"Dear Alec Musser, your abs should be named a national treasure. What's your secret ab-spectacular program?"—XOX Jessica.

I sent this message to Alec Musser. You may remember him as the water-park hunk in last summer's Grown Ups, with Adam Sandler. Or maybe as Del Henry on All My Children.



Lo and behold, he responded—and now you've got the secret to his midsection mastery.

Um, you're welcome.

Of course, if you want to replicate Alec Musser's eye-popping 8-pack, you must follow his workout program and diet tips to the T. Bust your tail through this full-body circuit of 5 exercises with 11 total movements in rapid-fire succession, and your midsection will ditch fat like it's a bad date.

Alec loves circuit training because it combines the best of high-intensity cardio with resistance training. You burn more calories while maximizing strength and building muscle. With Alec's packed schedule as an actor, this simple-and-effective workout not only saves time but also helps him maintain peak physical condition.

So, what are you waiting for? Watch this video for an insider's look at Alec Musser's full-body circuit!

Alec Musser's Full-Body Circuit

Watch The Video - 06:29

Frequency: Do this full-body workout once per week.



Full-Body Workout
1
Superset
Pullups
6 sets, 10-15 reps
+ 5 more exercises

BodyFit

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What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

Get Alec's Full Workout Plan

Alec's workout program is based on staying functionally fit. He says, "I always train with the intention of improving my strength, agility, explosiveness, endurance, and injury resistance." Since Alec is also a triathlete, you might notice that his workout program is pretty intense. But hard work leads to a hard body, and Alec Musser is a perfect example.

When Alec is in the gym during the summer, he focuses on upper-body exercises. For lower body training, Alec bikes, runs, plays volleyball, swims, and surfs but puts minimal emphasis on isolated leg days in the gym. Alec's outdoor activities also demand a lot of his shoulders, so his routine doesn't include many isolation moves for delts.

Below is an example week of workouts leading up to Alec's filming of Grown Ups.

Sunday

Morning: Puppy-paced walk/jog/trot/warm-up for 1 hour or more. Then surf or stand-up paddle for 1 to 3 hours. This part depends on the weather.

Note: By "puppy-paced" Alec is literally referring to walking his dog. You can match this stride by walking or jogging at a steady pace for 1 hour. The idea is to warm your body up for more intense exercise.

Midday: Full-body 6-move circuit (check out the full details in the video above)

After Work/Evening: Surf or play volleyball for 1 hour or more.



Monday

Morning: Puppy-paced walk/jog/trot/warm-up for 1 hour or more. Then surf or stand-up paddle for 1 to 3 hours.

Midday: 50 miles+ cycling on the road with intervals.

After Work/Evening: Surf or play volleyball for 1 hour or more.

Tuesday

Morning: Puppy-paced walk/jog/trot/warm-up for 1 hour or more. Then surf or stand-up paddle for 1 to 3 hours.

Midday: Chest and Back at the gym

Note about this workout: You'll be doing a lot of drop sets and a few pyramid sets. That means you'll either start off with a heavy weight or a medium-heavy weight and either decrease or increase the weight, respectively.

An example drop set for Alec:



  • Cable Crossover: 1 set of 6 reps at 100 lbs, 1 set of 8 reps at 100 lbs, 1 set of 9 reps at 90 lbs, 1 set of 10 reps at 80 lbs

Total sets: 4

Rep range: 6 to 10 reps

Alec Musser's Chest and Back Workout
1
Alternating incline dumbbell biceps curl
Note: the idea is to start at a weight that you can complete 10 reps with. Then for your next set, grab heavier dumbbells so that you can maybe only complete 8 or 9 reps. Each set should be slightly heavier or more difficult until you can only do about 4 reps on your 6th set. Remember: You may not be lifting heavier weights with each set. You may exhaust your muscles with each set so that you are only able to complete 4 reps on your 6th set with the same weight you started with. But if you can do more than 4 reps on your 6th set, then you want to increase the weight. Rest 2 minutes.
1 set, 10-20 reps (Warm-Up)
6 sets, 10 reps (Pyramid down to 4 reps)
+ 8 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

After Work/Evening: Surf or play volleyball for 1 hour or more.

Wednesday

Morning: Puppy-paced walk/jog/trot/warm-up for 1 hour or more. Then surf or stand-up paddle for 1 to 3 hours.

Midday: Yoga for 75 minutes and abs.

Abs Workout: Any combination of crunches, sit-ups, planks, hanging leg raises, swiss-ball crunches and pikes, work your abs to exhaustion!

After Work/Evening: Surf or play volleyball for 1 hour or more.



Thursday

Morning: Puppy-paced walk/jog/trot/warm-up for 1 hour or more. Then surf or stand-up paddle for 1 to 3 hours.

Midday: 1 to 1.5 mile swim, interval training.

After Work/Evening: Surf or play volleyball for 1 hour or more.

Friday

Morning: Puppy-paced walk/jog/trot/warm-up for 1 hour or more. Then surf or stand-up paddle for 1 to 3 hours.

Midday: 6 to 8 mile run, interval training.

After Work: Surf or play volleyball for 1 hour or more.

Saturday

Morning: Puppy-paced walk/jog/trot/warm-up for 1 hour or more. Then surf or stand-up paddle for 1 to 3 hours.



Midday: Arms

Arms Workout
1
Weighted pull-up
3 sets, to failure
+ 7 more exercises

BodyFit

$6.99/month
  • 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
  • 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
  • Detailed workout instruction
  • Step-by-step workout tips
  • Training at gym or at home
  • Access to Workout Plans
  • Access to Bodyfit App
  • Store Discounts

What comes with BodyFit?

  • Instructional Videos
  • Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.

  • How-to Images
  • View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.

  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.

After Work/Evening: Surf or play volleyball for 1 hour or more.

What Does Alec Eat In A Day? Get His Ab-Tastic Meal Plan

To get abs like Alec's, don't forget the classic motto, "Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym." You've got to eat clean and burn enough calories to get lean.

As you saw with Alec's workout schedule, he's burning calories non-stop. So dieting is not the issue for this TV-hunk triathlete. But that doesn't mean he can eat whatever he wants.

About his nutrition Alec says, "I am conscious of what I put in my body. I try to eat almost entirely organic, lots of lean protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and good fats."

And what's the easiest way to keep your diet clean? Preparation. Alec's got it on lock down. "I love good food, love to cook and prepare about 75% of my meals personally when I am home," he says.

Check out Alec's full daily meal plan below to see what you should be doing to reveal your six-pack!



Meal 1: 6:30 a.m.
Fruit (or whole-grain cereal)
1 piece
Toast (whole-grain with peanut butter)
1 piece
Meal 2: 9:30 a.m.
Egg Whites
6
Brown Rice
1 1/2 cups
Vegetables (steamed)
1 serving
Meal 3: Noon
Chicken (grilled)
1 serving
Salad
1 serving
Meal 4: 4 p.m.
Burger Patty (lean beef or buffalo)
1 serving
Meal 5: 7 or 8 p.m.
Fish (grilled)
1 serving
Brown Rice
1 1/2 cups
Fruit
1 piece

Tip: Don't forget liquids! Alec drinks at least 1 gallon of water every day and steers clear of empty calories from soda, juice and other sugary drinks.

Whether you live next to the beach or in a cave in the mountains, what you can take away from Alec's ab-mazing workout program is this: it takes hard work and dedication to sculpt an 8-pack.

Stay active this summer and blast through each and every workout with high intensity. Keep challenging your body and give it the clean foods it craves.

You want to make heads turn and eyes pop next time you're at the pool? Stay committed and you'll get results.

For more fat-loss plans, check out All Access or our Fat-Loss articles collection!

About the Author

Jessica Austin

Jessica Austin

After going through her own transformation, Jessica now leads an even healthier fit lifestyle with the hopes of giving back to others...

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