Dad Bod

The Baby Shark Ab Workout Is Real And Will Get You Shredded

Let's face it: You're already listening to the Baby Shark song on repeat. You might as well use it to get abs of steel.

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A man doing the baby shark ab workout
Gym Performance / youtube.com

The Baby Shark song is unavoidable. It’s time to lean into it and use the song for good — namely, to get you that six-pack you always wanted (or just a strong core to keep you stable). The Baby Shark ab workout challenge is a serious exercise regimen that will seriously shred your midsection. Created by a group of young gymnasts, this quick-hit exercise routine will feel never-ending — and not just because of the earworm burrowing into your head. Don’t be fooled by the little girls that fly through the Baby Shark challenge with ease. This ab workout is hard — very, very hard.

If you follow the girls, the vast majority of the minute-and-a-half workout is from a hollow body hold, a lying down position with arms and legs held out from the body and belly button pulled toward the ground. You can also do the challenge from a V-sit position — legs and torso lifted off the ground like a V. Either way, your core will be in constant agony. But that sustained tension is what makes the Baby Shark challenge a good workout.

You get one “break” from the V-sit, switching to your hands and feet for mountain climbers for one set. Enjoy it while you can.

With a different ab exercise for each verse — V-ups for grandpa shark are the worst by far — you won’t get bored. And though the music is annoying, it’s also distracting. The pain in your ears will take away from the pain in your abs. Doo doo doo, doo doo, doo doo doo doo.

Don’t feel shame if you can’t do the whole Baby Shark workout the first time around. In fact, don’t be upset if you can’t for the first twenty times. It’s called the Baby Shark challenge for a reason.

In fact, one fitness expert at Athlean-X tried the challenge every day for 30 days. As he progressed, he repeated the workout multiple times for an extra burn. And although he had an eight-pack before the month began, he says it was even more defined after.

And if you feel weird getting shown up by the tiny gymnast girls? Don’t worry. A personal trainer who is as ripped as you’ll ever be replicated the workout above. His look of exasperation at the end of the workout will make you feel better about how many times you had to pause the Baby Shark abs video to get through it.

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