Taylor Lautner’s “8-Pack” Abs Workout — The Extreme Version
Summary
Jeff Cavalier (AthleanX) breaks down Taylor Lautner’s ab routine from Men’s Health Magazine and upgrades each exercise into a more challenging, athletically-focused version. The goal is to move beyond basic ab training toward functional core stability by incorporating obliques, single-leg variations, and instability tools. The routine is performed as a circuit, repeated three to five times depending on fitness level.
Key Points
- Taylor Lautner reportedly added 30 lbs of muscle to go from 140 lbs to landing his werewolf role in New Moon, becoming famous for a rare eight-pack ab development
- Lautner’s original routine is effective, but each exercise can be elevated to recruit more muscle, reduce hip flexor dominance, and demand greater core stabilization
- The workout is structured as a circuit of 5 exercises, with one set per exercise per round, cycling through 3–5 full rounds
- Core stability and pillar strength — the ability to stabilize the torso from all sides — are emphasized as the foundation for a visibly tapered waist
- Age is dismissed as a factor; consistent daily effort in the gym is credited as the real driver of results
- Adding instability (BOSU ball, thick resistance band) forces the core to work harder to maintain balance throughout every rep
Exercise Details
1. Hanging Clocks (Upgrade from: Standard Leg Raises)
- Target muscles: Lower abs, obliques
- Form cues: Hang from a pull-up bar; trace a clockwise circle with the legs, then reverse counterclockwise — maintain full control throughout the arc
- Common mistakes to avoid: Swinging or using momentum; losing control at the bottom of the movement
- Sets/reps: 6 reps clockwise, 6 reps counterclockwise
2. Single-Leg Swiss Ball Tuck (Upgrade from: Two-Leg Ball Tuck)
- Target muscles: Core, with reduced hip flexor involvement compared to the standard version
- Form cues: Start in a push-up position with one foot on the ball, the other leg raised in the air; simulate a running motion by pulling the grounded knee toward the chest, then extending back out
- Common mistakes to avoid: Using both legs, which shifts the workload to the hip flexors rather than the abs; rushing the movement
- Sets/reps: 10–15 reps per leg
3. Banded Crunch on BOSU Ball
- Target muscles: Rectus abdominis, obliques (by rotating to right and left)
- Form cues: Stand or sit on a BOSU ball with a thick resistance band wrapped once around the hands; flex the spine (curl the lower back) rather than simply hinging at the hips — perform one rep to center, one to the right, one to the left in a mini-circuit pattern
- Common mistakes to avoid: Treating it as a hip hinge rather than a true spinal flexion; losing balance by not bracing through the core
- Note: A BOSU ball is optional but increases the stabilization demand significantly
4. Side Plank Band Row (Pillar Strength — Lateral)
- Target muscles: Obliques, lateral core, upper back
- Form cues: Anchor a thick resistance band to a fixed point at arm’s length; get into a side plank with elbow directly beneath the shoulder, then row the band toward the body
- Common mistakes to avoid: Letting the hips drop; not maintaining the side bridge position while rowing
- Key concept: The rowing motion is secondary — the primary challenge is preventing the band from pulling you out of the side plank, forcing intense isometric lateral core engagement
5. Plank Opposite Elbow-to-Knee Touch (Pillar Strength — Anterior)
- Target muscles: Full core, anti-rotation stabilizers
- Form cues: Face the resistance band in a standard plank position; touch opposite elbow to opposite knee while holding the plank
- Common mistakes to avoid: Rotating the hips or losing a flat back during the touch
- Sets/reps: 10–12 reps per side