7 Best Exercises to Get Shredded Abs Like Joe Manganiello

Joe Manganiello is a popular Hollywood actor. He has appeared in numerous hit movies and TV series, including the famous character of the werewolf Alcide Herveaux in the television series True Blood. He's a great fitness enthusiast and has been appeared on the cover of several fitness magazines like Men’s Health, Iron Man, and others. Manganiello trains daily to improve his strength, stamina, and endurance levels to that of a professional athlete.

Here are some of the best and most effective exercises you can do if you want to get shredded abs like Joe Manganiello.

---

How to Get Shredded Abs Like Joe Manganiello?

1. Bench Press

This Joe Manganiello-inspired workout helps build muscle in the upper body. It can be done using either a barbell or dumbbells. To build muscle and add strength to your upper body, do bench presses regularly.

Here's how you do it:

• Lie down on a flat bench and grab a barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Position the bar directly over your shoulders, and then keep your hips on the bench throughout the exercise.
• Slowly lift the weight off its supports, if it's on a rack, and then lower it until your elbows are at about a 45 degree angle away from your body.
• Press into the floor as you push the bar back up to return to starting position.

---

2. Inclined Dumbbell Fly

You should add the inclined dumbbell fly to your chest strengthening workout. It works your abs to give you that shredded look like Joe Manganiello.

To do this exercise:

• Sit down on an inclined bench with a pair of dumbbells in your hands.
• Rest the ends of the weights in your hip crease, and lie back until you feel comfortable.
• Push the dumbbells up until your arms are fully extended overhead.
• Lower the weights out to each side while maintaining that angle.
• Stop when you feel a good squeeze in your chest muscles; then reverse direction and bring the weights back up to their starting position.

---

3. Dumbbell Overhead Press

The overhead dumbbell press will help you get shredded abs like Joe Manganiello. The standing position of the exercise will engage your core for a strong midsection.

Here's how you do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and dumbbells held just outside of your shoulders with arms bent and palms facing each other.
• Press both dumbbells up until they are over your head, pause, and then lower them under control back to the starting position.

---

4. Plyo Pushup

Plyometrics helps you get shredded abs like Joe Manganiello by improving your endurance for upper body strengthening exercises.

To do this workout:

• Get on the floor in a prone position, supporting your weight on your hands and toes.
• Extend your arms, keeping them shoulder-width apart, with your body straight throughout the movement.
• Start out with your elbows bent and lower yourself by flexing at the elbow until your chest almost touches the floor.
• Push yourself back up as fast as possible, extending your arms until they leave the floor.

---

5. Lateral Raise

You can get a shredded six-pack like Joe Manganiello with lateral raises that build balanced shoulders and cause quick muscle growth.

To do the dumbbell lateral raise:

• Stand with your arms extended to the sides with dumbbells in hand.
• Lift the weights, pause, and then lower them back to the starting position.
• While doing the dumbbell lateral raise exercise, focus on keeping your core engaged, the back straight, and face turned toward the ground.
• Exhale as you lower the weights and bend your knees slightly.

---

6. One-Arm Overhead Extension

The overhead dumbbell triceps extension is a heavy compound exercise that engages the entire muscle group to build solid arms like Joe Manganiello.

To do this exercise:

• Grab a dumbbell with one hand, and place it behind your head with your elbow flexed to 90 degrees.
• Place your opposite hand firmly on your hip.
• Now, contract your triceps muscle and press upward until the dumbbell becomes fully extended in front of you.
• Pause and slowly bring the weight back to starting position.

---

7. Band Pushdown

The banded tricep pushdown is a convenient, highly effective isolation exercise for training the triceps. It's a great way to melt belly fat and tone your abs to look like Joe Manganiello.

To do this workout:

• Attach your resistance band to a secure surface above head height; door anchors are ideal here.
• Grab the band handles with a firm grip and take a step back, then bend over slightly by hinging at your hips.
• Pin your elbows to your sides, flexing your triceps to push the band down until it's fully extended.
• Stop for a second when you reach the top of the movement.

---

Takeaway

Joe Manganiello’s workout and exercise regimen is one that features a variety of different exercises, activities, and workouts.

He also includes low intensity exercise routines such as hiking, kayaking, and sight seeing. Just as he combines these different forms of workouts, you too can transform your body working out at home or outdoors to achieve your fitness goals.