Women & men can agree on one thing, at least when it comes to fitness: a chiseled core is one of the most attractive muscle groups in the male physique.
(Seriously, research from 2019 proved it.)
Yet, second to the calves, the abs are also the most neglected in training routines.
“Ab work of choice,” random crunch variations, or a 60-second plank, and call it a day! But if you want to convert that dad bod or gut into an aesthetic six-pack, these programs fail miserably.
Abel Albonetti’s 30 Day Abs program on the BodyFit platform promises to build an elite-level, powerhouse core to complete that aesthetic physique. But is it a good workout?
About the Creator – Abel Albonetti’s 30 Day Abs
Abel Albonetti was a sheltered homeschooled teen when he discovered his passion for bodybuilding and resistance training. He later turned his hobby into a full-time career.
Albonetti earned his personal trainer certification in 2010, stole the cover slot on several fitness magazines (including Muscle & Fitness), and built up an Instagram following of 220,000+.
But his fitness industry career is only just beginning. Leaning on his hard-gainer past and scientific research, Albonetti now contributes mass-building programs to the BodyFit platform.
What Is Abel Albonetti’s 30 Day Abs?
Abel Albonetti’s 30 Day Abs is a high-volume, heavy-resistance core specialization program designed to sculpt shredded abs in just 20 minutes a day, five days per week.
This intense, month-long ab program:
- Introduces three training styles — circuits, supersets, and straight sets
- Focuses on building visible definition while also shredding body fat
- Pairs well with a typical resistance training split (only adding 20 minutes or so)
- Doesn’t require cardio … but it does recommend “doing what Albonetti does”
- Features a carb-cycling nutrition plan to encourage fat-burning
Of course, we’ve seen a few decent aesthetic ab programs, like Athlean-X’s Core4 Training System and a couple of not-so-great core-trainers, like V Shred’s Six Pack Shred.
But where does Albonetti’s program fall on the spectrum? Keep reading to learn more.
30 Day Abs Details & Features
Based on physique alone, Albonetti clearly grasps how to sculpt washboard abs (and literally every other muscle, for that matter).
But is his 30 Day Abs program 1) a good workout and 2) the secret to a six-pack? Let’s find out.
Main Page
The Main Page is basically the TL;DR for the entire 30 Day Abs program. After detailing who the program is for and why Albonetti is a trusted source, you’ll come away with a few takeaways:
The Schedule
Albonetti recommends pairing this program with a classic five-day split (chest, back, legs, shoulders, and arms).
But regardless of your resistance training routine, this program’s schedule looks like this:
- Ab straight sets
- Ab circuit
- Rest
- Ab supersets
- Ab circuit
- Rest
- Ab straight sets
The back-to-back combos might differ from week to week. However, the entire 30-day program follows the same basic format: two days on, one day off.
The Equipment
Abel Albonetti really doubles down on the importance of heavy and light resistance when it comes to sculpting a well-defined core. That’s why 30 Day Abs requires gym equipment like:
Bowflex SelectTech 552 Version 2
Each dumbbell adjusts from 5 to 52.5 pounds. Rapidly switch from one exercise to the next. You don’t need multiple dumbbells cluttering up your home gym.
Don’t have a cable machine? Want to up the ante on medicine ball Russian twists? Still, too much of a “newbie” to practice perfect form on ab roll-outs (we don’t blame you!)?
Albonetti does a stellar job at providing exercise alternatives and forms tips. While technically an advanced program, 30 Day Abs is doable for everyone — to an extent — with its modifications.
Workout Schedule
“Where are the 30 Day Abs workouts?” you may ask.
Although it doesn’t make much logical sense to us (“Schedule” sounds more like a calendar), you’ll find all 21 workouts in this tab.
After solving that mystery, the module itself is quite simple to navigate.
Each session begins with a short video where Albonetti introduces the exercises, explains how to perform them, where you should feel the burn, and how to engage your core better.
(There’s also a written description below it if you don’t have time to watch the daily video.
That’s where you’ll find alternative exercise suggestions and tips to make exercises harder or easier – so you’re not running the risk of overtraining like in Lee Labrada’s Lean Body Program.)
Albonetti’s 30 Day Abs routine spotlights three training styles:
Ab Straight Sets
The straight-set workouts are the simplest. Albonetti hands you 2–4 ab exercises, a rep/set range (typically four sets of 6–15 reps), and suggests 45–60 seconds of recovery between sets.
Ab Circuits
The ab circuit sessions pack 12 no-rest sets into 20 minutes. The workouts call for a much higher 15–30 reps per set, 90 seconds of rest after each set, and three core exercises.
Ab Supersets
Albonetti’s ab supersets workouts divide the session in half between two supersets. Each short yet tough workout repeats both no-rest supersets four times for an excruciating 12–24 reps.
A Look at the Exercises
While the program’s high-rep trend and five-day-a-week format is a hell of a lot for a newbie, the silver lining is the exercise variety. Instead of just planks and crunches, this program includes:
- Ab roll-outs
- Push-up side planks
- Lying windshield wipers
- Decline twist sit-ups
- TRX suspended crunches
- Bench side planks
- Hollow-body holds
Each workout is also 100% unique by design. You’ll never repeat the same exercises, rep, and set combinations during this 30-day ab specialization program.
Training Guidelines
In this tab, BodyFit contributors (… or Albonetti referring to himself in the third person) explain the inspiration behind the program and how to maximize your results.
They answer a few questions, such as:
- How should you warm-up? If these workouts follow your regular split as Albonetti recommends, don’t. Otherwise, five minutes of light cardio or dynamic training is enough to get the blood flowing pre-workout.
- How heavy of a weight should you use? Heavy enough where you’ll hit failure before the set is over.
- Should you do cardio? Apparently not, but if you want to, Albonetti recommends his own cardio routine — 4–5 weekly HIIT sessions (15-second sprints followed by 90 seconds of rest).
- What do you do on rest day? Literally anything except for core work.
If you’re still on the fence about 30 Day Abs or still weighing other core programs (like Beachbody’s Core de Force, this section will certainly put your mind at ease.
Nutrition Plan
The Nutrition Plan is where most BodyFit programs seem to struggle the most. They’re either carbon copies of other programs on the platform or provide literally zero usable information.
Albonetti’s plan doesn’t include a meal-by-meal breakdown like others might. But it does include links to three scientific studies, easy-to-follow macro equations, and a carb cycling calendar.
The Mississippi-born trainer’s a firm believer in the carb cycling method for body recomposition. At least for the next 30 days, you won’t alternate between bulk and cut cycles.
Instead, you’ll eat a low-carb diet for two days (20%) followed by a single high-carb day (60%). Albonetti also links a calorie calculator and formulas to calculate your daily macro intake.
While carb cycling can increase insulin sensitivity, encourage muscle growth, and reduce appetite, touting it as the secret to making your abs “pop” is a bit misleading.
Few studies support the claims that carb cycling yields more efficient changes in body composition, particularly fat loss. But there’s little harm in trying it for the next 30 days.
Recipes
In the Recipes section, Albonetti provides a seven-day, carb-cycling-friendly meal plan featuring three meals per day. (Though, Albonetti admits he eats closer to seven meals a day.)
Some of 30 Day Abs’ tasty-looking recipes include:
- Spiced Chicken Over Roasted Sweet Potato
- Salmon Cake With Roasted Asparagus
- Grilled Halibut With Minted Peas and Freekeh
- Banana Oatmeal
- Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
When you click “View Recipe Here,” the browser will take you to the official recipe page. You’ll see the macro breakdown, the total time to cook, an ingredients list, and detailed instructions there.
Taste and variety-wise, the recipes are a 10/10. Whether or not they fit your macros and your budget (fresh halibut and salmon aren’t exactly cheap) is another story.
Supplement Recommendations
To maximize your results with this program, Albonetti recommends adding six — yes, six — supplements to your daily routine, including:
Swolverine Whey Protein Isolate
This is one of our top recommended whey protein powders because of it’s high protein content per serving, extreme deliciousness, and the fact that all Swolverine products are sourced from GMP-certified facilities
Albonetti backs up his supplement recommendations with 19 studies proving his points. But one supplement that’s surprisingly missing is also a bodybuilder favorite: creatine.
5 Excellent Benefits of Abel Albonetti’s 30 Day Abs Program
- The workouts thrive when it comes to its across-the-board variety. Of course, it’s nearly impossible to track your progress (usually, when an exercise becomes easier, or you can add more weight, you know you’ve improved). But the unexpected rep ranges, set styles, and exercises keep the full 30-day routine interesting.
2. The recipes and nutritional plan are incredibly simple to follow, even for complete newbies. However, if you’re not a fan of carb cycling or the 20-something intricate meals Albonetti provided, you might be better off with a recipe book like Greg Doucette’s Anabolic Cookbook.
3. Even if you don’t have the entire gym set-up, stocked with a cable machine and TRX set-up, this advanced-level routine is still mostly doable. Albonetti provides an alternative for most exercises if you don’t have the proper equipment.
Titan Fitness Extreme Over the Door Pull-up Bar
Ready to take your upper body to the next level? Do pull-ups and chin-ups safely and effectively with this durable and multifunctional pull-up bar. It’s easy to assemble and attach to any standard door frame.
4. Albonetti created this routine for advanced athletes, but with the exercise modifications he included, 30 Day Abs is also possible for beginners and intermediates. Just like the equipment modifications, he also mentions ways to make exercises more challenging (like adding weight) or easier (such as doing floor leg raises instead of hanging).
5. 30 Day Abs is not your traditional ab workout. For one, there aren’t a zillion sets of crunch variations or daily planks. It also combines added resistance to many exercises, putting the core muscles under even greater tension to boost gains.
4 Negatives of Abel Albonetti’s 30 Day Abs
- The 6–24-rep range targets both the fast and slow-twitch muscles in the abdominals and will encourage aesthetic growth. Then again, Albonetti didn’t add cardio to the routine, and “spot reduction” doesn’t exist (high reps won’t necessarily burn fat around the core. That leaves the fat-burning aspect of the routine almost entirely to the supplements — like L-carnitine and caffeine to boost metabolism — and the carb cycling diet.
- Although he links studies to back up his supplement recommendations like Steve Cook’s Modern Physique Program, six supplements is a lot. Not to mention the “improvements” in body composition are so slight that they aren’t all worth the money. But if you have to pick three, choose whey protein, pre-workout, and fish oil.
- Carb cycling can help with weight loss, which is a bonus if you’re turning your “one too many frat parties” gut into a six-pack. However, there’s very little evidence that it’s any more effective for weight loss than a standard calorie-cutting diet. As long as you’re hitting your carb, fat, and protein quota and creating a calorie deficit, you’ll shed weight.
- Five days a week for 20 minutes a session might be a lot of effort for little extra benefit. In fact, in 2015, researchers found that one weekly ab-training session was just as effective for building abdominal endurance as 2–3 sessions per week. It’s not as offensive as Mike O’Hearn’s program, but it’s something to consider.
Wrapping Up This 30 Day Abs Review
Abel Albonetti’s 30 Day Abs program is one of the better ab specialization programs we’ve seen and can certainly add visible definition in 30 days.
The recipes and nutritional guide are decent resources, there’s no shortage of variety, it’s modifiable to your equipment and experience level, and it delivers 21 fresh core workouts.
But we had to dock it for a few reasons, mainly the lack of cardio, insistence on carb-cycling, and the sheer amount of weekly ab work.
If you want to sculpt a more chiseled core in 30 days, 30 Day Abs is a solid choice. Just don’t expect to end the program with a full-blown six-pack if you’re nowhere close now.
Rating: 8.3 out of 10