Four New Ab Circuits

To actually see your invisible abs, you’ll need to diet. To improve their strength and capacity though, you’ll need to train/challenge them appropriately.

Where you place this in training is up to you – between sets, on off days, before you train, etc. I constantly move them around in my clients’ programs.

I like using circuits to kill two birds with one stone and my clients seem to enjoy them. More enjoyment = better adherence and consistency.

Give these a try (I usually let people choose between 1-3 rounds)

Ab Circuit #1

• Reverse Crunch to Deadbug x 8/e side
• TRX Bodysaw x 10
• Oblique Crunch on Bench x 8-10/e

Ab Circuit #2

• Physioball Medball Crunch x 15-20
• Medball Rotation on Physioball x 8-10/e
• Physioball Roll-out x 10

Ab Circuit #3

• Elevated Side Plank w/Medball x 20-30sec/each side
• Band-Resisted Birddog x 8-10/e
• Dumbbell Farmers Carry x 30 yards

Ab Circuit #4

Looking for a low-back friendly ab circuit that requires no equipment? I sent this to an online training client whose back feels better when they’re moving around and didn’t have access to a gym. This could also be used as a warm-up to a weight training session or as a standalone abdominal circuit.

The circuit is as follows:

• Bird-dog x 3-5 on each side with a 5 second hold  (the focus here is on being strong and stable)
• Plank with leg lift x 3-5 each side with a 2 second hold
• Plank with arm reach x 3-5 each side with a 2 second hold
• Rolling plank x 3-5 each side with a 2 second hold