Health Smart Mom

Tired of typical ab exercise routines such as crunches, sit-ups, leg lifts, etc.? Well why not try something a little different. Often a great alternative is a metabolism-boosting high intensity workout that works your entire body while also working your abs.

Here is a great example of an ab workout that does not include any direct ab exercises at all. This workout is in a tri-set format (similar to what is known as a super-set, but one that alternates between three different exercises.)

The three exercises are:

• Renegade Dumbbell Row – Renegade dumbbell rows are done starting in a pushup position with the hands on 2 dumbbells. You then row one dumbbell up while stabilizing your body with the other arm. Bring the dumbbell back to the ground and alternate the rowing arm while stabilizing with the opposite arm. This stabilizing effect during the rows creates incredible work for your entire midsection core area. Trust me… you will feel it in the abs!

• Front Squats with Barbell - Front squats are done similar to back squats, however with the barbell in front of your body on the front of your shoulders instead of resting on the upper back as in back squats. You stabilize the barbell on your shoulders by crossing your arms and pushing your fists into the bar against your shoulders while keeping your elbows out in front of the body. This takes a little practice at first, so you will want to seek a professional trainer at your gym to help you with the form. Front squats require extreme stabilization strength from the abs due to the barbell weight being shifted to the front of the body instead of the back. Even though this is mostly a leg exercise, you can feel this one in the abs big time!

• Mountain Climbers on Floor – Mountain climbers are done by starting in a pushup position and then shuffling your feet in and out so that your knees are moving in under your chest and then back out to starting position. It sort of resembles climbing a mountain but flat on the floor. If you want an advanced version, you can also shuffle your hands 8-10 inches forward and backward in addition to the leg movements. This really makes it a full body exercise and MUCH more difficult than standard mountain climbers.

An effective rep scheme to use with this series of exercises would be 3-4 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, or for variety you could try more sets of less reps, such as 5 sets of 5 reps of each exercise.

The mountain climbers can be done for a time interval (such as 30 seconds) instead of “reps” as well.

Make sure and give your body about a 30 second rest between each exercise, and give yourself a 1 to 2 minute rest before starting your next set.

This will give you one of the best “no-ab” ab workouts you’ve ever had! Try it and you will see what I mean!