#WeekendWorkout: CSN's six exercises for getting shredded abs

#WeekendWorkout: 6 exercises for getting shredded abs

Although it might not feel like it, we are now through the worst of winter, the nights are now starting to draw out and in a little, over 5 months we will (hopefully!) be welcoming the summer sun back to our shores. So why not start chipping away at that winter insulation with our 6 exercises that will help you get shredded abs and have a go at our high intensity #WeekendWorkout to hit your core whilst melting the fat.

1. Get squatting (and other compound movements)…

It may not seem like hitting compound movements such as the squat would have all that much to do with getting shredded abs, however squats, deadlifts (learn how to do a proper deadlift here) and other movements that recruit multiple muscles are going to have a very high energy demand and giving you the added bonus of developing some muscle, increasing metabolism and helping your body burn more fat in the long run. Try doing a set of 20 squats or deadlifts to failure and tell us it doesn’t cause some serious fatigue and get the heart pumping.

2. Rowing…

Rowing is a great exercise as it uses multiple muscle groups and therefore pushes the cardiovascular system hard whilst being much lower impact than other forms of cardio. For a truly brutal lung-busting workout, crank up the resistance and do some maximum effort intervals. Take a look at our article on high-intensity training here.

3. Walking…

Ok, this isn’t an exercise as such, but simply by walking more you can easily rack up the amount of energy you are using and help create the energy deficit required to cause that body fat to melt away. Most of our daily energy output is non-exercise related, so simply by making an effort to walk more, take the stairs instead of the lift/escalators and maybe leave the car at home for short trips can have a big impact on causing fat loss without having to do anything too drastic.

4. Medicine ball slams…

When many people think about trying to get shredded abs they jump straight into ‘classic’ abs exercise like crunches, planks and twist variations, the truth is that none of these exercises will give you abs unless you are in a calorie deficit. So why not combine exercises that really work the core in more ‘functional’ movement patterns whilst taxing the body’s energy systems. Conditioning the core in this way is ideal for those who take part in sports as it allows strengthening, power and control to be developed through the trunk of the body in a way in which we would more applicable for many sports than typical ab training.

5. Kettle bell swings..

Are almost the exact opposite movement to medicine ball slams and therefore focus on the muscles of the lower back and also the legs. This is important to make sure that when we work the core we consider the back of the body as well so that we don’t create imbalances that may cause poor posture and result in pain in the lower back. As with medicine balls slams, this can kill two birds with one stone as it can be performed as part of a high-intensity cardio routine.

6. Put yourself in a sensible calorie deficit…

Ok, Ok this isn’t an exercise but it’s essential to getting shredded abs, you can do all the training in the world but if you are eating too much food those abs are unlikely to make an appearance anytime soon. Start now, track your intake carefully and make small changes to your diet and exercise over time to cause a deficit and watch the fat slowly but surely melt away in time for those summer shreds! To help, check out our detailed guide to counting calories.

CSN’s high energy #WeekendWorkout.

These exercises are performed back to back…

• Deadlift 20 reps @ 40-50% one rep max
• 45 seconds rest
• 20 medicine ball slams
• 45 seconds rest
• 20 Kettle bell swings
• 45 seconds rest
• 30 seconds max effort on rower
• 90 seconds rest… repeat 3 times.

As always Team CSN are here to help, call or email us today and we can give you professional, unbiased advice on all your nutrition and supplement needs.