The Ultimate Guide To Building V-Cut Abs!

Once upon a time, abs were considered the epitome of fitness. Don’t get us wrong. Washboard abs are still regarded as a hallmark of peak fitness, but with a caveat — the v-line. 

V-lines, also known as V-cut abs and “sex lines,” have grown in popularity over the last few years. The v-shape is created where the obliques meet the trans versus abdominis muscles. 

The Rectus abdominis is made up of two connected muscle bands that run parallel down either side of your abdomen. It is the muscle people are usually referring to while talking about abs. On the other hand, obliques are fish-gill-like muscles on the sides of your abs. 

Developing the v-cut is easier said than done — it requires a strict diet and training regimen. Since the sex lines are located near the bottom of your abdomen, crunches alone won’t help you build the coveted shape. Additionally, going overboard with leg raises and other lower ab exercises can hurt your lower back. You need to strike the perfect balance between your training, diet, and recovery program to carve the v-lines. 

V-Line Workout Program

Given below are two V-cut ab workouts that will help you carve your dream midriff:

V-Line Workout #1

1. Superset
   1. V-up: 3 sets of 20 reps
   2. V-up Hold: 3 sets of 10 reps (with a 5-second hold)
2. Superset
   1. Hanging Leg Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps
   2. Hanging Leg Raise Hold: 3 sets of 10 reps (with a 5-second hold)
3. Lying Leg Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps
4. Rotating Mountain Climber: 3 sets of 20 reps
5. Reverse Crunch: 3 sets of 20 reps
6. Ab Wheel Rollout: 3 sets of 15 reps
7. Russian Twist: 3 sets of 20 reps (each side)

How to perform the exercises:

1. V-Up

1. Lie face-up on the floor with your legs extended straight and arms at your sides.
2. Raise your arms over your head and lift your legs off the floor slightly to get in the starting position. 
3. Simultaneously lift your lower and upper body off the floor as if you’re trying to touch your toes.
4. Pause and contract your abs at the top.
5. Return to the starting position slowly and repeat for reps.

Tip: For the V-up holds, pause at the top of the movement for five seconds and contract your abdomen before returning to the starting position. 

2. Hanging Leg Raise

1. Grab a pullup bar with an overhand grip. 
2. At the starting position, your arms should be extended and your feet off the ground.
3. While maintaining a slight bend in your knees, tighten your core and use your abs to raise your feet toward your shoulders. 
4. Pause and contract your lower abs when your legs are parallel to the floor.
5. Return to the starting position.

3. Lying Leg Raise

1. Lie face-up on the floor with your legs straight and your hands underneath your low back for support.
2. While keeping your legs straight, raise them until they are slightly above parallel.
3. Pause and contract your lower abs at the top. 
4. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for recommended reps.

4. Rotating Mountain Climber

1. Assume a pushup position with your hands underneath your shoulders. Your body should be in a straight line in the starting position. 
2. Drive one knee towards the opposing elbow until the hip reaches 90 degrees of flexion.
3. Slowly return to the starting position.
4. Alternate between reps. 

5. Reverse Crunch

1. Lie face-up on an exercise mat with your knees together, and your legs bent to 90 degrees, feet planted on the floor.
2. Place your hand under your hips for lower back support.
3. Tighten your abs and drive your knees towards your chest.
4. Pause and contract your lower abs at the top. 
5. Return to the starting position and repeat for recommended reps. 

6. Ab Wheel Rollout

1. Kneel on the floor and place the ab wheel directly under your chest. Your knees should be under your hips and hands under your shoulders at the starting position. 
2. You can cross your legs or keep them straight back. Your feet can remain on the ground, or you can lift your feet, which requires more stability.
3. Keeping your arms straight, slowly roll the wheel straight outwards. Roll out as far as you can before you feel your back arching. 
4. Pause for a moment in this position. Then, squeeze your abs to slowly return to the starting position.

Pro tip: Instead of rolling the wheel straight, you could roll it to the sides to put more stress on the V-line.

7. Russian Twist

1. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Hold a weight plate with your arms fully extended in front of your chest.
3. Lean back so your torso is at a 45-degree angle with the floor. 
4. Twist your torso as far as you can in one direction. Pause and contract your obliques at the top. 
5. Reverse the motion and return to the starting position.
6. Repeat on the other side.

V-Line Workout #2

1. Hollow Body Hold: 3 sets of 10 reps (with a 10-second hold)
2. Toes To Sky: 3 sets of 20 reps
3. Superset
   1. Medicine Ball Slams: 3 sets of 45-60 seconds
   2. Burpee: 3 sets of 45-60 seconds
4. Side Plank: 3 sets of 45-60 seconds (each side)
5. Heavy One-Arm Suitcase Carry: 3 sets of 20-second walks (each side)
6. Landmine Oblique Twist: 3 sets of 15 reps (each side)

How to perform the exercises:

1. Hollow Body Hold

1. Lie face-up on an exercise mat.
2. While maintaining a tight core, slowly raise your arms and legs towards the ceiling until they are at a 60-degree angle with the floor. 
3. Hold the position for 45-60 seconds before returning to the starting position.
4. Repeat for reps. 

2. Toes To Sky

1. Lie face-up on an exercise mat.
2. Bend at your knees so that your upper legs are perpendicular and your lower legs are parallel to the floor. 
3. In one motion, pull your knees toward your chest, raise your hips off the floor, and extend your legs straight towards the ceiling so your legs are perpendicular to the floor at the top.
4. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for recommended reps. 

3. Medicine Ball Slams

1. Hold a medicine ball at your chest level with a soft bend in your knees.
2. Rise tall on your toes and extend the arms overhead with the medicine ball. Contract your V-lines in this position. 
3. Exhale and aggressively slam the med ball into the floor.
4. Catch the med ball as it returns from the floor.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

4. Burpee

1. Start in a squat position with your knees bent, back straight, and your feet placed shoulder-width apart. 
2. Lower your hands to the floor in front of you so they’re just inside your feet. 
3. With your weight on your hands, kick your feet back to get in a pushup position.
4. Keeping your body straight from head to heels, do one pushup.
5. Do a frog kick by jumping your feet back to their starting position.
6. Stand and reach your arms over your head and jump explosively.
7. As soon as you land with knees bent, get into a squat position and do another repetition.

5. Side Plank

1. Start by laying on your side with your feet stacked on top of one another.
2. Place your right elbow under your right shoulder. Your forearm should be perpendicular to your body. 
3. While keeping your neck neutral, breathe out and brace your core.
4. Lift your hips off the mat so that you’re supporting your weight on your elbow and the side of your right foot. Your body should be in a straight line from your ankles to your head.
5. Keep your abdomen contracted as you hold the position.
6. Return to starting position and repeat on your left side. 

6. Heavy One-Arm Suitcase Carry

1. While holding a heavy kettlebell or dumbbell in one of your hands, stand upright with a shoulder-width stance. 
2. Keep your shoulders down and core engaged throughout the exercise.
3. Begin walking forward slowly for 20 seconds.
4. Alternate between sides for the recommended number of repetitions.

7. Landmine Oblique Twist

1. Stand upright with a shoulder-width stance.
2. Set up a barbell in a landmine attachment or the corner of a room.
3. Grab the opposite end of the barbell with both hands and raise it to your eye level.
4. As you pivot with your right foot, twist your torso to the left, then explode back to a neutral position.
5. Repeat on the other side. 

V-Line Diet Program

Like abs, everyone has V-lines, but most of us choose to protect them under a thick layer of fat. If you want to expose your V-cuts, you should begin by fixing your diet. 

One of the most effective ways of bringing down your body fat percentage is to be on a calorie deficit — meaning, you should expend more calories than you consume in a day. 

Here is a brief rundown on the relationship between body fat and ab visibility:

• 20%+: You will be soft around your midsection, and your abs will not be visible. 
• 15-19%: It can be considered healthy, but it is unlikely that you will see any ab definition.
• 10-14%: You will be lean, which means your abs will be visible.
• 5-9%: You will be shredded to the bone. 

It is no secret that abs are made in the kitchen. If you are new to the fitness lifestyle and want to build the v-line, you should begin your transformation journey by counting your calorie for two to three days. Note: Your weight should be consistent — meaning you should not be following a diet of any kind — while counting calories. 

After you have the average value for your daily calorie and macronutrient intake, you can proceed to the next stage — diet planning. 

According to Mayoclinic, if you want to lose one to two pounds per week (a generally healthy and sustainable goal), you need to burn between 500 and 1,000 calories more than you eat each day — or between 3,500 and 7,000 calories per week. Subsequently, you could start your weight loss journey by cutting out 500 and 1,000 calories from your diet to enter a calorie deficit state. 

After you have a calorie consumption goal, use a macronutrient calculator to determine your daily protein, carbs, and fat goals. Knowing the macro breakdown makes it easier to design a transformation diet. 

V-Cut Abs Diet Plan

If you are in the 15-19% body fat percentage range, use the diet laid down below to shed the extra fat. 

Breakfast

• 3 oz chicken breast, boneless, skinless
• 3 egg whites
• 1 whole egg
• ½ cup green pepper
• 6 almonds (as a side)

Snack

• Boiled Sweet Potato

Lunch

• 4 oz turkey breast, boneless, skinless
• ½ cup brown cooked rice
• 1 cup broccoli, steamed
• ½ large grapefruit

Snack

• ⅔ cup cottage cheese
• ¼ cup blueberries
• 10 almonds, chopped

Dinner

• Chicken breast with Mediterranean brown rice  

Bedtime

• 20g whey protein isolate
• ½ tbsp peanut butter, natural

Cardio

Although you could build the v-lines without adding cardio to your fitness regimen, it will take significantly more time than if you performed cardio every day. Cardio is one of the most efficient ways of burning calories and entering a calorie deficit state. 

Besides its fat-loss properties, according to research, cardio can help lower your heart rate, improve blood flow, regulate blood sugar and increase your daily energy level. [1] [2]

For best results, you should incorporate two cardio sessions in your V-line workout routine. The first session will be a 10-minute fasted HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout that you should do first thing in the morning. 

For the second cardio workout of the day, you’ll be doing a 30-minute LISS (low-intensity steady-state) workout in the evening. Performing both types of cardio routines will ensure you’re getting the best of both worlds and are optimizing your fat loss. 

The Role of Genetics in Building V-Lines

Before wrapping up, let’s address the elephant in the room — genetics. As much as we hate to admit it, genetics play a huge role in bodybuilding. Your genetics are solely responsible for the shape, structure, and muscle origin and insertion. 

Some people will find developing the V-cut easier than others. But why is that, you ask? Every individual has varying amounts of fat around their abdominals, and the skin around their abdominals might be thicker. Additionally, some people have abs that are uneven or at an angle. 

The time an individual needs to devote to workouts, diet, and cardio, and their results will depend upon their genetics. Furthermore, the V-cut definition and muscle separation vastly depend on a person’s genetics. 

Summing Up

V-cut abs are amongst the most stubborn muscle groups. Building the V-line requires strict training, diet, and a recovery program. You cannot develop the sex lines even if even one of the three components is not in order. Hence, you might come for the aesthetics but will stay for the overall fitness level you achieve while working for the V-cut abs. 

 

References

1. Yang, Z., Scott, C.A., Mao, C. et al. Resistance Exercise Versus Aerobic Exercise for Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med 44, 487–499 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-013-0128-8
2. Donnelly, J.E., Honas, J.J., Smith, B.K., Mayo, M.S., Gibson, C.A., Sullivan, D.K., Lee, J., Herrmann, S.D., Lambourne, K. and Washburn, R.A. (2013), Aerobic exercise alone results in clinically significant weight loss for men and women: Midwest exercise trial 2. Obesity, 21: E219-E228. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20145