Unusual workout: how to build abs with dumbbells and a medball

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you're tired of regular crunches and want more varied and challenging ab exercises, try these dumbbell and medball options.

In this workout, abdominal exercises are alternated with movements that involve all of the core muscles. This eliminates forced rest due to muscle failure, builds up your abdominal and core muscles, and improves balance.

Side bend lunge

This exercise will work your hips and core muscles, which have to stabilize your body during the bend.

Execution technique

Stand up straight, hold the dumbbells overhead with outstretched arms, palms facing each other. Lunge back, place your knee on the floor. Bend your body and arms to the side of your front leg. Return the straight position of the body and, without lowering your hands, come out to the starting position.

Repeat the exercise on the other side. Do eight reps in each direction.

Rolling a dumbbell under you

This exercise feels like a punch to the stomach. The muscles of the arms and legs are also loaded.

Execution technique

Put your hands on the floor, step on the dumbbell bar with one foot. Roll the dumbbell under your leg further away from your arms, while bending your other leg and bringing your knee towards your body. Roll the dumbbell back, closer to your arms, while pulling the other leg back.

Do it eight times and repeat on the other leg.

Walking with a dumbbell in one hand

This exercise creates an environment of instability. The dumbbell outweighs you to one side, so in addition to the hips, the core muscles are included in the work.

Execution technique

Stand next to the jump bollard. Take a dumbbell in your right hand, bend it at the elbow, holding the dumbbell next to your shoulder. Step onto the curbstone with your left foot while simultaneously bringing your bent right knee forward and squeezing the dumbbell over your head. Lower the dumbbell back to your shoulder and repeat.

Do it eight times on each leg. When changing legs, shift the dumbbell to your other hand.

Exercise "Wipers"

This exercise puts a lot of stress on the abs and obliques.

Execution technique

Take the starting position: lie on your back, raise your legs so that they are perpendicular to the floor, squeeze the medball between the ankles, stretch your right hand with a dumbbell in front of you, and put your left on the floor. Lower your arm with the dumbbell to the right side and your legs to the left. Return to starting position and repeat.

Do the exercise eight times and switch sides. Now the dumbbell will be in the left hand, and the legs will drop to the right.

Barbell Dumbbell Row

This exercise pumps the arms and core muscles, which contract to stabilize the body.

Execution technique

Stand on a plank with your hands on dumbbells. Keeping balance, perform a dumbbell row with your right hand.

Perform eight times with each hand.

"Lumberjack" with a dumbbell

This exercise is often done in a crossover or medball, but you can also do it with dumbbells.

Execution technique

Put your feet wider than your shoulders, take a dumbbell in your hands. Turning the body to the right, bring the dumbbell on outstretched arms over the right shoulder. During the turn, the left heel lifts off the floor and the leg rolls on the toe, helping you to turn the torso better. Turning the body to the left, diagonally move the dumbbell to the left knee, while going into a squat.

Repeat the exercise eight times in each direction.

"Bicycle" with dumbbells

This is a complicated version of the "Bicycle" exercise, in which not only the abs and legs work, but also the arms.

Execution technique

Lie on your back, pick up dumbbells. Raise your straight legs and back, keep your hands with dumbbells next to your shoulders. At the same time, bend your right leg at the knee and straighten your left arm. Then bend your left leg and straighten your right arm.

Change legs 16 times, try to keep your back as straight as possible.

Fold with medicine ball

This exercise pumps the abdominal muscles well, and due to the medball, the muscles of the arms and legs are strained.

Execution technique

Lie on the floor on your back, pick up the medball and hold it over your head with outstretched arms, raise your legs to a right angle with the floor. Raise your arms and upper back and squeeze the medball between your ankles. Lower your legs so that the medball touches the floor. The arms and upper back remain raised during this time. Raise your legs with the medicine ball and pick up the ball again.

Repeat the exercise 10 times.

You can incorporate these exercises into your workout by replacing regular crunches with abs, or do all eight as a stand-alone core workout.

To increase efficiency, do the exercises without rest as one circle. Do 1-3 laps, depending on your ability.