Dreaming of a snatched waist? You’re not alone. This popular fitness goal is the driver behind many an ab workout. Yet “spot reduction” – targeted exercise to burn fat in specific body areas – is not supported by any scientific evidence. When we lose fat, we lose fat across our entire body, not just the body part that is being exercised.
However, ab training does have physical benefits. While you can’t choose exactly where you lose fat, you do have some control over how toned and defined certain areas of your body look. Building a strong core both provides a strong foundation for your fitness journey, alongside helping you develop visible abs as your overall body fat percentage drops.
Dumbbell Waist Exercises
Dumbbell Crunch
Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell with extended arms over your chest. Lift your shoulders off the floor and push the dumbbell towards the ceiling. Slowly reverse the movement until you’re back in your starting position. To make the most of this exercise, reduce the amount of momentum when you rise, focusing on controlled movements instead.
Dumbbell Russian Twist
Sit on an exercise mat with your knees bent and your feet lifted slightly off the floor. Hold your dumbbell with both hands in front of your body. Tap the bottom head of the dumbbell to the floor on your left side. Bring the dumbbell back to centre before repeating the movement on your other side. To make this exercise a little easier, you can rest your heels on the floor.
Dumbbell Swing
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Hold a single dumbbell in both hands, holding onto the ends. Hinge at the hips, positioning the dumbbell between your legs. Squeeze your glutes, push your hips forward, and swing the dumbbell up to eye level.
Kneeling Woodchoppers
Kneel, with your left foot and right knee on the ground, left knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Hold your dumbbell with two hands and position it over your right shoulder. Keeping your back straight, swing the weight down to your left hip. Swing it back up again. Throughout this exercise, you must resist the urge to rotate your torso.
Dumbbell Waist Workout
For this workout, we’re using an EMOM (every minute on the minute) format. Aim to finish your reps within 40-45 seconds, giving you a 15-20-second window to rest and prepare for the next movement. If you struggle to stay in this time frame, reduce the rep range or lower the dumbbell weight. Good exercise form with a 7kg Dumbbell is better than poor exercise form with a 14kg Dumbbell! Repeat four rounds of the circuit in total.
• Minute 1 - 12-18 x crunches.
• Minute 2 - 16-24 Russian twists.
• Minute 3 - 12-18 x dumbbell swings.
• Minute 4 - 10-16 x kneeling woodchoppers (L).
• Minute 5 - 10-16 x kneeling woodchoppers (R).
Aim to finish your reps within 40-45 seconds, giving you a 15-20-second window to rest and prepare for the next movement. If you struggle to stay in this time frame, reduce the rep range.
While training your waist won’t burn belly fat, training the underlying muscles will get you one step closer to that sculpted look you’re striving for– particularly when combining targeted exercise with fat-burning cardio workouts. In any case, training your core muscles gives you a strong base to build your fitness journey on, so check out our range of Dumbbells for Sale.
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Tags: Equipment > Dumbbells ; Misc > Workout
