BY EBENEZER SAMUEL, C.S.C.S.
There’s nothing quite like a good 10-minute abs workout. Yes, if you truly want to reveal a chiseled midsection, it’s mostly about diet and training your larger exercises (think: squats and bench presses).
But a good ab workout still has a role. First off, it’s easy to tack onto any other workout you do. You may train chest one day or do arms another, and you can simply just throw this core session onto the end of that other workout, getting a bit of direct ab training. Secondly, just a few minutes of ab training reinforce core awareness, which makes you better at your bigger lifts.
That’s where this workout comes in. You’ll want to rely on our other workouts in August, like our summer maintenance workout, or our glutes workout. But use this workout whenever you have a few extra minutes after those sessions. Or do it by itself on rest days, when you want a little core work. The format is simple: Grab a SMRTFT dumbbell, pick a (light!) weight, and do each move for 40 seconds on, 20 off. You’ll do 3 rounds of the first two moves, 2 sets per side of the final move.
REVERSE LUNGE TO CHOP
This one is underrated hard, but hits a ton of good notes, getting your heart rate up, challenging your lower body, and blasting your abs as you chop. Focus on controlling the chop as you lower. Do 3 sets of alternating reps.
PLANK DRAG
A classic move here that trains anti-rotation. Focus on squeezing your glutes and keeping your hips and shoulders square as you battle through this one. Do 3 sets.
SINGLE-SIDE-LOADED V-UP
Don’t underestimate this one. The single-arm setup will tax you more than you think in terms of anti-rotation. Focus on really reaching the dumbbell toward your toes, and keep your legs as straight as you can (this will be an underrated hamstring challenge). Do 2 sets per side.