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When we talk about deep abdominal strength, we’re not referring to six-pack abs. A strong core encompasses your deep abs, obliques, pelvic floor, and glutes to stabilize your spine, act as your body’s corset, and protect your overall posture and balance.Whether you’re looking for a quick ab blast to add to the end of your next strength session or you’re coming back to core workouts and looking for some inspiration, you’ve landed in the right place. These six moves hit your abs from every angle, and the entire workout will take you less than 30 minutes. Read on to find out more!As a reminder, if you’re a complete beginner, you’re recovering from an injury, or you’re pregnant or postpartum, it’s always best to seek personalized advice from a qualified professional.What is the workout? This workout is designed by certified personal trainer Adirene Duarte, who specializes in training women over 40. All you’ll need for the workout is a dumbbell (check out the best adjustable dumbbells for working out at home). Remember, the right weight for you will feel challenging, but not impossible, by the final few reps. If you feel like the weight is compromising your form, it’s too heavy.Remember to keep your abs engaged throughout. To do this, think about squeezing your belly button into your spine, and zipping your abs up and in so you’re engaging your pelvic floor muscles too.Duarte recommends doing 3 sets of 15 reps of each exercise.Half crunch: For this exercise, hold your dumbbell in both hands, and use your core to crunch your head, neck, and shoulders off your exercise mat. Think about really squeezing your core at the top of the movement.Marching glute bridge: Keeping your dumbbell lifted to the ceiling and your hips raised into a glute bridge, bring one knee towards your torso, keeping a 90-degree bend in the leg, then the other. Keep alternating legs, and complete 15 reps on each side.Double crunch: For this exercise, inhale at the bottom of the movement, where your arms and legs are extended away from your body. Exhale as you crunch in, taking the dumbbell to your shins and really squeezing your core.Sit-up: For this dumbbell sit-up, move from your core and remember to extend the dumbbell up towards the ceiling as you finish the sit-up. Try to move from your core, without using the momentum of your arms to lift off the mat.Incline dumbbell pass under: For this exercise, hinge your torso back until you feel your abs engage. Pause here, then lift one leg, passing the dumbbell under your lifted leg to the opposite hand. Lower your leg back to the mat, and repeat on the opposite side. Keep switching legs, and complete 15 reps on each leg. Hold your abs in and keep your torso as still as possible.Incline Russian twist: For this exercise, hinge back and hover your legs off the floor. Holding the dumbbell in both hands, rotate your torso to tap the dumbbell to one side of your body, then the other, and keep switching sides.What are the benefits? This workout is short but sweet and will blast your core. The added resistance of the dumbbell increases the intensity of the workout and forces the core to work harder against the extra weight.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.As mentioned above, building a strong core isn’t just an aesthetic goal. Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints worldwide, and it is frequently caused by a weak abdominal wall. If your core is weak, your pelvis tilts incorrectly, and your spine absorbs the shock of your body weight. A strong core keeps your pelvis in a neutral position and shields your lower back from injury.Strengthening your core can also improve your posture and balance and enhance your athletic performance, whatever you’re training for. This workout targets all of the major muscles in the core, helping you build strength and protect your knees, hips, and back from injury. Of course, your torso will still look the same, but over time, when paired with a healthy diet and good cardiovascular fitness, workouts like this can help you tone up and get in shape.
