The key to a getting a stronger core is pretty simple: spend more time strengthening your abdominal muscles. No, you don't have to schedule hour-long ab sessions, but your workouts should contain a core proponent. Whether you're doing abs before a workout (here's why that's beneficial [1]) or after you crush your treadmill workout [2], you've got to commit to working your core if you want it become stronger.
As a trainer, I think your ab workouts should entail stability aspects, strength aspects, and some explosive work. Having those variations will help stabilize your spine and prevent injury and help you see ab definition [3]. I love exercises like planks [4] and hanging leg raises [5] to work my abs [6], but I also like to up the intensity with weighted exercises.
If you're a beginner, don't let these moves intimidate you. The key is to select a weight you can work with [8]; my recommendation is no more than 10 pounds. Don't be afraid to decrease the weight if your form is falling apart; better safe than injured.
If you're inspired to do an ab workout once you finish reading this post, add a few of these moves to your next workout, but I don't recommend doing more than eight exercises from this list in one session or else you will be extremely sore. Friendly reminder, ab exercises alone won't help you reduce stomach fat [9] or get a six-pack. Instead, you'll need to focus on making healthy nutritional choices [10], train hard and consistently, and be patient. Now, get ready to blast your abs with these 18 moves:
Overhead Circles With Medicine Ball
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in your knees. Keeping your spine in neutral, lift a five or eight pound medicine ball overhead.
- Begin to circle the ball to the right, in the largest circles you can make, while maintaining a still and stable torso.
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 you and progress by moving 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.
Plank and Rotate
- Begin in a plank position holding a five-pound dumbbell in each hand, keeping your wrists stiff to protect the joints. Open your feet a little wider than hip distance.
- Lift your left hand to the ceiling, twisting through your entire torso. Your pelvis will rotate, but keep it level.
- Bring your left hand back to the floor, and repeat this action on the other side to complete one rep.
Twisting Wood Chop With Medicine Ball
- Start with the feet a little wider than hip distance apart. Twist to the left raising the ball over to your left shoulder.
- On an exhale pull your abs toward your spine and "chop" the ball down diagonally across your body toward the outside of your right knee. Imagine you're chopping some wood at this angle and the ball is your axe — the move is a bit percussive.
- Focus the on the rotation initiating in your torso.
- Control the ball back up to the starting position. This completes one rep.
- Remember you are moving with force but also control. Don't give into the momentum of swinging the ball around.
Kettlebell Windmill
- Begin standing with your feet slightly wider than hip distance apart.
- Rotate your left toes outward and raise your right arm above your head, keeping your eyes trained on the weight.
- Shift your hips to the right. Don't let your pelvis swing behind you as you move into the sassy position.
- As you shift your hips right, your weight will shift to the right, too. You should feel about 60 percent of your weight in your right foot.
- Lower your torso toward the floor, so the kettlebell hovers just off the floor.
- Keep your body as flat as possible, with the ankles, hips, and shoulders in one plane. This position feels a lot like a tight Triangle pose in yoga.
- Keep your torso still as you bring your left hand to your left shoulder in a biceps curl.
- Keeping your left arm bent and your right arm pointing to the ceiling, come to standing position. Imagine your waist doing all the work to move your torso upright.
- Shift your pelvis back to centre once again to distribute your weight evenly between both feet.
- Complete the rep by bringing your left arm overhead, working your shoulder. Lower your left arm down to return to starting position, and repeat.
Side Bends
- Get into starting position by standing with your feet hip-width apart holding a pair of five to 10-pound dumbbells or plates by your sides.
- Begin the movement by bending sideways to your right. Squeeze your obliques as you bend.
- Return to starting position. Then bend to the left side. This completes one rep.
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's counts as one rep.
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Double Crunch Pulse
- Begin lying on your back with your legs in the air, toes toward the ceiling, holding one or two dumbbells over your chest with straight arms. Engage your abs to press your lower back into the mat while lifting your head, neck, and upper back off the mat.
- Exhale and round your lower back so the bottom of the pelvis raises as you lift your upper body an inch higher off the mat. Aim the medicine ball toward your ankles as you perform this double crunch.
- Inhale, and lower your pelvis and upper back an inch toward the floor.
High Knees
- Hold one dumbbell at chest height and run in place while lifting your knees high to the level of your waist. Engage your abs as the knee comes up, running in place.
Overhead Circle
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips with your knees soft. Hold the dumbbell overhead with both hands.
- Keeping your abs pulled to the spine, circle the weight around your head starting to the left. Your ribs can move slightly, but your pelvis should stay still.
- Complete the same amount of circles on each side.
Single-Arm Chest Press
- Working one arm at a time makes the core work more to stabilize your torso while you work your chest.
- Lie on your back with your heels about a foot away from your butt. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand and bring both hands to the ceiling.
- Bend your left elbow, lowering your upper arm to floor. Exhale and straighten your elbow, pressing the weight back to the ceiling to complete a rep.
Cable Crunch
- Attach a triceps rope handle to the pulley on the carriage of a cable station. Adjust the carriage so that it's near the top third of the machine. The exact position will vary based on your height.
- Next, select the amount of resistance you want — 22.5 pounds is a great starting point. As you begin to become more comfortable with the movement, feel free to increase the weight.
- Facing the pulley, come into a kneeling position approximately one and a half feet away from the machine.
- Grab the triceps rope handles and brace your core. You should feel a light stretch in your abs; if not, increase the weight. Make sure your weight is in your shins.
- Simultaneously pull both handles with bent arms and perform a crunch. Your elbows should be parallel to your thighs.
- With control, return to the starting position as you maintain tension on the pulley. That completes one repetition.
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.
Pallof Press
- Lower the carriage of a cable machine so that it's about chest height, and attach a D-handle to the pulley. Adjust the weight so that it's at 10 pounds. If this is too heavy or too light, feel free to change the weight.
- Standing with the left side of your body closest to the machine, grab the handle with both hands and take two or three steps out so that there's tension on the cable. Hold your hands at your sternum, and make sure that your body is square. If you feel like you're getting pulled to the left, this is an indicator that you should lighten the weight.
- On an exhale, press the cable straight out in front of your body. Be sure not to rotate toward the machine. Hold for two seconds before returning to the starting position. This counts as one rep.
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.
Rotational Ball Slam With a Lunge
- Start in a lunge with your right leg forward. Be sure to keep your knee over your ankle, maintaining a 90-degree angle at the knee.
- With the ball on the left side of your body, raise it up overhead, rotate your arms to the right, and slam the ball down on the outside of your right foot.
- This counts as one rep.
Kettlebell Orbit
- Stand with feet hip-distance apart and arms extended slightly out to your side. Hold a kettlebell in your left hand at one corner of the horn.
- In a fluid motion, swing it behind you and reach your right hand back to grab it on the other side of the horn.
- Keep the motion fluid as you swing it to the front of you and grab it with your left hand. It should feel like you are making the kettlebell orbit your waist.
Plank Row
- Start in a plank position with your legs wider than hip distance; the wider stance makes you more stable. Hold onto your dumbbells, keeping your wrist locked to protect the joint.
- With your core tight and your glutes engaged, exhale, stabilizing your torso as you lift your left elbow to row; feel your left shoulder blade sliding toward your spine as you bend your elbow up toward the ceiling.
- Keeping your neck long and energized, return the weight to the ground, and repeat the movement on your right side.