When the evenings get colder and darker, the last thing most of us want to do is head out for a workout. That’s when a quick and effective abs routine at home really earns its place in your fitness toolbox. And while classics like sit-ups, crunches, planks and Russian twists still have their place, doing the same moves on repeat can get a little mind-numbing.
This is when mixing things up with a new routine and adding a pair of the best adjustable dumbbells into the mix can be an easy way to keep your core challenged and your motivation alive through winter.
This four-move workout comes from Sandy Sklar, an experienced trainer who shares simple and strength-focused routines with more than a million followers on Instagram. Her sessions are designed to be zero-fuss and perfect for doing from home. There is no complicated setup or equipment shuffle, just straight into the work.
As Sklar puts it, “Grab a dumbbell and let’s hit the floor.”
Watch Sandy Sklar's 4-move core workout
- Bear plank push-through x 16-20 total
- High plank pull-through x 16-20 total
- Pull-over crunch x 12-15
- Dumbbell hollow hold with flutter kicks x 20-30 total
The aim of the workout is to perform all four exercises in a circuit with minimal rest and repeat for three to five sets. Depending on how many sets you manage to complete and how little rest you take, it should only take between 10 and 15 minutes.
Sklar recommends minimal rest to keep your core muscles engaged for longer, which in turn helps to improve muscle endurance and strength. Little rest also raises your heart rate, which helps burn more calories and makes the workout more time-efficient.
Of course, if you're struggling to get through the circuit, don't be afraid to extend your rest periods. As your core strength improves, you'll find it easier to complete the workout with shorter breaks.
What will adding dumbbells into your core workouts do?
You can get great results just using your body weight to train your core, but adding some weight keeps things challenging and stops your routine from feeling repetitive.
Dumbbells make your core work harder because they demand more stability during each movement. When you hold a weight during exercises like the pull-over crunch or the bear plank push-through, your body recruits more muscles to control the load and keep your form steady. This extra work increases the overall intensity of the session.
Using dumbbells also lets you apply progressive overload, which is one of the key principles behind building muscle. Progressive overload simply means increasing the difficulty over time. You can do this by adding a bit more weight, squeezing out an extra rep, or slowing the movement down to make your muscles work for longer.
That slower pace increases something called time under tension. This refers to how long your muscles are actually working during each rep. More time under tension can make an exercise feel tougher and help improve strength and muscle growth without needing heavy weights every time.
Together, added resistance, progressive overload and increased time under tension create a more effective core workout and can help you break through plateaus you might hit with bodyweight exercises alone.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
- This workout protects your joints while building strength: Here’s a trainer’s 15-minute resistance-band routine for getting stronger over 70
- Your shoulders need this personal trainer's 1-minute hack for mobility and strength
- These 7 standing ab exercises target your core without a single sit-up or crunch — and they’re great for your posture too
