You will only be able to build to core strength—and the hard-muscled six-pack you’re chasing as an aesthetic ideal—by taking a more considered path than endless sets of situps and hours of cardio training. To burn through belly fat and strengthen your ab muscles to do more than just look the part, your core training plan should be based on a pair of approaches backed up by science.
Step one: Construct a routine that works both sides of your body individually. Unilateral exercises—which challenge the right and left sides to work on their own—are an underrated key to success. These exercises activate your lower back and ab muscles, which stabilise your spine against unique forces, an approach championed by top PTs like Dr. Aaron Horschig, best known on Instagram as Squat University.
Second step: Mix up the tempo of your working sets. When you switch up the speed of your reps, alternating between performing exercises very quickly and super slowly, you’re doing more than just introducing variety. This approach keeps your abs (and other muscles) off-balance and is a tactic often utilised by top pro-athlete trainers. Doing this will both engage a host of important but often ignored core muscles, such as your abs, obliques, back extensors, and glutes, and help to launch your calorie burn into the stratosphere.
READ MORE: Build Up Your Back With the Incline Dumbbell Row
You’ll blast your core with unilateral exercises and speed changes throughout this eight-week program. Another benefit: You’ll improve the critical functions of your abs and lower back, mastering bracing, spinal flexion, rotation, anti-rotation, and anti-extension. You’ll also learn to progressively overload key exercises, which will help you fry fat as you build muscle.
Your Weekly Schedule
You’ll train for days a week. Rest fully at least one day per week. Want to sneak in cardio? Aim for a relaxed 20-minute run or bike ride. During weeks 3, 5, and 7, try to add at least 5 pounds to the final 2 sets of any move marked with an asterisk.
- Sunday – Rest
- Monday – Total-Body Push
- Tuesday – Total-Body Pull
- Wednesday – Rest/Cardio
- Thursday – Total-Body Push
- Friday – Total-Body Pull
- Saturday – Rest/Cardio
Total-Body Push Workout
Before you start: For both workouts, warm up with 1 minute each of jumping jacks, bodyweight reverse lunges, and plank shoulder taps, then do the moves in order. Rest 90 seconds between each set.
1. Paused Goblet Squat Count-Up*
Start standing, a dumbbell at your chest, then push your butt back and bend at the knees, lowering your body until thighs are nearly parallel to the floor. Hold for 1 second. Stand, then repeat, this time holding for 2 seconds. Repeat this pattern, adding 1 second to the hold on every rep. Do 8 to 10 reps. Do 3 sets.
READ MORE: How to Clean Dumbbells Properly (and Make Them Last Longer)
CORE FUNCTION: Bracing—the ability to stabilize your spine
2. Single-Arm Push Press*
Stand holding a dumbbell at your right shoulder, abs and glutes tight. Push your butt back slightly and bend your knees slightly, then explosively stand and squeeze your glutes. Drive the dumbbell overhead as you do this. Lower slowly to your shoulder. That’s 1 rep. Do 6 to 8. Do 3 sets per side.
CORE FUNCTION: Dynamic stability—the ability to control your spine while moving explosively.
3. Dumbbell Alternating Bench Press
Lie with your back on a bench, abs and glutes tight, dumbbells held directly above your shoulders, arms straight. Bend at the right elbow and shoulder, lowering the right dumbbell to within an inch of your chest; keep the left arm straight as you do this. Press back to the start. Repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep; do 8 to 10. Do 3 sets.
CORE FUNCTION: Anti-rotation—not letting your torso shift from one side to the other
4. Half-Kneeling Windmill
Kneel on your left knee, holding a medium-weight dumbbell overhead in your right hand, eyes on the dumbbell. Push your butt back slightly and place your left hand on the floor just in front of your left knee, squeezing your shoulder blades and rotating your chest toward your right knee as you do this. (Too easy? Aim to touch your elbow to the floor instead of your hand.) Press back up. That’s 1 rep. Do 6 per side. Do 3 sets.
CORE FUNCTION: Rotation—moving hips in one direction and shoulders in the other
5. North-South Plank
Get in pushup position, feet wide, abs and glutes tight, a light dumbbell held in your right hand. Keeping your hips and shoulders square to the floor, reach the dumbbell out in front of you as far as possible, tapping the pinkie-side plate to the floor. Pull it back toward your right hip, tapping the thumb-side plate to the floor. Alternate for 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Do 3 sets.
CORE FUNCTION: Anti-extension—not letting your lower back arch
Total-Body Pull Workout
1. Split-Stance RDL*
Stand holding a kettlebell at your right hip, right foot just behind your left, right heel off the floor. Tighten your abs, then push your butt back slightly, keeping the kettlebell close to your left leg. Lower until you feel your left hamstring tighten or your lower back starts to round, whichever comes first. Stand and squeeze your left glute. That’s 1 rep; do 8 to 10 per side. Do 3 sets.
READ MORE: WATCH: How to Perfect Your Dumbbell Row
CORE FUNCTION: Anti-rotation and bracing
2. Front Rack Reverse Lunge
Stand holding a kettlebell at your right shoulder, abs and glutes tight. Step back with your right leg, then bend at the knees and hips, lowering until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. Stand and squeeze your glutes. Repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep; do 2 sets of 6 to 8 in each shoulder rack.
CORE FUNCTION: Anti-rotation and bracing
3. Bent-Over Dumbbell Row*
Stand holding a dumbbell at your right hip, then push your butt back and lower your torso until your shoulders are just higher than your hips. Keeping your shoulders square, row the dumbbell to your right hip. Hold for a moment, then lower. That’s 1 rep; do 8 per side. Do 3 sets.
CORE FUNCTION: Anti-rotation
4. Single-Arm Snatch*
Stand with a kettlebell on the floor just in front of your shins, then push your butt back and bend your knees slightly. Grasp the kettlebell handle with your right hand. This is the start. Keeping your abs tight, explosively stand (you may rise onto your toes as you do this), pulling the kettlebell upward as you do. Keep the bell close to your body. As it reaches shoulder height, pull it toward your shoulder and punch upward, straightening your arm. Lower slowly to your shoulder, then place the bell on the floor. Repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep; do 6 to 8. Do 3 sets per side.
CORE FUNCTION: Dynamic stability
5. Half-Kneeling Pallof Press
Anchor a resistance band to a structure to your right, setting it at hip height, then kneel on your right knee at least 3 feet away. Grasp the band with both hands at your chest. Keeping your hips and shoulders square, straighten your arms in front of you. Hold for 3 seconds, then return to your chest. That’s 1 rep; do 10 to 12 per side. Do 3 sets.
CORE FUNCTION: Anti-rotation and bracing
6. Single-Arm Kettlebell Swing
Stand 3 feet behind a kettlebell. Push your butt back and bend your hips just slightly. Keeping your core tight, grasp the bell with your right hand. Explosively pull the bell back between your legs, then stand and squeeze your glutes; this will drive the bell forward. As the bell reaches shoulder height, let it swing back between your legs, starting the next swing. Do reps for 30 seconds on each side, then rest 30 seconds. Do 3 sets.
CORE FUNCTION: Anti-rotation and anti-extension
High-Volume Foods to Help You Feel Full
The secret to feeling satiated as you work to reveal your abs: foods packed with water and fibre. These ultra-filling meals can help you curb hunger, a key to staying in the calorie deficit you need to get lean. Aim for one as your daily snack.—Dezi Abeyta, RD
Oats
This classic high-volume carb is rich in soluble fibre and beta-glucan, which slows digestion. A half-cup is an ideal start to your day. Add a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds for some stealthy protein too.
Greek Yoghurt
The king of high-volume food, Greek yoghurt is loaded with protein (100 grams can have 17 grams of protein) and probiotics, killing hunger while supporting digestion. Top it with berries or cinnamon for a flavour punch.
Potatoes
No, potatoes aren’t the enemy of your cut. Boiled or baked, they keep you fuller longer than most foods—and they’re loaded with potassium, key for muscle function. Bake them in bulk, then microwave as needed.
Cauliflower Rice
With just 25 calories per 100 grams, this is a stealth way to sneak bulk into your late-night meal. You’ll also get glucosinolate compounds that support detoxification and digestion, helping you feel lighter and less bloated.
Core Strength Tools We Recommend
Trojan Set Adjustable Dumbbells
Trojan Kettlebell Kit
Trojan Toning Set Resistance Tube
This article by Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.. was originally on menshealth.com
