’m simply working out. Everything is natural though – aka no photoshop.

      Reply
  18. Dan says

    July 25, 2012 at 9:26 am

    Awesome man, I am currently in a 6 pack comp with a girl at work and while I currently have a 4 pack, the 6 has been eluding me. Although in saying this, I dropped from 96kgs to 71kgs in 18 months so I guess I need to put it in perspective. Looking forward to some tips from you. Also 5.4% body fat? Wow, Bruce lee was running at around 5% if I am not mistaken so kudos to you.

    Reply
  19. Saum says

    July 26, 2012 at 10:44 am

    Great Job Joel,

    Now the real ‘Impossible’ is awaiting you. “Maintenance” of those packs….

    You know King of the Hill? – Getting there is hard, staying there is Harder

    But that the thing Impossible = Nothing

    FTW

    Reply
  20. Jeanie Witcraft says

    July 30, 2012 at 12:39 am

    DAMN! I’m another one who is muy interested in how. *goes to sign up*

    You don’t look quite …real..in the photos. HDR? Looks like a Charlton Heston movie poster or something. 🙂
    I agree, Jeff & Marla rock.

    /fangirl raving.

    Reply
    • Joel Runyon says

      July 30, 2012 at 12:49 am

      All real here :). That’s just 8 weeks of hardcore DIET and exercise (+ 1 really, crazy nutso week of diet as well).

      Reply
  21. Bill says

    August 2, 2012 at 9:29 am

    Inspirational sir! Thank you. Your pictures are ace.

    Reply
  22. Justice says

    August 10, 2012 at 2:16 am

    Friend sent me here about your interview with Russell Kirsch – which was awesome.

    I also wanted 6 pack abs and have found my diet is making them appear – slightly.

    I love super hero genre and think 2 of the above shots are VERY SF/superheroic awesome – with Chicago in the back ground!

    Edit 60, 24, and 20 specifically look as if you are posing for a bookcover.

    Well, I do not know if I am ‘committed’ yet – but I certainly agree and respect your drive and determination, Joel!

    p.s. I live in Wheaton, not too far from the olde homesteade!

    Let me know if we can meet for coffee!

    peace
    justice

    Reply
  23. ARSEN says

    August 23, 2012 at 7:22 am

    Nice effort….Awesome result.

    Reply
  24. Timo Kiander says

    August 24, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    Joel,

    Awesome, congrats!

    When you mentioned this,

    >nothing but a jump rope and body weight exercises you >can do anywhere in the world

    I’m guessing that also that your nutrition played a big part in achieving your goal?

    Anyway, signed up for your updates to see how you did it 🙂

    Cheers,
    Timo

    Reply
  25. Paarkhi Parekh says

    August 25, 2012 at 5:14 am

    Joel,
    I’m inspired by reading your article and want to do for me also at present I’m 172.5 cms (5.11″ approx.) and weighing 202 lbs. (92kgs) and trying to follow paleo guide except that I’m purely Vegetarian (so I’m leaving the points where it suggests the non.veg) but don’t know where to start the exercise from? I also am constantly on move so cannot goto gym or carry any extra gym materials like barbell dumb bells etc. but ready to spare time for body weight exercises and carrying rope is OK, please suggest me something in exercise.
    Thanks
    Sorry for posting it in comments section

    Reply
  26. edward says

    September 23, 2012 at 9:15 pm

    Love your six pack have you got any ideas on how you would turn a six pack into an 8-pack

    Reply
  27. Gary says

    October 10, 2012 at 9:25 pm

    Excellent Info; Great Pictures; Thx

    Reply
  28. Marc says

    May 8, 2013 at 9:08 pm

    I came across your website, and I’m doing the program now.. I cut out bread, soda, and all other sweets from my diet.. Believe me, you’re right, it isn’t easy.. BTW- I’m from Chicago myself, so I know about the loving to eat factor.. Well, I’m on the second week, doing fine, feeling myself getting in better shape and resisting the weights and just sticking to the bodyweight movements outlined in your program.. I like this program, because it’s getting me in tip top shape and prepping myself to start training in an adult gymnastics class.. I can’t wait to see my abs at the end of this program.. It will be impressive to gave some sleek abs at the age of 40.

    Thanks for sharing this article!

    Reply

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