Lee Priest Shares Ab Routine Used During Bodybuilding Career, Gives Advice on How to Bring Them To The Surface

Australian IFBB Pro Lee Priest reached the top of the sport with hard muscle density and is now sharing the secrets behind his timeless physique. On September 3, 2024, Priest took to YouTube to share the easy-to-replicate ab routine he used during his bodybuilding career, offering insight on how to showcase a more defined six-pack. 

Lee Priest is a living legend among bodybuilders. Despite a shorter stature than many of his rivals, Priest never let genetic limitations hold him back from gold. At a young age, he was celebrated for his jaw-dropping conditioning levels and bursting fullness, just ask Jay Cutler. 

While Priest enjoys the comforts of retirement nowadays, his bodybuilding career was like a movie. Although he never laid claim to the Mr. Olympia title, he attained huge success, pushing mainstays of the Open category, such as Ronnie Coleman, and at one point, defeated ‘The King’ in competition. 

Before laying down his posing trunks for good, Priest tasted victory three times in a row. He picked up gold at the 2006 NOC New York and PDI Night of Champions and mounted a triumph comeback in 2013, where he snagged first place at the NABBA Mr. Universe. Fortunately, he’s now peeling back the curtain on how he achieved his deeply separated abs. 

Lee Priest Reveals Ab Training Routine He Used During Career: “That’s All You Need” 

Last competing at the Mr. Universe, Priest said he utilized an ab exercise he learned from the Rocky 4 movie. 

“At least 10 years… when did I last compete? The Universe, that’s probably the last time I did them, in 2013. In my younger days I used to do the ones like Rocky in Rocky 4 remember? When he had his shoulders on the bench and he’d lower his body up and down like from Rocky 4. I use to do them all the time I thought I was Rocky.” 

While many people believe you need to leverage weight to carve out a nice set of abs, Priest doesn’t believe heavier loads are the ticket to a sharp midsection. Instead, he favors body weight movements for a tighter core. 

“Most people do the rope pulldowns and a lot of times I see it, the weight they are using, they are pulling more with their arms but for abs you don’t need a lot of weight. If you just do body weight crunches, you hook your feet under the couch at home or whatever, and just do body weight crunches, that’s all you need.” 

To achieve his physique for the 2013 Mr. Universe show, Priest utilized crunches and broomstick twists. 

“Like I said, if you’re on the end of a bench, one of my favorites was just doing that, [crunching],” said Priest. “Every day [I did abs for 2013 Mr. Universe] about 10 minutes of these [body weight crunches] I didn’t count reps I’d just go till they burned, 10 minutes of that. And then, like I said, just the broomstick [twists] 10 minutes of that. And that was it for abs. I didn’t use weighted crunch machines or weighted anything. That was it.” 

Contrary to popular belief, Priest says training the abs often won’t bring them to the surface, instead, he says to focus on diet. That fits in line with the old saying too, that ‘abs are built in the kitchen, not the gym.’ 

“People think you can train them more they’re going to come out… the only thing that makes them come out is dieting. What I don’t like is when I see girls and even men doing this, and with heavy weights doing side bends. You oblique muscles here, they are a muscle, they make your waist thicker.” 

He warned that anyone training their obliques could unintentionally cause the waist to thicken. 

“My waist is pretty thick now just from McDonald’s. But if I diet down it goes away but the oblique muscle, guys and women doing all this weight stuff, I’m like why? You’re only going to thicken your waist. So stop doing bends, whatever you want to call them,” says Priest. 

In addition to Priest’s guidance, former Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler has also laid out how to effectively define the midsection. Cutler underlines that ‘you’re trying to condition them, not build muscle.’ 

“Tips on ab training. I usually train abs every other day, especially when I’m training for a competition. Remember, the abs aren’t going to come out unless the body fat is low. But what is the ultimate rep range for your abs? I always focus on 15-20 repetitions,” Cutler shares. 

We all want nice washboard abs, and thankfully, we have high-profile bodybuilders to tell us how to get the job done. Above all else, it seems diet has the biggest impact on carving out visible abs, so make sure your nutrition is locked in before tinkering with different exercises to bring them to the surface! 

RELATED: Forget Crunches — You Just Need a Stability Ball and 10 Minutes to Sculpt Your Abs

Watch the full video from the Sam’s Fitness – Gym Equipment YouTube channel below: 

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