Weighted Ab Exercises

by Steven

If you are looking to actually increase the size of your ab muscles, some of the best ab exercises would be weighted ab work using dumbbells, weight plates, or medicine balls.

Since muscle tissue will only grow significantly when an overloading weight is placed upon it, you must treat your ab muscles like you would any other muscle in the body. You wouldn’t get as developed doing push-up after push-up as you would with heavy bench pressing, so the same principle applies here. You should avoid overloading your ab muscles on consecutive days to prevent overuse and to get the best results.

You can start with basic ab crunches while holding a dumbbell or 10 pound weight plate right under your chin.

Other terrific options for weighted ab work include decline weighted crunches, weight abdominal twists (moving from side to side), and hanging leg raises with weight strapped onto your ankles.

You can also use a Swiss ball very effectively, along with a medicine ball. You can lie back over the ball with a medicine ball in your hands and simulate various throws. You can come straight over the top, or do a diagonal chop. If you have a partner to catch the ball you can actually throw it. This kind of plyometric work will really build your abs.