The Best Core Exercises with Dumbbells

Dumbbell ab exercises are some of the best ab exercises available to add into your workout routines. If your looking to build better core musculature these dumbbell exercises are worth giving a try.

Do you have a few dumbbells lying around at home that you’r not sure how to use in your core work? Or maybe your just tired of sit-ups and planks and are looking for a bit of variety in your core training. These are are the best dumbbell core exercises you can add into your training to build a strong and robust core.

How To Use Dumbbell Core Exercises

1. Start With Light Weight And Progress

When using weighted core exercises including those with dumbbells, like seen in the list below, it’s really important to start with weights where you are able to perform the repetitions with great technique. Using weights that are too challenging initially will prevent you from doing the exercises correctly, meaning you will not get the desired adaptation. Take the Tall Plank DB Pass Through as an example, if this is done with a heavy weight, the likelihood is that it will be done fast and with little control. This will engage the core a lot less than if you used a light weight whilst moving slowly with control, keeping the hips in a fixed position.

2. Use A Good Variety of Movement Patterns

Dumbbells can be used to target a number of movement patterns that target the core, these include:

This will ensure that you’r building a well rounded and strong trunk that will be ready for whatever life or sport throws at you.

3. Add Into Your Full Body Resistance Exercise Routine

These core exercises are great to incorporate into your full body resistance training programme. They can be put in bi-sets or tri-sets or at the end of sessions. Either way adding a variety of different core segments into your training week will be an effective and efficient way to progress your core training.

Sample Dumbbell Abs Workout

Complete 3 rounds

1 . DB Single Arm Farmers March

Complete 14 repetitions

2 . Tall Plank DB Pass Through

Complete 12 repetitions

3 . DB Full Moon

Complete 8 repetitions

More Dumbbell Exercises

Common Questions

What exercises work you’r core the most?

This is a tough question to answer, as all core exercises work your core and abdominals just in different ways. Exercises that don’t work the core is an easier way to answer this question. They key is to avoid rapid, instagram friendly core exercises like mountain climbers done very fast. If you find effective exercises that work all the different movement patterns for the core then you wont need the exercise that works it the “most”.

What Weightlifting Is Best For Abs?

For training the core musculature the best form of weightlifting is probably the powerlifts, being the squat, bench and deadlift. These are not specific to the core but require a great deal of core stabilisation to perform correctly.

How Do I Get Abs With Dumbbells?

You can get abs by with dumbbells by ensuring you have low body fat and consistently doing full body resistance training 3-5 times per week. Use a wide variety of movement patterns to train the abs.