Bodyweight exercises are often the go-to choice for exercising the abs.
However, if you want to see some incredible or even faster changes to this part of the body, opting for ab workouts with weights may be a better choice.
Read on to explore the best ab workouts with weights at home or the gym.
The most effective way to achieve the best results from ab workouts with weights is to combine several training variables. These include:
When it comes to weightlifting, the weight you choose determines the success of your routine. If you opt for weights that are too light for you, you risk delaying when you can start seeing your gains.
However, if the weights you are using for your ab workouts are too heavy, then you risk injury. Injuries and extreme soreness ultimately interfere with how quickly you’ll achieve your desired goals.
To find the best weights for your routine, the weight set should help you approach failure after completing your desired reps.
Exercise All The Core Muscles: Not Just The Abs
Contrary to common thought, the abs do not make up the entire core.
They are simply the most visible, aesthetically pleasing, and well-known muscles in this area.
Your core comprises 5 core muscles, namely the (1, 2):
Whether you are training the abs for aesthetics, strength, or performance, the best results will come from training all parts of the whole (all the core muscles), not just the abs.
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Progressive overload is a training concept that involves gradually increasing the difficulty of your workouts over time. Placing greater demands on the muscle over time helps your muscles to get stronger and avoids plateaus.
In untrained athletes, this concept can result in significant improvements in muscle mass gain. Ab workouts with weights for beginners can yield significant results if they incorporate this training style into their exercise routines (4).
When doing ab workouts with weights female or ab workout with weights male routines, you can engage in progressive overload in several ways by gradually:
Read more: Ab Workout With Dumbbells Female Edition: 4 Must-Have Exercises
Yes, you can build abs with weights. Weighted ab workouts are great as they increase resistance in your exercises, which helps:
Check out this article for fat-burning exercises for men that help you lose overall belly fat, making your abs more visible.
Adding weights to the workout challenges your muscles more than bodyweight workouts do. Weighted workouts also offer the opportunity for progressive overload, which, as mentioned above, is a great way to build muscle mass and strength.
Yes, you can get abs by lifting weights. Whether you’re lifting weights for full-body workouts or doing targeted core and abdominal workouts with weights, the extra resistance will help grow and sculpt your abs to the desired look.
With that said, lifting weights alone is not enough. If you wish to not only get abs but also maintain the results long-term, here are some things you need to do:
Using the correct form when working out not only reduces the risk of injury but also helps maximize muscle stimulation. This stimulating effect leads to better muscle growth and strength over time.
Engaging your core during upper body workouts, such as pull-ups, or lower body workouts like deadlifts can even stimulate the core muscles, making them stronger.
Lifting weights helps with fat loss and muscle growth. Cardio, however, is exceptionally great at enabling fat loss.
Aerobic workouts burn a lot of calories during the workout session.
If you are overweight and have excess fat around the midsection, full-body cardio exercises can help you burn calories and fat. This fat-burning effect will help the ab muscles hidden under the fat layer become more visible.
As we previously mentioned, to achieve firm and healthy ab muscles, it’s best to work all the core muscles, not just the rectus abdominis.
This muscle engagement also applies to the rest of the body.
A balanced physique comes from working all muscles in the body. Use targeted core exercises as part of a full-body muscle-strengthening workout that also trains multiple upper and lower body exercises.
Here is a full-body core workout with weights that will help you work out every muscle.
Exercise without a proper diet is simply an exercise in futility.
The sayings ‘abs are made in the kitchen’ and ‘abs are 80% diet and 20% exercise’ are not just fun things that people in the fitness world like to say. They hold a lot of truth because you cannot out-exercise a bad diet.
Thus, if you wish to have abs, your diet must also be on point. If you have excess fat in the abdominal area, maintaining a calorie deficit will promote fat loss.
Also, remember that muscles require protein to grow bigger and stronger.
If you are training for muscle hypertrophy, researchers recommend increasing your daily protein intake to between 1.2 and 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for optimal results (6, 7).
If you’d like to target the rectus abdominis, here are some of the best exercises to incorporate into your routine.
You can practice progressive overload by gradually increasing the hold time, using a heavier weighted vest, or having someone place a plate on your upper back.
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This exercise is perfect for the lower abs. Use ankle weights to add resistance.
While not necessarily beginner-friendly, it is one of those intermediate to advanced core exercises that challenge the abs for great results.
You can perform this workout without weights, but if you want a challenge for your ab workouts, using the appropriately sized plate or dumbbell will help you do just that.
Also known as the captain’s chair exercise, it’s great for targeting both the abs and hip flexors.
Toe taps are great Pilates-inspired mat exercises for abs and other core muscles.
This exercise engages the obliques, transverse abdominis, hip flexors, and pelvic floor muscles.
Other workouts to add to this routine include:
Read more: Killer 30-Minute Ab Workout for Busy People
The above-mentioned ab workouts with weights are all powerful exercises for building visible abs. However, they are not the only workouts that you can do.
More powerful ab workouts with weights include:
These core exercises help build the abs and other core muscles.
You can also use other weighted workouts that do not directly target the abs but still activate the core muscles.
These compound exercises can still help build your abs and include:
These compound movements are excellent core exercises and target the abs more effectively than people realize. The bonus is that compound movements work your entire body!
Both options will work for abs.
Not necessarily. Both light and heavy weights can help build your abs. However, as mentioned above, your goals can determine if you need to use heavier weights or not. Additionally, increasing your weight can facilitate progressive overload. While there is no scientific study recommending the optimal number of sets for ab growth, your best plan should be to use a wide range of reps in your plan. This wide range of repetition variations includes: This variety will cover the broad spectrum of physiological adaptations and likely lead to optimal results. Yes, it is. Research has consistently shown that multiple sets of exercises are better for muscle growth and strength (8). One study found that performing up to 10 sets of exercise per week per muscle group had the best results in muscle growth (9). No, you cannot. While you may assume that doing so will lead to more muscle gains, the truth is that overworking your muscles prevents them from having enough time to rest, repair, and recover, ultimately leading to overtraining. Overtraining can cause your abdominal muscles to feel heavy and sore, and may even lead to decreased performance in the gym, unexplained fatigue, insomnia, and other issues associated with overtraining syndrome (10). Frequently Asked Questions
Do abs need heavy weights to develop?
How many reps for a 6-pack?
Is 5 sets of abs enough?
Can I hit abs every day?
Do not shy away from doing ab workouts with weights, as it is a great way to add resistance to regular core workouts, which ultimately leads to better muscle strength, growth, and body composition in this area.
While doing these exercises, remember to pace yourself and avoid using the heaviest weights, as it’ll increase your risk of injury. Instead, use medium weights that challenge your muscles without causing injuries.
Remember to maintain a calorie deficit, consume more protein, and get sufficient rest to achieve your desired results.
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