6 Best Ab Exercises with Weights for Women

Toning and strengthening the ab muscles is a goal every fitness enthusiast works towards. Everyone wants defined ab muscles. While that's aesthetically pleasing, strong ab muscles are a lot more than just a six-pack.

If you’ve been working out for a while, chances are you’ve already done the basic ab exercises and are probably looking for something a bit more challenging. Well, what if you add weights to the mix?

Performing ab exercises with weights offers extra resistance, helping you strengthen and sculpt your muscles more effectively. These workouts are ideal for those looking for more growth in this region.

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Best Weighted Ab Exercises for Women

Swap out the regular ab exercises for six of the following weighted variations for women. It may be dififcult to do them at the start, but you will get used to them in a while. Let's get started:

#1 Weighted Plank

Here's how it's done:

• Get a weighted plate on your back, and get onto the floor in an elbow plank position.
• Brace your core, squeeze your glutes, and hold your hips in line with your shoulders and feet.
• Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.

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#2 Kettlebell Russian Twist

It's done as follows:

• Hold a kettlebell up in front of your chest.
• Sit on the floor, with your legs bent in front of you and feet close.
• Lean back slightly, with your shoulders upright and chest forward.
• Rotate your trunk, and twist your shoulders to the left and then to the right.
• Keep switching sides rapidly.
• To challenge yourself further, raise your feet off the floor, bracing your abs to balance yourself on your pelvis.

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#3 Medicine Ball Sit-up

Here's how it's done:

• Hold a medicine ball in your hands, and lie on the floor, holding it straight over your chest.
• Bend your legs so that your knees point to the ceiling, with feet hip-distance apart.
• Crunch your abs, and sit up straight, raising the med ball over your head.
• Lie back down, curling your back into the starting position, with the med ball up over your chest again.

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#4 Side Plank Dip with Plate

Here's how it's done:

• Get into a side plank position on the floor, keeping your elbow right below your shoulder, feet stacked one over the other, and hips in line with your shoulders and feet.
• Hold a weighted plate over your hip.
• Dip your hips to the floor, and raise them back up rapidly. Complete your reps on one side before switching to the other.

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#5 Dumbbell Deadbug

It's done as follows:

• Lie on the floor on your back.
• Hold a dumbbell in either hand straight above your shoulders.
• Bend your legs at your knees, and hold them up in line with your hips.
• Extend your alternate arm and leg towards the floor, stretching the abs out in the process.
• Bring both limbs back to the starting position before repeating the move on the opposite arm and leg.

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#6 Anti-rotational Pull

Here's how it's done:

• Get on the floor into a high plank position. Keep a dumbbell to your left, in line with your chest.
• Grab the dumbbell with your right hand, and pull it towards the right side, keeping your hips stable.
• Return your right hand to the floor, and pull the dumbbell to your left once again with your left arm.

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Takeaway

Out with the old, in with the new. Add the aforementioned ab exercises to your workout routine, and watch how they benefit you more than the conventional movements you’ve probably been doing all along.

Also remember that abs are created in the kitchen, so eat smart, and hydrate a lot.