Circuit training is an excellent, well-rounded workout that combines strength training and cardio in one. Although there is very little resting involved, your session will be time-efficient and packed with extraordinary health benefits. Adding circuit training to your workout week can improve your metabolic health, cardio fitness, and even weight management. Circuit training can also help to reveal your best abs ever, and we’re here to tell you how.
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What Is Circuit Training and How Can It Help Reveal Your Abs?
“Circuit training involves performing several exercises in a row before resting,” explains Jess Celmer, a certified personal trainer at Life Time Franklin. “This is a great way to maximize a short workout by combining resistance and cardiovascular-based training. By training in your top heart rate zones for maximum calorie burn, circuit training can be a highly effective tool for burning body fat and sculpting the abs.”
To best organize your circuit training workout for abs, Celmer recommends incorporating a variety of compound movements such as pushups, hinges, and squats to engage your core, along with ab-specific exercises like a candlestick or hollow hold to feel the burn at every angle.
The Best Ab-Focused Exercises To Include in a Circuit
For maximum core engagement, Celmer suggests including dead bugs, planks, and V-ups in your next circuit.
“Dead bugs are a fantastic exercise for nearly everyone and can be scaled up or down to your level,” Celmer tells us. “Planks are so versatile and easy to include with resistance training, such as adding a dumbbell row or kettlebell pull-through. V-ups can help combine the deep core with the six-pack for a total ab burnout!”
How Long Your Circuit Workouts Should Be To Build Abs
The length of your circuit session varies based on your personal goals, but by progressively overloading your circuit training regimen, you’ll gain impressive strength as the weeks go by.
“A 20 to 30-minute high-intensity session might fit into your day easier than a 45 to 60-minute moderate-intensity session, or maybe you prefer two to three long workouts a week instead of four to five short ones,” says Celmer. “With consistency and a balanced diet, circuit training is a highly effective way to see results in any of your fitness goals.”
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Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and delivering compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics to readers. Read more about Alexa
