If you've already mastered essential core-strengthening exercises [1] like the plank, you may be looking to upgrade your ab routine with a workout that will ignite your abdominal muscles. If that's the case, you're in the right spot.
Adding weight to ab exercises requires you to stabilize your abdominal muscles even more while putting those muscles under tension, which will help strengthen them. The more consistent you are with adding weighted ab exercises into your routine, the higher your chances of being able to see your abdominal muscles [2], if that's what you're after.
Also, as a friendly reminder, ab exercises alone don't burn belly fat [3]. If your goal is to lower your body fat percentage [4], which is essential to seeing your abs, you're going to need to exercise (strength training is key [5]), make sure your nutrition is on point, get quality sleep [6], and do recovery work [7].
The 4-Move Weighted Ab Workout
Grab one dumbbell or a medicine ball before getting started. If you're a beginner, use no more than 10 pounds or omit the weight entirely. If you're more advanced, use a minimum of 10 pounds; just make sure your form doesn't fall apart. Complete one set of each exercise without taking any breaks. After you've completed one round, take one minute of rest. Repeat for a total of four rounds.
- Weighted straight-leg crunch: 20 reps
- Seated Russian twist: 10 reps
- Medicine ball slam: 15 reps
- Bottoms-up kettlebell carry: 20 steps (each arm)
Weighted Straight-Leg Crunch
- Grab an eight- or 10-pound medicine ball.
- Lie flat on your back with your arms fully extended behind you, holding the medicine ball in your hands.
- Raise your legs straight up in the air so that the flats of your feet are facing the ceiling.
- Keeping your arms straight (locked at the elbows), bring the medicine ball up over your chest and lift your shoulders off the mat, pushing the ball toward your feet.
- Return to starting position by lowering your upper body all the way back to the floor and keeping your arms locked in the straight position. Your feet should remain lifted in the air. Let the medicine ball touch the floor. That counts as one rep.
- Complete 20 reps.
Seated Russian Twist
- Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels about a foot from your butt.
- Lean slightly back without rounding your spine at all. It is really important, and difficult, to keep your back straight, but don't let it curve.
- Hold a weight or a medicine ball just below your chest. Keep the weight close to you and progress by moving the weight further away from your body.
- Pull your navel to your spine and twist slowly to the left. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating, not from your arms swinging. Inhale through centre and rotate to the right. This completes one rep.
- Complete 10 reps.
Medicine Ball Slam
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with a 10-pound medicine ball on the floor in front of you.
- Squat down and pick up the medicine ball, keeping your head up and trying not to round the spine.
- Stand up, lifting the medicine ball above your head, fully extending the arms straight above you.
- Forcefully slam the ball down on the floor as hard as you can. If the ball is light enough, catch the ball as it bounces slightly off the floor.
- This counts as one rep.
- Complete 15 reps.
Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Carry
- Start with a lightweight kettlebell in your right arm. I'm using a four-kilogram kettlebell, which is roughly nine pounds.
- Lift your arm up, turning the kettlebell upside down and creating a 90-degree angle at your elbow. Be sure to keep your wrist straight. If you notice that your wrist is moving, use a lighter kettlebell or a lightweight dumbbell.
- From here, begin walking forward. Take 20 steps forward or walk for 20 feet, depending on the space available.
- Switch the kettlebell to your left hand and walk back to your starting point.