If you are trying to get one of the best ab workouts you can, you need to be careful in your exercise selection. The reason for this is that a lot of “ab” exercises are not that effective. In fact, most are worthless since they can neither burn fat or build very much muscle!
So, let’s take a look at some exercises you can do that will give your abs a good workout.
First off, forget about ineffective exercises like sit-ups or crunches. I can’t even remember the last time I did one it’s been so long. Instead let’s try some other more effective exercises.
Here’s an ab workout you may like. It’s very effective at hitting the abs even though they aren’t really “ab” exercises exactly. The exercises are renegade dumbbell rows, front squats with barbell, and mountain climbers on floor. You don’t have to do all of them if you don’t feel comfortable with them, but I’ll show you a workout below that uses all 3.
Let’s go with about 3 to 4 sets of 8 reps. Alternatively, you can do 5 sets of 5 if it feels better. Experiment to see what gives you the best workout.
To do renegade dumbbell rows, grab 2 dumbbells of the same weight, and get in pushup position. Rest on the dumbbells and pull one arm back like a rowing exercise while supporting yourself with the other arm. It’s a bit tricky, but it will really work your midsection. Alternate arms, one lifts while the other supports. Don’t go too heavy too fast until you’ve gotten used to the exercise. Some dumbbells might be easier to use than others if they are thick or thin. Keep your arms in so the dumbbells don’t roll out to the sides on you.
Front squats are similar to regular squats where you rest the bar on your back, but here we will put the barbell on the front of our shoulders. Stabalize the bar by crossing your arms, keeping your elbows up, and pushing back against the bar with your fists. Obviously, we won’t be using as much weight as with a regular squat. It requires work to stabalize the barbell in the front. Don’t lower your elbows at any point. Use a lighter barbell if you need to. It doesn’t have to be one of the big barbells.
Lastly, to do mountain climbers, get on the floor in pushup position again. Now, we don’t need any weights here, just sort of jog in place. Bring one leg forward (towards your chest) while the other is back. You’ll basically just be shuffling your feet. It resembles a mountain climber. You can also shift your hands a few inches with your legs if you are able to, but it’s a litter harder. Do an interval like 30 seconds at a time. Then rest 30 seconds.
You can do 3 sets of each exercise resting 30 seconds between each exercise and then resting 1-2 minutes when you change exercises.
This is one of the best ab workouts you can do. Your abs will feel it. Trust me. For more exercises and workouts like this, I recommend the Truth About Abs Program.
