An abs routine doesn’t have to involve tons of crunches to fire up your core. In fact, it doesn’t have to involve any crunches. We have a kettlebell abs workout that will seriously ignite your abdominals—and really, your entire core and body—in just six moves, zero crunching required.
The secret to this routine’s effectiveness? Core stabilization through total-body, compound moves.
Core stabilization moves are “very functional,” NASM-certified personal trainer Alicia Jamison, C.P.T., a trainer at Bodyspace Fitness in New York City, tells SELF. Compared to crunches, which isolate your abdominal muscles, core stabilization moves recruit multiple core muscles as well as tons of other muscles, like those in your back, butt, legs, chest, shoulders, and hips. Remember, your core isn’t just your abs (meaning, your rectus abdominis, or the muscles which run vertically along the front of your abdomen)—it also includes your obliques (the muscles on the sides of your torso) and transverse abdominis (the deepest core muscles that sit beneath your obliques), as well as your glutes, pelvic floor, and the muscles that stabilize your spine and hips.
In this sense, core stabilization moves more closely mimic movements you perform in daily life than isolation exercises do. Think about it: When completing day-to-day activities—like walking, getting up off the floor, or carrying a heavy bag of groceries up the stairs—you rarely use just one muscle group at a time to get the job done. Instead, you rely on lots of different muscle groups working together. Core stabilization moves require similar multi-muscle group coordination, which can make them a functional addition to your workout routine.
Another perk of core stabilization moves? They provide a lot of bang for your exercise buck, says Jamison, since you are working so many different body parts at once. That means they can be a good addition to your routine when you’re strapped for time but still want to get an intense, full-body workout. With that in mind, Jamison created the following six-move kettlebell workout that’s all about core stabilization through functional, total-body exercises.
You can do this workout two to three times a week, suggests Jamison, either as a standalone routine or in combination with cardio for a super-intense session. Just make sure you schedule enough rest in between rounds of this workout (at least 48 hours, as a general rule of thumb) so your muscles have time to recover. It’s also important to do a 5 to 10-minute warm-up before you start to improve your performance and reduce risk of injury. Foam rolling, as well as movements like lateral band walks, pull-aparts, jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, and high knees, can do the trick, says Jamison. (You can also consider these five pre-workout stretches designed to warm you up for any routine.)
So if you’re ready for serious core stabilization and total-body work in the form of a kettlebell abs workout, keep scrolling for everything you need to know.
The Workout
What you need: Two sets of kettlebells. One light set, between 5 and 10 pounds, for the Turkish get-up, windmill, renegade row, and halo. And one medium set, between 10 and 20 pounds, for the rack squat and suitcase carry. (Of course, weight varies for each person, but you can use those recommendations as a jumping-off point!)
Exercises
Triset 1
- Turkish get-up
- Renegade row
- Racked squat
Triset 2
- Windmill
- Suitcase carry
- Halo
Directions
- Do each 4 reps on each side of the Turkish get-up and 8-12 reps of the next two moves; try not to rest in between exercises. After you’ve completed all three moves, rest 90 seconds. Repeat for 2-3 rounds total.
- Do 8-12 reps of each move in triset 2; try not to rest in between moves. After you’ve completed all three moves, rest 90 seconds. Repeat for 2-3 rounds total.
Kettlebells We Like:
Demoing the moves below are Amanda Wheeler, host of the Covering Ground podcast (GIF 1); Salma Nakhlawi, (GIFs 2 and 6), the founder of StrongHer Girls and a strength coach; Sarah Taylor (GIF 3), personal trainer and founder of plus-size virtual fitness program Fitness by Sarah Taylor; Saneeta Harris (GIF 4), a blogger, SFG Level 1 certified kettlebell trainer, and the founder of @NaturalHairGirlsWhoLift; and Davi Cohen (GIF 5), a powerlifter, farmer, educator, dancer, singer, coach, and youth mentor based in Brooklyn.