by James - This article may contain affiliate links.
Having a stronger core is one of the hardest fitness goals for all body forms. However, you can easily achieve this goal by doing a combination of exercises to target your abs from different angles. Standing core exercises are one of the best ways to develop a stronger core, especially with dumbbells.
The best standing ab exercises with dumbbells include:
- Sumo oblique crunch
- Standing Crunches with Dumbbell
- Static lunges with a twist
- Twisting Dumbbell Wood Chopper
- Curtsy Lunge with Rotation
- Plie Squat Twist
- Dumbbell halo
This article explores these standing ab exercises that incorporate dumbbells. Read on to see how to perform them and how they can help you achieve a stronger core.
Contents
- 1 Sumo Oblique Crunch
- 2 2. Standing Crunches with Dumbbell
- 3 3. Static Lunges with a Twist
- 4 4. Twisting Dumbbell Wood Chopper
- 5 5. Curtsy Lunge with Rotation
- 6 6. Plie Squat Twist
- 7 7. Dumbbell Halo
- 8 How to Keep Your Core Engaged
- 9 Frequently Asked Questions about Core Exercises with Dumbbells
- 10 Closing Thoughts
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Sumo Oblique Crunch
The sumo oblique crunch is among the most effective standing core exercises that work your abs, improve functionality, and burn calories at once. The best thing about this move is that it doesn’t need any equipment and doesn’t strain your neck and back.
That said, you can use a barbell on your back or hold a set of dumbbells to increase difficulty levels and work your core even more strongly. It works your obliques, quadriceps, glutes, and lower back in addition to your core muscles.
Although it may look simple, you’ll have difficulty doing this exercise if you have weak legs. So, if you can’t perform this movement, it’s a sign that your legs are weak, and you need to strengthen them.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Lower your body to a squat position while keeping your elbows at 90-degree and holding the DBs.
- Bend your torso and make your left elbow touch your right knee.
- Go back to the starting position and do the same with the opposite knee.
2. Standing Crunches with Dumbbell
The Standing crunch is a great standing ab workout with weights to shape your core and strengthen the muscles in that area. As an upright variation of traditional sit ups, it’s a full-body workout that works your entire core as well as glutes and abs.
But most importantly, it works the muscles that give you the six-pack look, the rectus abdominis. Although you can perform this exercise without weights, it’s better to use dumbbells to maximize their benefits.
In addition to sculpting your core, the standing crunch with dumbbells is a low-impact exercise that doesn’t strain your neck and lower back. So, if you have limited mobility, you can reap the benefits of traditional sit ups while putting less strain on your body by using a light dumbbell set.
You could also perform other variations of the standing crunch after mastering the standard variation. They include the standing side crunch, the weighted side bend, and the standing bicycle crunch.
3. Static Lunges with a Twist
The static lunge with torso rotation works your abs and back muscles in addition to building lower-body strength. You can hold a medicine ball or a dumbbell while doing this exercise to engage the glutes and legs in addition to building core strength. The regular lunge works the quads and hamstrings, but weights and the twisting movement add to the challenge and engage your core, too.
Other variations include a barefoot lunge with a twist, taking out the support of shoes, the reverse lunge, and the walking lunge with a twist.
The lunge with a twist can be harmful to your knees if you don’t maintain proper form. Avoid twisting your knees by making sure your core does the rotation. Don’t let your knees go further than your toes, and keep your shoulders straight.
If you have pain or injury in your knees, it’s better to avoid lunges until you have recovered or replace them altogether. You could simplify the movement by holding the medicine ball or the dumbbell closer to your chest and keeping your arms straight after getting stronger.
Additionally, squeezing the medicine ball while rotating engages your pecs, making this variation an entire-body exercise.
- Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Put your right foot forward without extending your knees past your toes.
- You can keep a medicine ball with your elbows bent at 90 degrees.
- Rotate your upper body to the right side while keeping your core engaged.
- Go back to the starting position by bringing your arms back to the center and stepping your right foot back.
- Switch sides and repeat with your left leg.
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These dumbbells are also a good companion for your exercises as they’re handy and easy to hold. Their hex-shaped heads make them anti-rolling, and the contoured handles provide a better grip.
4. Twisting Dumbbell Wood Chopper
Here’s another exercise for core work that intensely works your upper body and midsection, especially the obliques, with its rotational movements. This compound exercise targets many muscle groups while boosting your cardio strength and burning calories. The other muscles targeted in this workout include hip muscles, shoulders, and calf muscles.
It’s also a functional movement that strengthens your core for everyday life activities such as shoveling or lifting your shopping bags out of a car.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your body and put your right thigh parallel to the ground.
- Keep the dumbbell with both hands and place it near the right leg.
- Lift the dumbbell and twist your torso with arms extended.
- Stand up and lift the weight above your shoulder.
- Return to the starting position and repeat for the opposite side.
Other variations include the high pully wood chops, resistance band wood chops, and the woodchopper lunge. You can use different resistance tools like dumbbells and a cable machine.
These Gritin resistance bands are a perfect addition to your lunges to add more challenge. The set comes in five different resistance levels and different colors to help identify them.
5. Curtsy Lunge with Rotation
The curtsy lunge targets glutes and quads, and the rotations engage your core, too. It’s a great exercise to build strength and stability in the lower body.
The curtsy lunge puts the body in an unstable state to activate the stabilizing muscles in the core. And you add to the core challenge using the weights and rotation.
And since hips aren’t the main target of the curtsy lunge, keep them stationary throughout the exercise. Another mistake is extending the knees over the toes. It places extra strain on your knees and may cause injury and pain. So, always keep your front knee in line with the ankle to distribute the weight to the glutes. Plus, talk to your personal trainer or ask your physician to provide medical advice.
- Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Step back with your right foot and cross it so that its toes touch the left foot.
- Lower your body and make your left thigh parallel with the ground while keeping the dumbbell in your hands.
- Go back to the starting position by putting your right leg forward.
- Switch sides and do the same with the left foot.
6. Plie Squat Twist
Classic plies engage your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and inner thighs using your body weight. You can add weights and perform the twist variation to reap all its benefits while working your core, too. This way, you can achieve toned thighs as well as a strong core.
They’re also a great exercise to improve your balance and stability. The plie puts your body in a completely new position that it’s not used to. That’s one of the secrets of leveling things up to achieve greater gains.
You can also use them as warmup exercises to get your joints lubricated, raise your heart rate, and improve blood circulation. All of these will prepare your body for the main workout.
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders and go down in a plie squat.
- Take a light dumbbell and raise your hands.
- Keep your arm straight and twist to your right side by giving a slight bend to your torso.
- Go back to the standing position and repeat with the opposite side.
7. Dumbbell Halo
The halo is a great stability and shoulder exercise performed by moving one weight overhead, like a kettlebell or a dumbbell, and creating overhead circles. While the shoulders are the primary focus of the dumbbell halo, you can rely on it to give you a strong core, too.
If you perform the halo correctly, it can help you achieve core stability. According to research, the halo can make the core stronger and resilient, specifically improving reflexive stability. Your body can subconsciously anticipate movement and prepare the muscles for that movement before it happens. If you have a strong reflexive ability, you’ll have a stronger body and core.
However, since this movement involves dumbbells, things can easily get out of hand, leading to improper form. So, always make sure to keep the dumbbell close to your body with arms overhead, and avoid making large circles over your head. Keep your torso straight and avoid arching your back while bringing the dumbbell behind the neck. You can also use kettlebells instead of dumbbells if you feel comfortable.
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How to Keep Your Core Engaged
If you want to achieve greater results in shaping up your core, you should learn how to engage all the muscles in your core. Here are the most important things to consider to keep your core engaged:
- Keep your back straight, stand upright and avoid arching or slumping your back.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles but don’t suck in your stomach.
- Breathe correctly the entire time because when you use weights, it’s easy to hold your breath. Just breathe normally as you perform the movements.
Engaging your core helps prevent injury because it can remove strain from your back and spine. That’s especially the case when you use weights in your workouts.
Frequently Asked Questions about Core Exercises with Dumbbells
Can you do ab workouts while standing?
You can do ab workouts while standing, and they may even be more effective. That’s because the core involves many different muscles that wrap around your torso, keep you stable, and give you a good posture. This way, you can engage more muscles and burn more calories.
Should I use weights for ab exercises?
Using weights for abs exercises helps you crank things up and improve strength more effectively. That’s particularly necessary after you’ve lost fat around your belly and want to develop a six-pack. Weights add to the challenge and make your body grow muscles by working harder.
Can you do crunches while standing?
The standing crunch is one of the best standing abs exercises that work and stabilize your core. You can combine it with regular crunches to achieve greater results. The standing crunch works multiple muscles at once, particularly the abdominal muscles.
How do you work your core while standing?
You can perform many standing exercises to work your core. The Standing crunch, sumo oblique crunches, static lunges with a twist, and barbell halo are some of the best standing abs exercises. Adding weights to regular abs workouts can add to the challenge and improve endurance.
Can you get abs with dumbbells?
Dumbbells are great additions to your abs exercises as they make things more challenging and increase resistance. However, if you don’t have dumbbells, you can tone your abs without weights. All you need is variety and doing new things to challenge your body.
How can I tone my stomach standing up?
There’s a wide range of standing core moves that can help you tone your stomach. Different variations of squats and lunges train different muscles, making you work harder than isolating exercises. They also burn lots of calories, helping you build more muscle.
Closing Thoughts
Developing a stronger core is achievable by incorporating dumbbells into your abs workout routine. The added weight levels up the challenge, increases resistance, and develops muscles. Slowly begin with lower weights and controlled pace until you learn the movement to make sure you can reap the benefits completely.
Last update on 2023-11-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
