
Aight. I got you. As a woman with a visible 8 pack. YOU HAVE TO SPAM CORE. Do not listen to the ppl who say it's all diet. They're either a man, praying on your downfall, or have no clue as to what they're talking about. Hit weighted core with every workout, at least one machine. Cybex ab crunch machines are dope. I use both chair variations and the ab crunch machine. Progressive overload on these machines like you would any other. I do 3 sets of hanging leg raises with each workout too, but-
You gotta work up to them in order to execute properly. Working deep core is VERY important too, as it trains your core to always 'suck in', and acts as your actual root core strength. I do deep core at least once per week. Lay on a mat, deadbugs and weighted deadbugs are goated. You can work the serratus anterior through scapular push-ups, serratus punch, etc Also focus to activate core/abdominals during most exercises
I have a masters in biomechanics and sports nutrition and I can definitely say that diet is important. In fact, diet is the primary deciding factor because it drives the reduction of body fat required to expose underlying muscle. For most women, visible abs come with around 14-20% body fat
AND THEN we come to diet. Try to keep low body fat, weight doesn't really matter. Consume protein, LOTS AND LOTS OF PROTEIN. Minimal carbs to speedrun progress. Carbs aren't the enemy, you can still get abs while consuming a lot of carbs, it'll just take longer If you're really serious. Spend the vast majority of your macros on protein, some on healthy fats, then the rest on carbs.
I don't have a masters in biomechanics or anything, but my undergrad is in biochemistry, and I've been working the sets Diet certainly matters a lot But in practice, often times, the actual exercises matter slightly more. You burn fat through these exercises anyways. As long as you're burning fat and building muscle, you're good At the same time, ig to me it's super easy to do well with diet so I don't think about it much