In an attempt to get the coveted six-pack abs in time for the summer holidays, a man who hates going to the beach got himself a hyper-realistic six-pack tattoo.

It’s the same old story every spring. You try flexing your abs in the mirror only to find them covered by a thick layer of fat that you’ve been trying your hardest to ignore for months. You jump on the scale and are shocked to see you’ve put on a few pounds since last summer and with only a few weeks left until the beach season, you start to panic. It’s time to hit the gym, hard, but that’s just such a chore. If only there was a way to permanently turn that flabby belly into the chiseled physique of a bodybuilder. Well, as long as you’re not afraid of needles, there’s one goofy trick you may want to try.

Photo: Andre Taissin/Unsplash

South African-born tattoo artist Dean Gunther recently shared one of his funniest projects ever with his social media followers. In photos and clips posted on his Instagram and Tik Tok channels, he detailed the story of a young man struggling to get toned abs in the gym, but failing miserably. In the end, he comes to Gunther’s tattoo shop in Manchester for an ingenious alternative.

The story is one that most of us chubby guys can relate too, at least in part, and it actually served as an inspiration for the talented tattoo artist. He told British tabloid The Sun that he had seen bad attempts of tattooed six-pack abs before and wanted to give it a go himself.

“I had seen really bad ones attempted before. Because I specialize in color realism I wanted to give it a go,” Gunther said. “I thought it would be funny as hell.”

After finding a test subject for his goofy project, Gunther ran into a roadblock soon after starting work. The client apparently wanted to quit just one hour into the first day, but was convinced to go on, and made it to the two days of heavy inking.

The end result is impressive and laughable at the same time. The toned, tanned abdomen looks realistic, but you can tell it’s not real from a mile away. Still, it’s bound to draw attention at the beach, and it beats suffering in the gym for an actual six-pack.