Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is renowned for his ripped six-pack abs and muscular physique. Maintaining his iconic body requires intense training and discipline.
Professional bodybuilder Aseel Soueid took on the challenge of trying Ronaldo’s extreme ab-shredding workout in a recent YouTube video.
At age 38, Ronaldo’s leanness defies time thanks to his “workaholic” approach to fitness. Soueid discovered just how grueling Ronaldo’s regimen is during the workout attempt.
Beyond lots of sprinting, it featured five supersets targeting every muscle plus hardcore ab exercises. Let’s examine the various components of Ronaldo’s shredded core workout that Soueid took on:
Superset 1: Bench Press and Squats
Ronaldo starts his workout with two taxing compound lifts back-to-back. Soueid performed three sets of 12 reps on both bench presses and squats with challenging weights.
He is new to superset heavy upper and lower lifts but understands Ronaldo’s desire to torch calories.
The bench and squat superset elevated Soueid’s heart rate fast. It also forced his body to adapt to shifting between using the upper and lower halves. Ronaldo alternates push and pull supersets to achieve a full-body workout minus isolation moves.
Superset 2: Incline Bench Press and Walking Lunges
If the first superset wasn’t enough, Ronaldo follows it with an inclined bench paired with walking lunges. Soueid pushed through 3 sets of 12 reps on each exercise but admitted this combination was brutal.
After the standard bar, the incline bench continues fatiguing the pecs and front delts at a different angle.
Alternating between it and lunges challenges stability and control when fatigue sets in. Walking lunges also decimate the glutes and quads.
Superset 3: Flys and Triceps Pushdowns
Next, Ronaldo prescribes some isolation work for the chest and triceps via fly and pushdown supersets.
Flys allow Soueid to squeeze and stretch the pecs through their entire range of motion after heavy pressing. Pushdowns burnt out the triceps after benching.
Ronaldo achieves cardiovascular endurance and muscular hypertrophy benefits by super setting complementary muscle groups. The push/pull pairing also balances out muscle groups.
Superset 4: Leg Extensions and Hamstring Curls
This superset zeroes in on quad and hamstring development to sculpt Ronaldo’s famously defined legs.
Soueid expressed surprise at including heavier leg extensions in the 10-12 rep range since bodybuilders typically opt for higher volumes. However, combined with stiff leg hamstring curls, the quad emphasis made its impact felt.
Leg extensions help build teardrop quads, especially targeting the rectus femoris. Straight leg curls are invaluable for hamstring cuts and separation.
Superset 5: Cable Crunches and Hanging Leg Raises
Ronaldo’s workout would only be complete with ab work, and his final superset demolishes the core. Soueid instantly recognized from experience that cable crunches are the perfect movement for six-pack development when heavy weights are used.
Paired with hanging leg raises, this superset makes reaching exhaustion inevitable. The cable crunches allow Ronaldo to use resistance through the entire ab range of motion.
Meanwhile, leg raises incorporate hip flexor activation for complete abdominal stimulation front to back.
20-Minute HIIT Finisher
Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo ends his legendary workout with an intense 20-minute HIIT finisher. This involves sprinting and walking in 1-minute intervals for maximum fat burning and conditioning.
Soueid admitted the HIIT component took the routine over the top. He was left gasping for air and drenched in sweat by the third interval. No wonder Ronaldo boasts elite-level endurance on the soccer pitch after this routine.
Nutrition: The Missing Link
While Ronaldo’s workout was backbreaking, Soueid acknowledged that world-class genetics and diet account for the footballer’s shredded six-pack.
He follows a uber-strict high protein, low fat, low carb diet even in the offseason. Soueid suggested that fitness enthusiasts avoid following pro athletes’ extreme training and diet regimens.
Optimal results come from customizing programs to your recovery capacity and goals.
The Takeaways
In reviewing his experiment with Cristiano Ronaldo’s ab workout, Soueid highlighted a few key lessons:
- Super setting upper and lower lifts boosts calorie burn while adding muscle.
- Isolation exercises complement heavy compounds for balanced development.
- Higher rep ranges with moderate weight builds endurance for sports.
- Sprinting intervals are phenomenal for promoting fat loss.
- Weighted crunches and leg raises are ideal for chiseling visible abs.
- Genetics and diet ultimately determine aesthetic results, not just training.
- While this program isn’t practical or recommended for everyday people, it
- provided a fascinating insight into how the world’s top athletes train.
- Ronaldo’s extreme dedication forces our perception of what’s humanly possible regarding physical achievement.
If you’re willing to make fitness your life like Cristiano Ronaldo, following his shredded abs workout to a T could deliver dramatic results.
But even hardcore gym rats may want to utilize a scaled-back version combined with more thorough recovery practices for long-term success and joint health.
