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Amazing Abdominals With Bodyweight Circuits
By Craig Ballantyne, MS, CSCS
Imagine you’re
stranded on a desert island with no equipment, no
machines, and no weights.
Now how the heck are you going to train for amazing
abs to show off when that rescue boat finally comes
ashore?
Or more practically, what if you are stuck in a
hotel room, or worse yet, a relative’s house where
they have no equipment and barely any room, but you
still want to do a workout? What can you do? |
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The only thing you can do is make
the most of what you have – your bodyweight. But can you
really burn fat, build muscle, and work your abs with
only bodyweight exercises?
You better believe it. I was recently challenged by
another personal trainer to “whip them into ship” using
only bodyweight exercises. They didn’t believe I could
do it.
But I told him, “These bodyweight exercises are going to
kick your butt, and when you wake up tomorrow, you have
to promise me you’re not going to be mad at me because
your muscles are screaming at you, okay?”
He laughed. He didn’t believe. So I put him through a
Turbulence Training Bodyweight Cardio Circuit.
Now when putting together a “Desert Island Bodyweight
Cardio Circuit”, it goes like this. It starts with a
fast, dynamic bodyweight exercise as part of the warm-up
process. This is followed by an easy bodyweight squat
and an easy version of the pushup (depending on the
client’s strength levels).
After those 3 warm-up exercises, we’re ready to move
into the tough stuff by doing a single-leg exercise,
then an upper body exercise, another single leg
exercise, and a total-body ab exercise. Then it’s time
to cap-off the circuit with a powerful total body
exercise.
I always use that 8 exercise template for advanced
bodyweight cardio circuits. Here’s the exact circuit my
personal trainer friend went through to become a
believer in bodyweight exercises. (NOTE: This workout
isn’t for beginners!)
1) Jumping Jacks – 30-60 reps
2) Prisoner Squats – 20 reps
3) Close-grip Pushups – 20 reps
4) Jumping Lunges – 6 reps per side
5) Spiderman Pushups – 12 reps per side
6) Prisoner Walking Lunges – 15 reps per side
7) Mountain Climbers – 15 reps per side
8) Burpees – 10 reps
He did these 8 exercises as one giant circuit with no
rest between exercises. Then I gave him one minute of
rest before he repeated this circuit 2 more times.
When he finished, I asked him if he wanted another
round. “No mas”, was his reply. His shirt was soaked,
his heart rate was elevated, and his body fat was burned
– just as well as any cardio machine could do it.
Also be sure to try the superset technique for abs
How often should you train your abs? Ab training frequency
About Craig Ballantyne
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, M.Sc., is one of the top Strength & Conditioning coaches in North America. He trains athletes and executives in Toronto and is a member of the Training Advisory Boards for Men's Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines. Craig's fat loss and workout tips are featured every month in Men's Fitness and Maximum Fitness, and in numerous on-line newsletters. Craig’s trademarked Turbulence Training workouts and comprehensive workout manuals are featured on his website
www.TurbulenceTraining.com.
About Craig's Trademarked "Turbulence Training System"
 Men’s Fitness magazine and elite personal trainers are calling Turbuelence Training the most effective fat loss training system in the world. Craig Ballantyne’s workout programs are ideal for busy executives, students or parents with young children. In just 50 minutes or less, three days per week, you can get leaner, stronger, fitter and more muscular with a total strength and cardio workout, and you can even do it in the privacy of your own home. No fancy or expensive machines are needed since you can do so many of the exercise with your own body weight. To learn more, click the link below:
www.TurbulenceTraining.com
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