6 Pack Abs!

Training with Russian Kettlebells is a great way to lose body fat and strengthen your muscles. If you have an intelligent exercise program you will be doing both at the same time! One of the hidden benefits of training with a Russian Kettlebell is that it will strengthen and therefore, tone up your abdmonial muscles at the same time. So, if you get lean enough through hard training and a healthy diet you can acheive those coveted six pack abs everybody wants!

 

Some exercises to really work your abs with a kettlebell are, turkish get ups, windmills, deck squats, kettlebell overhead cruches, russian twists, renegade rows and any one handed overhead lift. Any time you press a weight overhead your abdmonial muscles have to contract in order to stabilize your body. If you press a weight overhead with one hand, the result is even greater due to uneven loading.

You will notice the abdomial exercises I listed are not your regular high rep crunch exercises, and that is for a reason. Strong muscles are toned muscles and muscles don't get strong with low weight, high repetition exercises. Muscles get strong and toned with high tension only! Tension can be created with heavy weight or holding your body in tough positions the way a gymnast does. 

 

Gymnasts don't use weights but they have great muscles because of the high tension movements they use. Think of a gymnast doing the iron cross on the rings, every muscles in their body is super tight and looks great.

Anyways, the exercises I have listed are high tension abdominal exercises. Each one will force you to contract your abs hard and therefore make them stronger! Your reps will be lower but the results will be greater. For a nice fat burning effect do a series of them in a row as a circuit. 

 

Below is a funny looking exercise called a circular clean that will work the rotational muscles of the core. Rotational muscles are important for aesthetics but also for athletic performance; it is for this reason that I always try to incorporate one handed or rotational exercises in my daily training sessions.