Workouts With Dumbbells For Abs
The importance of core strength goes beyond just having toned abs or a six-pack. A strong core supports most of your body’s movements and creates the stability needed to perform any exercise.
You can achieve a strong core through weight training for abs, which also helps build a firm and lean muscle mass. When looking to get abs and a strong core, the two most powerful pieces of equipment are the ab wheel and the dumbbells.
You can easily incorporate dumbbell exercises into your workout routine to build strength in your core muscles. Strengthening the core muscles help tone your body and improve your overall appearance.
If you’re looking for a simple yet effective ab exercise that fires up your core and improves your flexibility, look no further. This article focuses on the dumbbell core exercises that can help you get a flat stomach.
#1 Russian Twist
This is a powerful dumbbell exercise for abs. It strengthens your core, obliques, and spine while also working your balance and building stability. The Russian Twist is a popular exercise among athletes because it helps with rotational movement in sports.
It targets all the muscles in your core, which makes it great abs exercise when you are tight on time. You can work a Russian Twist with dumbbells at home to train your muscles to work harder.
How to perform
- Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you and bring your legs out straight
- Bend your knees, flex your feet, and place your heels on the ground
- Lean back slightly for your torso and legs to form a V-like shape, bracing your abdominal wall to engage your core
- Twist your torso from side to side without moving your legs
#2 Standing Weighted Twist
Standing weighted Twist strengthens your core and can help you avoid back injury. You also benefit from your physical strength and balance with a strong core. This exercise primarily activates your internal and external obliques, hip flexors, spinal erectors, and the rectus abdominis.
You can make this exercise more challenging by doing it with straight arms.
How to perform
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and need to be slightly bent. Getting your feet too close together can hurt your spine, and getting them too far apart can affect the effectiveness of the exercise.
- Raise your arms to your shoulders and bent to 90 degrees
- Now twist your core, then pivot your feet by depressing and retracting your scapula.
- Hold on to a dumbbell to increase your range of motion. As you twist your core, the extra weight from the dumbbell generates more momentum.
#3 Dumbbell Burpee
The burpee is a full-body strength training exercise and an ultimate example of functional fitness. A dumbbell burpee can improve other bodybuilding workouts and your cardiovascular fitness.
It is a great cardio exercise to include in your workout routine when performed properly. This is a full-body workout that activates muscle groups across your upper and lower body, such as the glutes, triceps, hamstrings, and quadriceps,
How to perform
- Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees
- Ensure your shoulders are directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position
- Evenly distribute your weight and grip the floor with your feet to create a stable position.
- Keep your arms long by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows.
- Pre-tension your shoulders and hips, then engage your core.
- While maintaining a neutral spine, bend your hips, knees, and ankles and lower your body towards the floor. Place the dumbbells on the ground slightly wider than shoulder-width apart
#4 Weighted Diagonal V Sit
This exercise works your obliques and your lower abs. It builds core strength by working multiple areas of the core simultaneously.
The V-sit is an effective way to target the rectus abdominis and the obliques and hip flexors while improving your core and truck balance.
Building the core strength, balance, and coordination can help maintain good posture and perform better at several physical activities. However, it’s pretty hard to perform.
How to perform
- Start in a seated position with hands and feet on the floor.
- Slowly contract your abdominal muscles and core, then lift your legs to an extended position at a 45-degree angle with your torso.
- Reach your arms straight forward or upward towards your shins. Make sure you maintain good posture and a strong spine throughout the movement to avoid rounding the shoulders forward.
- Hold the v-shaped position for several seconds to begin. You can hold the position longer as you get stronger.
- Return to your starting position slowly while continuing to keep your abs engaged and tight
- Before reaching the floor, stop and hold the position for a few seconds.
- Repeat the entire movement several times
#5 Dumbbell Rowboat
A dumbbell rowboat can increase your strength and coordination in other compound exercises. It helps increase stability in the body and improves grip in hand.
You can use the move to improve your posture and prevent problems like back pain. This move works muscles on your back, improves core stability, and engages your shoulder and biceps.
How to perform
- Start by placing the hand and knee on the same side on a bench parallel to you. The other foot should touch the ground.
- Make sure the dumbbell is on the ground next to the bench and close to your foot.
- Reach down with your free hand and grab the dumbbell with your palms facing you
- Keep your back straight at all times, as this will engage your core throughout the exercise.
- Row the dumbbell to your side by pulling your elbows back towards the hips and upwards. The elbow should not pass your torso line.
- Lower the dumbbell until you fully extend the arm
- This will be your first rep.
#6 Suitcase Crunch
The suitcase crunch is a great way to develop core strength, tone up your abs, and get a flat belly. It is a challenging exercise that can improve your overall stability and mobility.
The move provides benefits such as strong back or toned abs while bringing better stability, mobility, strength, and balance. It also engages your hip flexors to improve range of motion and flexibility.
Suitcase crunch is a controlled movement that avoids any swinging motion.
How to perform
- Lay on the floor of your legs straight, and your arms stretched out behind your head.
- Engage your core by squeezing your abdominals to lift your arms over your head and towards your legs.
- Also, lift your legs off the ground slightly and bring them towards your chest, bending your knees
- Ensure your torso is in a tucked position, similar to the suitcase being closed
- Hold for a moment before extending your legs and arms back out to the starting position
- Repeat for more reps
#7 Side Plank Raise
Side planks are the best oblique exercises to help tone and strengthen the deep muscles of your abdominals. It is one of the easiest ways to work the two layers of muscle along the side of your core, known as obliques.
The side plank raise builds strong oblique abdominal muscles and balance. It will strengthen the oblique abdominal muscles better than other ab exercises such as crunches.
The strong obliques can help as core stabilization muscles, resulting in a high level of balance, stability, and coordination.
How to perform
- Assume a squat width-stance, ensuring you elevate the heels slightly to target the quads even more
- Place one end of the resistance band under the midfoot at the other end in your hands, with your hands overhead about three feet apart.
- You can widen your hands if you’re having issues with shoulder mobility.
- Make sure the band is in line with your upper back/ traps. The band should be a perfect 90 degrees from the floor from the side.
- As you squat down, make sure the arms do not move forward, and the band stays vertical.
#8 Longarm Dumbbell Crunch
The Long Arm crunch is another version of the abdominal crunch that works your abs. It will help tone your stomach by contracting the rectus abdominis muscles.
When performing this stomach exercise, you maintain your bottom body motionless while lifting your upper body. It will help your core muscles, including the obliques on the side of your trunk,
How to perform
- Lie flat on your back on the floor, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor. Bending your knees provides your lower back extra support.
- Make a straight line with your hands behind your head. Keep your arms closer to your ears and clasp your hands together.
- Lift your shoulder blades off the floor, keeping your arms close to your ears while using your ab muscles rather than momentum.
- Brace the spine by drawing your lower abdomen inwards
- Hold for one second at the top of the maneuver before slowly returning to the starting position.
- You should activate your core muscles to support your posture as you perform the exercise.
- If you experience any pain, immediately stop the Long Arm dumbbell crunch.
#9 Alternating Overhead Press
As the name suggests, an alternating overhead press with dumbbells targets the chest muscles and strengthens and tones the tricep muscles. It is an excellent exercise for people who have dislocated or otherwise injured the area.
This exercise can strengthen your shoulder muscles, triceps, and trapezius muscle. While the alternating overhead press with a dumbbell can be challenging enough on its own, you can increase the intensity by using heavier weights.
How to perform
- Take a few deep breaths. As you exhale, lift both dumbbells to put together and directly over your chest
- Lower your right arm so that the elbow is completely bent and the dumbbell is resting near your chest
- Then lift the dumbbell back up to the sky as you exhale
- Perform this exercise again, but this time using your left arm
- Do two sets of 10 on each arm before taking a brief break, and then do other sets of 10 repetitions for optimal results
#10 Weighted Sit-Ups
Sit-ups loaded with dumbbells can be an excellent addition to your workout because they strengthen the knee and hip joints. This exercise can build strong abs and improve your stability through your lower body and core when executed properly.
The exercise targets several models: the quads, glutes, hip flexors, hamstring, calves, and adductors.
How to perform
- Keep your heel flat on the bench with your knee tracking slightly outwards
- Step up on the bench, keeping your torso tall and proud
- Brace your core and strengthen your leg to bring yourself to standing on the bench
- Lower your leg down slowly to the ground while keeping your shoulders back and head up.
#11 Dumbbell Swing
This compound movement activates several major muscle groups, including the quadriceps, hamstring, shoulder, chest, trapezius, and abdominals.
By targeting all these muscles, the exercise effectively boosts strength, endurance, power, and speed. The swings can maximize your abdominal burn and strengthen your core as you pull off and balance yourself.
How to perform
- Start by warming up the body with the best cardiovascular work.
- Place a dumbbell directly beneath you and in the center of your body. Start with the light dumbbell at first since you’ll be performing a few warm-up sets.
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart, straighten your back before bending at the knees to lower your hips towards the ground.
- Secure a firm grip on the dumbbell with your left hand. Bring your chest up and your shoulder blades down. Make sure you don’t elevate your upper traps.
- Contract the core and lean forward slightly. Maintain the grip of a dumbbell and allow it to move back towards your glutes. Then swing it between your legs and above your head.
- Control the dumbbell as it comes back down towards the ground and in between your legs. Maintain a straight back throughout the process.
- Repeat the swinging motion back and forth for several repetitions and switch on the other side
Conclusion
Most of these core exercises with dumbbells are compound. This means more muscle groups work together and not just your core muscles.
For example, they benefit your shoulders, arms, and chest, leading to more calorie burning with weight loss.
You can perform these dumbbell exercises at home, gym, or in your office. Do between one and three sets of 8 to 15 repetitions for every exercise. However, learn how to do the dumbbell exercises properly for optimum results.
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