Introduction
Want an amazing ab workout? One you can do from home? One you can Do at the Gym, one you can do with equipment and one you can do with no equipment. In this article we are going to show you two very quick and very simple ab workouts, one will be made for the gym and one will be made for home but they both will be quick yet intense. So let’s begin!
Ab Workout 1 - Gym Based Workout
This workout will be gym based because it requires a few bits of equipment, Now you can get this equipment at home and if you have got it crack on. First bit of equipment you are going to need is Ab Roller or an Ezbar (Loads some 2.5kg plates on the side and grip the middle), the second piece of equipment you are going to need is a pull-up bar of some kind (Grip doesn’t matter) and the final bit of equipment you are going to need is a decline (ish) bench. Let’s get into the workouts
Superset 1 – 2-4 Sets – No rest between Exercises
- Ab Roller : 8-10 Reps
- Hanging leg/knee raises : 10-15 Reps
90 Seconds Rest
Superset 2 – 2-4 Sets – No rest between Exercises
- Decline Situps 15-25 Reps
- Plank – 30 Seconds
Breakdown
This is a killer ab workout, We are bringing in the use of Ab Rollouts (My favourite ab exercise). Not only are they insane for your abdominal muscles, but they will also hit every other part of your upper body. I proper love this exercise. We are then going straight into Hanging leg or hanging knee raises depending on your preference. They are a great way to build that mind to muscle connection. Make sure you are squeezing every rep are the top, If you are doing knee raises, bring your Knees up and then bring them up just a little bit more. Same if you are doing hanging leg raises, Bring them up then bring them up just a little bit more, You will find the squeeze so much better, with will result in a better burn.
Next Up
After 2-4 sets we will take a 90-second break, You abs will be already burning ready to go into the next set, This next superset focuses more on time under tension and higher reps. So we are starting on a decline bench and doing a Decline Sit up, But the trick here is not to let your back hit the bench on the way down, Stop just before your back hits the bench, and keep those abs under tension, also on the negative make sure you are in control the entire way down. We are doing high reps here, 15-25, so your abs will burn. The next exercise is everyone’s favourite, the Plank. This is just your standard plank, which you may think will be too easy but after pre exhausting our abs beforehand this will burn them like crazy.
After you have finished 3 rounds on both of those supersets, you are done. A quick and simple gym ab workout. Now if you haven’t got access to a gym or haven’t got time to get to the gym then the next workout will be perfect for you.
Ab Workout 2 - Home Based Workout
This workout will be home-based because it requires no equipment at all! So you can do this in any room of your house, As long as you have enough room to move around a little bit. Doesn’t take long, but it will burn! It follows the same pattern as the previous workout but with no equipment so you will be able to do it at home. Let’s get into the workouts.
Superset 1 – 3 Sets – No rest between Exercises
- Bicycle Crunch : 10-15 Reps
- V-Sit Ups: 8-15 Reps
90 Seconds Rest
Superset 2 – 3 Sets – No rest between Exercises
- Walking Plank: 30 Seconds
- Knee Raised Crunch: 10-15 Reps
Breakdown
In superset 1, your first exercise will be a Bicycle Crunch. These are great for “time under tension” and blasting the abs quickly. Make sure you are touching your knee and your elbow for a full rep. No Half reps here! The next exercise is a V-Sit up. These are great for attacking the lower abs, you want to focus on a nice and control decline, lower those legs slowly and always keep it under control, then explode those legs up.
Also if you can try not to let your legs touch the floor after each rep, This will again keep your abs under tension, I you find these too difficult do a reverse crunch instead. Lay on the floor and bring you knees up to your head. Making sure to get a good contraction and squeeze those abs. After 3 rounds that is the end of superset, Take 60-90 Seconds rest before moving on to the second superset.
Next Up
The first exercise in the second superset is a walking plank, these are fantastic and a great way to increase the difficulty of a normal plank, Make sure to keep your body as still and under control as possible, walk your way to a press-up position, then walk your way back down. Again, keep everything under control, nice clean and solid reps. After doing them for 30 seconds we then move on to knee Raised Crunch. Lift your legs off the floor, bend your knees to a 90-degree angle and then do you standard crunch, having your legs off the floor will make this movement so much hard and hit these lower abs again.
After you have done 3 rounds of this superset you are then finished. That is the entire ab workout done. A quick and simple gym free and equipment free workout. Now there are a few things to remember about both workouts
Things to Remember
- You can not spot reduce fat, Doing a sit up will not reduce belly fat. A calorie deficit will reduce fat all over your body at the same time, Download our app to find out how many calories you can eat.
- Training your abs will make them stronger but to get them to show for that “Six Pack” look you will have to have a low enough body fat.
- We would recommend training abs 1-2 times a week. Abs get work a lot with compound movements so they are always being worked, but it is still good to give them some isolated work.
- Strong abs will help with almost every exercise in the gym, You use your core more than you know in the gym.
If you have any more questions about ab workouts or diets please head over to our advice page and get in touch. We are more than happy to help.
Written by Kieran Blacker
Kieran is the CEO and Founder of Sets & Reps. He decided to make an application that helped people get a gym workout when not at the gym. He designed, Coded and built the application himself.