It’s officially summertime, and some of us are trying everything and anything to get our bodies beach-ready. The perfect beach body is incomplete without abs of steel, but your ab workout could be missing something. If you find yourself working extra hard to get that six pack, you may want to explore the benefits of ab workouts with dumbbells.
Why Incorporate Dumbbells Into Your Ab Workout?
There are several added benefits associated with adding dumbbells to your workout routine, and your ab routine is no different. Using dumbbells while toning, helps create functional movements, tones each side of the body equally, and helps provide more stabilization.
Including dumbbells into your ab work will help you perform daily tasks more efficiently. The use of dumbbells closely mimics daily functions such as carrying groceries into your home, picking up a heavy box and placing it on a counter or doing any work-related lifting. Stabilization helps enhance your day to day functions.
When doing ab workout with dumbbells, there is no strain placed on either side of your body. Dumbbells make it difficult to favor one side of the body over the other since your body is working just as hard on each side to maintain control while using the weights. This makes it possible to tone each side of the body equally without putting a strain on one side or the other.
Stabilization is also critical when working out your core. Using dumbbells when performing sit-ups or stand up ab exercises helps further engage the core muscles, giving you better results in a shorter timeframe. Also, using dumbbells helps you focus on movements better.
Adding dumbbells to your ab routine also provides added resistance that will further enhance your workout and give you better results in less time.
Ab Workouts With Dumbbells
There are several ways to add dumbbells to your ab workout. Consider trying some of the exercises listed below.
1. Leaning Camel
This yoga pose helps your spine to be more flexible and engages the entire core group of muscles.
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2. Standing Weighted Twist
This move also involves the entire core and is impactful for the sides of the abdomen. Adding weights to this movement helps maintain control of your movements and equally distribute resistance.
3. Seated Russian Twist
The seated Russian twist targets the oblique muscles. Dumbbells add a challenge to this classic action, while allowing you to focus on the movements and engage better.
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Did you know you can Get Ripped Abs by Playing Games on your Smartphone?
4. Plank and Reach
The plank is a great ab workout, and I believe in its effectiveness so much that I wrote an in depth post on it's big brother, the planche. And adding dumbbells to this movement adds some excitement. It is certainly a challenge, but your lower abs will thank you for it later.
5. Overhead Reach with Leg Lowered
This movement is a spin on a classic sit up, but adding weights to this exercise, not only helps maintain stability but helps with stabilization as well.
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6. Coordination Fly
This fun workout will target the hardest part of your core to tone, the lower belly. Adding dumbbells to this ab exercise will help you engage in the movements for better results.
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7. High Knees
High Knees also help work out the lower belly section but without having to get on the floor. Adding weights to this workout helps with stabilization and further engages your core muscles.
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Tips To Maximize Ab Workouts With Dumbbells
If you’re not used to using dumbbells, they are relatively easy to find and easy to use. Dumbbells are pretty easy to get a hang of compared to other weight lifting tools.
When purchasing dumbbells for your ab workout, it is important that you know your limits. You don’t want to buy dumbbells that are too heavy. The rule of thumb is to stay between 1 and 3 pounds when you’re a dumbbell newbie. Even after getting a real grip of how to use dumbbells, you want to use relatively light weights when incorporating them into an ab workout. A weight that is too heavy may cause strain instead of stability, and damage instead of resistance. No one wants that!
Dumbbells can be stylish as well. Consider looking for a pair that brings resonates with your personality. This will make your new ab workout with dumbbells not only challenging but fun as well. Check out this awesome set.
Summer is here! We are all trying to look and feel our best. Since your abs are at the core of your wellbeing, giving them a good workout is essential to your health. If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent hours doing on the floor crunches or planks. These are real movements that do help you build your core, but those movements alone may not be enough. The goal is not to work harder, but smarter. Incorporating ab workouts with dumbbells is working smarter.
