If you’re used to training with weights when you exercise then you might find ab workouts a little boring. However, a good ab routine doesn’t have to take long and you can always incorporate weights into one.
The best workouts for abs tend to involve lying down on a padded surface, such as on one of the best yoga mats, and performing repetitions of reverse crunches, bicycle crunches, and planks.
This functional core movement from workout instructor Avery Turner (opens in new tab) involves working with one of the best kettlebells and will help strengthen your core and your abdominal muscles.
The circuit includes five different moves, some of which you will be lifting the weight and others where you will work your body around the kettlebell as you activate and engage your core.
Turner says she completed the routine four times but, depending on your fitness abilities and how big a challenge you’re looking for, she encourages you to “go until it burns.”
Watch Avery Turner’s Five-Move Kettlebell Core Workout
@aveturner (opens in new tab)
While you can’t target stomach fat with ab exercises you can certainly create muscle strength and definition across your core with the right kind of exercises and consistency.
The weight loss part will become easier to manage when you reduce your calorie intake safely, learn more about how to use protein powder to lose weight, and mix up your training between regular cardio and at least two or three resistance sessions a week.
In the meantime, we’ve listed Turner’s five ab toning moves below for you to try out.
- Kettlebell Circles – 45 secs
- Wood chopper – 30 secs each side
- Side-to-side V-sits
- Up and downs V-sits- 30 secs
- Butterfly Kicks – 45 secs
With a kettlebell you can turn any workout into functional training, like the routine demonstrated above. Functional training refers to exercises that train your muscles to work together and helps ready them for daily tasks. For example, you might already use moves like lunges, squats, and deadlifts in your lower-body sessions and this can make activities such as sitting down or bending over to pick something up feel easier.
Turner’s functional workout for the core and ab muscles will improve things like balance and your ability to twist and turn with ease. According to a study published in the Frontiers (opens in new tab) journal, functional training can improve someone’s overall physical fitness relating to speed, muscular strength, power, balance, and agility.
For an extra challenge, feel free to add an ab roller to the end of your next core-based workout. This targets the ‘six-pack muscle’, formally known as the rectus abdominus, as well as your hip flexors and upper body.
