Training abs and obliques with dumbbells increase muscular strength, improves muscle definition, and builds a defined midsection.
A strong core provides stability to the torso, enhances lifting and athletic performance, minimizes the risk of lower back injuries, and improves the appearance of the upper body.
You can do various exercises to hit your abdominal muscles with a pair of dumbbells, both at home and in the gym.
In this article, I’ll share an ultimate dumbbell core workout guide that includes 15, 20, and 30-minute weekly routines. Depending on your fitness level, you can follow one of them to forge your abs and develop a firm core.
Workout Description
1. Type of exercises: I’ve included both dumbbell and bodyweight exercises in the programs below. Combining them will help you achieve an overall solid core.
2. Target Gender: Males and females can both use this program to sculpt their midsection.
3. Sessions/week: This program includes three core workout sessions per week, meaning you’ll hit your abs every alternate day.
4. Workout duration/session: From 15 minutes to half an hour, I’ve created three different routines. Depending on how much you work out, you can follow one of them.
5. Suggested program duration for noticeable results: You should follow this program for at least two months to see the results.
6. Customization: You can make as many changes as you want to make this program fit for you.
15-Minute Dumbbell Core Workout for Beginners to Get Started
You can try this 15-minute workout if you want to hit your abs with dumbbells for the first time. It will help you bolster your midsection, increase your core muscle endurance, and improve your overall performance.
Monday
- 30-sec Farmer’s Walk
- 15-sec Mountain Climber
- 10 Dumbbell Sit-ups
- 10 DB Reverse Crunches
- 15-sec High Knees
- 10 Heel Taps Over DB
- 10 High-to-low Chops on each side
- Do as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.
Wednesday
- 15-sec High Knees
- 5 Burpees
- 10 DB Tabletop Crunches
- 10 (reps) Plank Rotation on each side
- 20-sec Mountain Climbers
- 15-sec DB Flutter Kicks
- 10 Low-to-High Chops per arm
- Repeat as many times as possible in 15 minutes.
Friday
- 10 Squat Jumps
- 5 Forward Lunges with Rotation/side
- 10 Lying Leg Lifts
- 10 DB Tabletop Crunches
- 15-sec Dumbbell Russian Twist
- 30-sec Plank Dumbbell Drag
- 45-sec Forearm Front Plank
- Do it as rounds as possible in 15 minutes.
20-Minute Dumbbell Ab Workout to Forge midsection
If you’re looking for a workout plan that hits your abdominal muscles from every angle, you can try this 20-minute dumbbell core workout routine.
This workout will help you strengthen your midsection, shape your six-pack abs, and take your core strength to the next level.
Monday
- 15-sec Mountain Climber
- 10 Burpees
- 10 Side Plank Hip Lifts on each side
- 10 Straight-arm Crunches
- 15-sec High Knees
- 10 Half Kneeling High-to-low Dumbbell Chops/side
- 10 Dumbbell Reverse Crunches
- 15-sec Plank jack
- Do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.
Wednesday
- 10 Squat Jumps
- 15-sec Russian Twist
- 10-sec Hollow Body Hold
- 15 Pushups
- 5 (reps) Lying Dumbbell Oblique Twist/side
- 30-sec Plank Dumbbell Drag
- 10 Low-to-High Chops on each side
- 15-sec Crossbody Mountain Climber
- 10 Tabletop Crunches
- Repeat as many times as possible in 20 minutes.
Friday
- 15-sec High Knees
- 10 Dumbbell Sit-ups
- 10 DB Oblique Wipers
- 10 DB Flutter Kicks
- 5 Lunges with Torso Rotation/side
- 15-sec Plank Jack
- 10 Heel Taps Over DB
- 10 Side Plank Hip Dips per side
- 10 Lying Leg Lifts
- Perform as many rounds as possible.
30-Minute Dumbbell Workout to Reveal Your Abs
Whether you want to solidify your core or craft your rectus abdominis muscles, you can perform this 30-minute dumbbell abs workout.
This workout will also help you burn fats, shed excess kilos, enhance cardiovascular health, and improve your body composition.
Monday
- 15-sec Mountain Climber
- 10 Burpees
- 10 Side Plank Hip Dips on each side
- 10 Straight-arm Crunches
- 15-sec High Knees
- 10 Half Kneeling High-to-low Dumbbell Chops/side
- 10 Dumbbell Reverse Crunches
- 15-sec Plank jack
- Do as many rounds as possible.
Wednesday
- 15-sec High Knees
- 10 Dumbbell Sit-ups
- 10 DB Oblique Wipers
- 10 DB Flutter Kicks
- 10 Low to High Wood Chops/side
- 15-sec Plank Jack
- 10 Heel Taps Over DB
- 10 Side Plank Hip Dips per side
- 10 Lying Leg Lifts
- Repeat until thirty minutes.
Friday
- 10 Squat Jumps
- 15-sec Mountain Climber
- 10-sec Hollow Body Hold
- 15 Standard Pushups
- 5 (reps) Lying DB Oblique Twist/side
- 15-sec High Knees
- 30-sec Plank Dumbbell Drag
- 10 Low-to-High Chops on each side
- 15-sec Crossbody Mountain Climber
- 10 Tabletop Crunches
- Perform as many rounds as possible in 30 minutes.
Can Dumbbell Core Exercises Build Six-pack Abs?
Training your core with dumbbells increases strength and muscle endurance as well as helps thicken rectus abdominis. However, exercises are only a part of six-pack training. The primary thing is diet, and diet is a separate thing, so it is best to consult a nutritionist if you want to reveal your abs.
You can also try this dumbbell HIIT workout to burn fat and build muscle simultaneously.
Download The Dumbbell Core Workout PDF
I’ve also designed an ultimate 72 days dumbbell workout routine for all fitness enthusiasts. This includes hundreds of exercises and high and low rep range sets. And the best thing is you can follow this program at your own pace.
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