Top 9 ab exercises with kettlebells

The kettlebell is a universal equipment for effective training. But using weights you can train not only the muscles of the shoulder girdle and legs, but also the rectus abdominis and oblique ab muscles. With the help of exercises, you can both pump up your abs and improve the relief and tone of your ab muscles. Next, we’ll look at the most effective exercises designed to strengthen the abs.

1. Russian twist

This exercise allows you to simultaneously work the rectus abdominis and lateral muscles of the torso. The technique is universal and suitable for both men and women. The only thing is that the weaker sex needs to take a weight of less weight – no more than 8 kg.

1. To perform a twist, you need to sit on the floor and grab a kettlebell, placing your palms on the sides of the handle.
2. Next, you should tilt your torso back, keeping your back straight, and, bending your knees, lift your heels off the floor.
3. As you exhale, twist your torso with the weight to the side, and as you inhale, return to the center. Exhale and twist in the other direction, and so on. The exercise is performed smoothly, without pauses.
4. During the approach, you cannot touch the floor with weights and heels.

2. Kettlebell Crunches

With this exercise, you can pump up the rectus abdominis muscle. An 8 or 16 kg kettlebell is quite suitable for the load.

1. To lift your torso with a kettlebell, you need to lie on your back and bend your knees slightly. The kettlebell must be held in your hands by the body or by the handles near the chest.
2. With an exhalation, pressing the ab, twists with a round back, lifting the entire spine off the floor.
3. When lifting to the top point, you need to lift the weight above your head with your elbows straight.
4. While inhaling, first, lowering the weight to chest level, you must slowly, lay out each vertebra gradually, and lie on your back.

3. Lifting the body with a turn

This option is a symbiosis of the previous two, which includes both twisting and turning the body to the sides. This technique allows you to work all the ab muscles.

1. Having grabbed the weights on the sides of the handle, you need to lie on your back, bend your knees, resting your feet on the floor.
2. As you exhale, you need to lift your torso off the floor and, in the middle of the amplitude, rotate to the side using the oblique ab muscles.
3. As you inhale, returning to the center, you should slowly lower yourself to the floor.
4. With exhalation, the same twist is performed in the opposite direction.

4. Fold with weights

This exercise involves lifting the body and legs at the same time, allowing you to work both the lower and upper parts of the rectus abdominis muscle.

1. To perform a fold, you need to lie on the floor, grasping the weights on the sides.
2. With an exhalation, the body and legs are simultaneously lifted, while the weight tends to the hips. Legs slightly bent at the knees. The back should also be slightly rounded so as not to injure the spine.
3. As you inhale, it is important to carefully lower your torso to the floor along with your legs.

5. Bent-overs with kettlebells

This technique allows you to load the ab muscles, especially the obliques. It is important to select the weight of the kettlebell individually and carefully, since the load is also placed on the spine. In addition to muscle strength, the exercise increases the flexibility of the muscles on the side of the body, as well as the hip joint.

1. With your feet slightly wider than your pelvis, the toe of one leg needs to be turned outward. You need to take a weight in one hand and lift it up, keeping your elbow straight.
2. The second free hand is lowered along the body. As you inhale, tilt your torso to the side, your free hand slides along your thigh, and the hand with the weight lowers along with your torso, but remains vertical. When the torso moves, the pelvis moves slightly in the opposite direction.
3. With an exhalation, the torso returns to the starting position, keeping the arm strictly vertical.
4. Having completed the approach, the same is done on the other side.

6. Side plank with kettlebell

The kettlebell plank is performed statically; this exercise will strengthen all the muscles of the body, especially the oblique ab muscles. Additional load in the form of a kettlebell will allow the muscles to work harder in isometrics by maintaining balance with additional weights. To make the load more difficult, the upper leg can be held suspended.

1. Having assumed the classic plank position, you should grab the handle of the kettlebell with one hand, then, turning diagonally, you need to lean on one palm, bringing the other hand with the kettlebell up.
2. Having aligned your body in one plane, you need to hold the position for 30-60 seconds. Then carefully lower the weight to the floor and change position to the other side.

7. Kettlebell Climber

A variation of the dynamic plank allows you to train the core muscles, as well as emphasize the load on the ab muscles, by alternately pulling the knees to the chest. You can perform the technique in a concentrated manner, as well as more dynamically, simulating running.

1. To perform a mountain climb, you need two weights, which you should rest your palms on while maintaining the plank position.
2. With an exhalation, one knee is raised to the chest using the ab muscles, without touching the floor with the feet.
3. As you inhale, the leg is pulled back.
4. The same is done on the other leg and, in the same way, alternating legs throughout the approach.

8. Rotate the kettlebell overhead

This exercise targets your core muscles, including your obliques. To perform rotations you need one lightweight kettlebell.

1. To rotate the weight around your head, you need to grab the handles of the weight on the sides so that the body of the projectile is located at the top.
2. Holding the weight at chest level with both hands, you should swing the projectile over the side and back, describing a circle around your head.
3. As you inhale when returning, the weight returns to its original position.
4. Next, the circles are described in the same direction, and then the same number of repetitions in the opposite direction.

9. Corner on weights

The corner will require two weights. The exercise is performed statically, the handles of the weights serve as a support for the arms instead of the parallel bars.

1. First, you need to place the weights at the distance of the shoulder joints, turning the handles parallel to each other.
2. Next, you need to clasp the weights with your hands and extend your legs straight in front of you, keeping your torso upright.
3. As you exhale, lift your feet off the floor, tensing your ab muscles. Legs must be kept parallel to the floor. You cannot hold your breath.