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Expand your core training to get a solid workout that hits the whole muscle group.
You’ve ended plenty of workouts with situps to “target” your abs, but what if you could push all your core muscles during every exercise? This workout carves your core without a single “abs move.”
Directions: Do this workout 3 to 5 times a week. All other days, go for a 10-minute walk or run. Use medium-weight dumbbells.
Start standing, then place your hands on the floor. With minimal bend in your knees, walk your hands into pushup position. Pause, then shift your right foot to just outside your right hand. Reach your right arm toward the ceiling. Reverse the moves and repeat on the other side. Do reps for 60 seconds, then rest 30 seconds. Do 3 sets.
Directions: Do the moves in order. Rest 60 seconds between exercises.
Start standing, holding a dumbbell at your chest, feet shoulder width apart. Push your butt back and bend your knees, lowering your torso until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Pause. Without standing fully, step back with your right leg. Lower into a reverse lunge, keeping your right knee off the floor. Return to squat position and repeat on the other side, then stand. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 10.
Get in plank position, left elbow on a bench, abs and glutes tight. Hold a dumb-bell in your right hand, arm hanging naturally. Squeeze your shoulder blades, then row the dumbbell to your rib cage. Keep your hips and shoulders square. Hold for30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Do not rest between sets. Do 3 sets.
Lie on a bench, a dumbbell in your left hand directly over your left shoulder. Shimmy your torso so that your left glute, left shoulder blade, and spine are all off the bench. This is the start. Bend at the left elbow and shoulder, lowering the dumbbell to within an inch of your chest. Pause. Press back up. That’s 1 rep; do 10 per side. Do not rest between sets. Do 3 sets.
Stand holding a dumbbell in your left hand at your left shoulder and a dumb- bell overhead in your right hand. Tighten your abs. March in place, making sure that on each step, your knee gets higher than your hips. Do this for 45 seconds, then rest 15 seconds. Do 4 sets. Reverse the dumbbell positions every set.
Lie with your shoulder blades on a bench. Your torso should form a straight line from shoulders through knees. Hold a dumbbell in both hands over your shoulders. Raise your right foot off the floor, keeping your hips and shoulders square. This is the start. Extend your arms behind your head as far as you can without letting your rib cage flare. Pause. Return to the start. That’s 1 rep; do 10. Repeat on the other side. Do 3 sets.
This story originally appears in the May/June 2022 issue of Men's Health.