5 Best Weighted Abs Exercises With Weights For a Strong Defined Core
“How to get a six pack” is one of the most commonly searched how to’s in the fitness world. It seems to be on everybody’s resolution or bucket list, and It is easy to see why. The look of a strong muscular core is the apex of most people’s fitness journey.
Why is it so desirable? Well other than looking great, it is a sign, a notice to the world, that you are in really, really good shape. It is one of the toughest summits to climb in your fitness journey, but believe me, it will not go unnoticed.
The reason that this is so tough is because there are a lot of components that go into getting visible abs. It is not what all the 6 minute ab infomercials pitch. It takes more than some crunches or fancy leg lifts a couple of days a week. That is great advice for selling workout videos, but in reality, that is not getting you anywhere closer to building your six pack…you are just out $9.99 or whatever you paid for that program.
This post is about the ab exercises that have given me the best results, but I would be remiss if I did not say this:
Get Your Diet Right!
I will probably say this in every post about abs, but there is no way around it. No amount of training can cover up that Big Mac. If you want a six pack, your body fat has to be low enough to make it visible. How low?
For men, it’s around 6-9%, and for women, it’s around 15-19%. Now, that’s not to say that some people can’t have visible abs at slightly higher percentages, it flucuates person to person. These are just the general ranges for the average person.
I will focus more on nutrition in another post. So if you are someone who already has your diet in check and are just trying to make your abs show, this is a great way to make them pop. If you are not quite where you want to be body fat-wise yet, then these movements will still provide a solid base that will be ready to show through when you are!
Most importantly, they will build a strong core, which is essential to your overall health and fitness.
Here is the best part, If you train your abs like any other muscle and incorporate resistance training, the muscles will grow and become more pronounced. In most of my photos I am around 13% body fat, but my abs are still able to show through at a slightly higher percentage because of how thick they are.
Remember I said before that men generally need to be sub 10% body fat to see abs. Maintaining low levels of body fat is tough but this can help give you a leg up and keep your abs showing through while leading a more flexible lifestyle and carrying a slightly higher body fat percentage.
So without further ado…Here are my top 5 weighted ab exercises. I will show a video of the unweighted version and then explain how to add weight in. I recommend becoming proficient on these exercises with good form in the unweighted version before transitioning to adding weights to prevent injury.
Decline Behind the Head Weighted Sit Up
- Do not come all the way up to a full sitting position so your abs stay in a state of constant tension.
- Squeeze your abs at the top of the movement for a second before going back down.
How to add weight:
- Once you feel comfortable performing these with no weight ease into adding weight.
- Start by placing a weight on your chest and holding it with your arms crossed over it. Start light and use the same motion as the unweighted version.
- Once you feel comfortable with the weight on your chest, use a LIGHT dumbbell and place it behind your head.
- Holding it firm with your hands perform the same movement as the unweighted version. Keep your core tight all the way through to avoid putting strain on your lower back.
Sets and Reps:
- Perform 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- On your last set, drop the weight after 10 reps and perform 10 unweighted reps
- Once you can comfortably do every rep for all four sets (use the same weight for at least 2 training sessions), slightly increase the dumbell weight
- Do twice a week, with at least 2 days of rest in between training sessions
Weighted Reverse Crunch
How to add weight:
- Place a dumbbell between your feet and perform the same motion as shown in the unweighted version.
- Use hand placement that is most comfortable for you. I like to do these on a bench and grab the back of the bench.
- Squeeze your feet together to ensure that the dumbbell stays in place. If it feels like it is getting loose, stop and readjust. You do not want it falling on your face.
- Below there is a more advanced variation. To add weight to this variation, do the same thing and simply hold the dumbbell between your feet.
- For another variation, put a medicine ball between your knees and perform the reverse crunch.
Sets and Reps:
- Perform 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- Once you can comfortably do 10 reps for all four sets (use the same weight for at least 2 training sessions), slightly increase the dumbbell weight
- Do twice a week, with at least 2 days of rest in between training sessions
Cable Crunches
My favorite of all the weighted ab exercises. I have tried these in the past and thought they didn’t work but the problem was in my form. Check out the video, obviously there is no unweighted version of this exercise.
Tips:
- DO NOT rock your hips, keep your hips stationary or you will not be engaging much of your core.
- DO NOT stay in the contracted position the whole time, be sure to come back up to having a slight bend in your lower back to get the full range of motion every rep.
- Contract your abs at the bottom of each rep and squeeze hard, blowing all the air out of your lungs. Do this EVERY rep.
- Start light to get the proper form down and add weight as needed.
Sets and Reps:
- Perform 4 sets
- Use the same weight for sets 1 and 2
- On your 3rd set, use the same weight to perform 8 reps, then cut the weight in half and immediately perform 8 more reps
- On your final set, do 10 reps with a slightly lighter weight, then do 3 x 8 reps dropping the weight by one pin position each time, for a total of 34 reps in this one set.
- Do twice a week, with at least 2 days of rest in between training sessions
Weighted Hanging Knee Raises
This is a more advanced exercise, but it’s great for targeting your lower abs. It also provides the added benefit of increasing grip strength. If you cannot perform the hanging version right away, there are a few variations that you can start with.
How to add weight:
- Be sure to curl your knees up to your chest and contract your abs once fully curled.
- If your hip flexors are tiring before your abs, put a box or bench below your feet and just go low enough to touch the box and not to a dead hang position. This will help take your hip flexors out of the movement and focus more on your abs.
- Once you are strong enough to do unweighted hanging knee raises, simply add a dumbbell between your feet and go through the exercise the same as you did in the unweighted version.
- If you cannot do the hanging version yet, try the captain’s chair variation shown below. You can add a weight the same way as the hanging version by just putting a dumbbell between your feet.
- Use arm stirrups if your grip is failing before your abs. This will allow you to go until your abs fatigue and not your hands. If you already have a strong core, grip failure can be a problem with this exercise.
Sets and Reps:
- Perform 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps
- On your last set, drop the weight after 10 reps and perform 10 unweighted reps
- Add weight once you can perform all of your sets and reps
Weighted Russian Twists
This is a good combination workout targeting your obliques and upper abs in one movement.
How to add weight:
- Start light with a medicine ball and use that until you are comfortable with the weight.
- You can progress to using either a dumbbell or a weight.
- I like to use a plate and tap it on the floor on each twist to ensure that I am going through a full range of motion.
Sets and Reps:
- Do 60 reps or about 60 seconds worth of twists, should be 30 reps on each side with the same weight
- Do four sets in total
Wrap Up
Adding weighted ab work into my routine was a great way to increase the visibility of my abs, the speed at which they developed, and my overall core strength.
These exercises not only strengthen your abs, but also help strengthen your lower back and hips which are essential components of overall core strength.
My weekly breakdown for ab training is:
- Pick 3 of the 5 weighted ab exercises and incorporate them in my Monday routine.
- You can either do them at the end of the exercise, or, I like to super set them with the lifts that I am doing to add some additional fat burning benefits.
- On Wednesday, do unweighted ab work. I will go into my favorite weightless ab exercises in another post.
- On Friday, go back to weighted ab work, choosing a different combination of three exercises from the above list.
Give these a try, and you will see some great results in the definition of your stomach. As always, let me know what you think in the comments or have any suggestions of your own.
Thanks for reading!
