22 Best Ab Exercises With Weights That'll Work Your Core
22 Best Ab-Strengthening Exercises Using Weights
According to celeb trainer Gunnar Peterson, the secret to core strength is "working consistently, working in different planes of motion, and adding weights to your abdominal work." In other words, there's no shortcut — but being smart about your training can help you avoid wasted energy, and allow to to tap into all of the benefits that a stronger core can offer: better balance, protection from injury, better cardio form, less pain, and better posture, to name a few. If you're a true beginner, try starting with bodyweight ab moves (or try out the following moves without a weight). But if you already have a foundation, like Peterson said, weighted exercises are key to continuing to build strength.
For the weighted ab exercises ahead, all you need are a set of dumbbells, a medicine ball, or a couple of handy weight substitutes like water bottles or cans of food. To get the most bang for your buck when doing these exercises, choose a weight that feels challenging by the last few reps. These will likely feel much harder than bodyweight ab exercises, so know that it's totally normal to feel your muscles shaking. It might even be good — but, of course, listen to your own body and modify as needed.
