A Nasty 6-Exercise Total Abs and Core Circuit Workout

Discover the most EFFECTIVE abdominal exercises for sculpting six-pack abs most trainers are NOT telling you about.

Ok, here are 6 abs and core exercises that you can do at home in a circuit and are going to give you six-pack abs without the strain on your neck and lower back from doing hundreds of crunches.

Within these 6 exercises, I’ve included 3 that are essential to helping you build strong abdominal and lower back muscles.

We’ll call these 3 the not-fun ones and the other 3 the fun ones. I can’t stress enough how important it is that you do the not-fun exercises.

They are going to help the most with strengthening your overall core which will reduce the risk of any spine and low back injuries that can really set you back from achieving a sculpted stomach.

Alright let’s get started…

1. Standing TRX Fallouts (Fun)

The Fallout is a great exercise for your abs because you’re getting both good eccentric loading (as you stretch out) and concentric loading (as you contract in) on your abdominal muscles.

This is great for strengthening your abs and will help you get that six-pack.

Another variation you can try with the TRX is triceps extensions. By positioning your elbows out further, you engage the core and your abs more.

Note: If you don’t have a TRX you can substitute Fallouts for a stability ball jack-knife.

2. Side Plank (not-fun but essential)

Research shows that if you can hold a side plank for 60 seconds on each side, you’ll have a dramatically reduced risk of injury.

The side plank is going to be working you abdominals, low back and really focusing on your oblique muscles.

For a more advanced variation of the side plank, you can do a side plank with a leg raise.

Tip: If you notice that one side is weaker than the other, start with this side first whenever you begin. Also make sure you are holding your side plank for the same amount of time on each side.

3. Spiderman Climb Exercises (Fun)

a) Spiderman climb push-ups

This will be harder on your abs compared to the regular spiderman push-ups. The main difference is that you will be touching your foot down on the ground.

b) Spiderman Push-up

This will be harder on your upper body since your foot is not touching the ground.

c) Spiderman Climb (beginner)

If a) and b) are too hard for you, start with just a spiderman climb, then build up strength and move onto the other two variations.

4. Regular Plank (not-fun but essential)

Research shows that if you can hold a regular plank for 2 minutes straight, you’ll dramatically reduce the risk of low back and core injuries.

Variations you can try with the regular plank are see-saw planks or rocking planks.

5. Ab Rollouts (Fun)

Similar to the TRX Fallouts in that we’re focusing on getting a good stretch of the abdominals, but this exercise will be a little harder.

Note: if you don’t have an ab wheel you can use a stability ball.

6. Bird-dog (not-fun but essential)

Bird-dog is the last exercise you have to make sure you include in your circuit. This exercise will work your abs and hit the small muscles surrounding your lumbar spine (low back). This is key for preventing injuries.

Note: You can either hold this exercise for 20 seconds per side or you can do 15 reps. Just make sure you do it.

Done!

Do these 6 exercises in a circuit with no rest in-between each exercise, then take a 30 second rest before going back through the circuit 2 more times, for a total of 3 rounds.

If you can do this circuit 2 times per week, you’ll improve the strength in your abs, low back and overall core health.

Last but not least, this is a more advanced circuit so if you find that you can’t hold a regular plank for more than 30 seconds; you want to focus on just doing the side plank, plank and bird-dog.