Most people look for the quick and easy. Not here, though. To get results you always have to go hard, weather you’re on the treadmill, the bench press, or abdominal crunches.
One great way to blast your whole midsection (upper abs, lower abs, and side obliques) is to do weighted abdominal twists while sitting on a mat. You can use a medicine ball (2-6 pounds for beginners, 8-12 pounds for intermediate, or a 25-pound plate for advanced).
What you do it sit perpendicularly on a mat (so that the long sides are to your right and left). With your knees up, lean back with a straight back, making about a 45-degree angle to the floor (pretty much the halfway point of a full sit-up). Now, lift your feet off the floor, making sure to keep your knees bent.
Once you find a balance, grab your weight and start twisting! The key here is to rotate at the upper body and shoulders, not just your arms. You want to touch the weight on the mat right near your hip or as far back as you can reach on each twist. It helps if you look back with your head, as well, instead of just facing forward.
To get a better and more intense burn, you want to add speed to this twist. Strive to increase the speed of this twist-and-touch movement, and feel your abs burn!
The way you count these is for every two touches equals one rep (once to the right and once to the left). For beginners, try to perform 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions. As you advance, you will want to increase upwards to 25 reps. Once you feel comfortable with this weight, increase your weight.
If you are having difficulty with this workout, you can leave your feet on the floor for added balance. Just remember that when you do lift your feet, you engage your hip flexors and lower abs way more.
Get those amazing abs doing this quick and HARD ab workout!