Try crunches.

The secret to a six pack is not just doing exercises, its having a great plan, much like racing. I do my core workout 4 days a week before going to work. Check out the great attatchment recently posted by Kona with the core workout. Dont do it everyday, and dont do it just once a week, find the median that works for you.

Another key is being consistant in your aerobic workouts. If you are consistant your metabolism will increase and naturally burn more of the fats that are hiding your abs.

Outexan.
Having a six pack is more about % body fat than anything else.
You can do a million crunches a day but it won't help if you have a high % of body fat. I used to be into bodybuilding. Normally males have to get down to about 12% body fat before you will see a 6-pack, some even lower depending on where you carry your fat. I might start an argument here, but IMO having a 6-pack and training for triathlons are not necessarily complimentary activities.
Typically triathletes = lots of calories (high carbs & medium protein).
Typically bodybuilders (especially close to contest time) = lots of calories (high protein, low low carbs). There are exceptions; some people are just naturally lean and muscular. Don't ask those people how they got a six pack because they are just genetically gifted, ask the people who used to be fat but now have abs.
-T

I have gotten down to 8% and I couldn't see a six pack.
My fat stores around my waist so I still see slight love handles.

I can feel the abs underneath but just can't see them.
I am at 10% now.

Pretty sure it's 18% body fat for women and 12 or 13 for men before the abs start to show.

Just my 2 cents.

And then there's lipo..... :eek:

mmmm...talking about those packs....
Sam Adams Winter larger always looks good!!!
My choice..................Rolling Rock

I am using a Tanita scale/body fat monitor.
I got checked at my doctor and the percentage was pretty close.

I know it is a little off.
I am not so concerned about having the 6 pack I am just glad I am in a reasonable weight range.

Good points.
Most of my core strength exercises are just body weight.
I drink about a gallon of water a day, plus other liquids.
I am not too concerned about the six pack look.
I am happy I fit into my 32 inch waist pants :D

Here's a core workout routine from GordoWorld:

http://www.byrn.org/gtips/core.htm

thehitman

Developing and seeing a 6-pack (I've been told at times I have an 8-pack!) is finding the perfect individual combination of the following factors:
1. Diet: It can take years before you figure out just what that magic combination of carbs, protein and fats needs to be to both support your training AND make your physique pop. There are rules of thumb, but it really is individual.
2. Body composition: In conjunction with 1, you need to be lean to see your abs, or any other muscle group for that matter. Someone else stated it above--rule of thumb is 18% for women and about 12% for men. But you might be different than this. See #3. I am about 11-12% now, which is very low for a woman, but I've had "decent" abs when I was heavier, but for me the lower abs didn't come around until I got below 15%.
3. Genetics. What I mean by this is not the natural propensity to be lean (I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters and they are all fat to obese), but the genetic SHAPE of your muscles. Look at any bodybuilding magazine, and while you will see general patterns in the muscle shapes, there is quite a bit of variance. That's genetics. But no matter what you are born with, it's just your potential; the other factors play just as much of a role.
4. Workout program. Just like any other body part, abs only need to be worked twice a week. I have found that once I got them where I wanted, that in the last 8-12 weeks of Ironman training I can get away with once a week or not at all! OK, so I won't have that superior definition, but who cares, I'm not training for a bodybuilding competition. More than twice a week, and well, you're a triathlete, right? So spend additional time on your sports training. Just as your genetics give you potential for a certain shape to your abs, so does your workout program. The same program applied to 2 different people won't necessarily yield the same results. And just as your triathlon training needs to be mixed up with different intensities, so does your abs/core routine need to be mixed up with different exercises/sequences to keep the muscles challenged. Although I did publish my "current" abs/core routine, I do change it at least once per year. Why? Because we get used to anything we do repetitively.

Empirically I've found that something key to a nice mid-section is the balance of muscle definition between the obliques and the 6-pack, or rectus abdominus, itself. So people who do only up and down crunches are not going to look as good as people who include twisting motions and GENERAL CORE WORK which serves to tighten up everything in the middle.

And finally, as your abs get stronger, they need to be stressed more just like any other muscle group. 2-3 years ago I started out using a 6-lb. medicine ball, moved up to 8 lbs. a year ago, and now I'm using 10 lbs. (fyi you can get nice balls at jumpusa.com). Once I made the jump to 10 lbs., oh my, things just popped out. AND challenging my core. Try those jackknifes, and progress to one-legged. You will definitely feel your abs working!

As like anything else in sport, there is no silver bullet. We are all different, and as hard as we work, we may not be seeing results--YET. Patience and trial and error will get you where you want to go.

But, a buff 6-pack isn't everything. I wasn't actually trying for one--it just happened as a result of small changes I've made through the years, finding my diet "sweet spot," and face it, swimming, biking and running help support that nice midsection by keeping the fat off and also work it at the same time.

You can see my results here: http://crackheadfe.blogspot.com/2005/12/physique-or-vain-triathlete.html