Why should you add weights to ab workouts?

ALICE MILLER, STRONG WOMEN AMBASSADOR

“You add weights to make things harder. Adding in resistance will make it tougher for you to keep steady through the movements. However, with ab training, often the most basic things are the best, and it’s really important to master those before we try and add load. For example, if you can’t do a plank without your hips moving from side to side, you aren’t really working your core. Adding in stability first is important before progressing to weights.”

CAROLINE BRAGG, STRONG WOMEN AMBASSADOR

“The way to build muscle is to progressively overload your body. After a while of doing bodyweight training, your body will adapt and you will stop seeing the kind of results that you were looking for.

“The most important thing is that you are keeping your form correct. Often when people add in weights, they make the right shapes but they’re not actually working, because they’re just throwing the weights around. Focusing on stability is more important than shifting a 10 kg plate.”

Weighted ab exercises: Fitness trainers answer the most googled questions about core workouts