5 Medicine Ball Ab Exercises

Even those areas of the country that had the coldest winter ever, are starting to see the sun and feel warmer weather. 

You know what that means -- summer is right around the corner. 

And if you happen to be a living, breathing, upright walking human being -- then images of making an appearance at a pool or beach are probably starting to pop into mind. 

Wait, wait ... don't get all depressed. I know, I know ... that six-pack that you were planning on hasn't quite come together yet. 

Have no fear. I've got some ab exercises to help make that dream a reality. Check out this video of my favorite ab exercises to do with a medicine ball. 

If you start today, and make sure you stick to a clean diet (did I mention, stick to a clean diet?), then you just might be in time to reveal those rock hard abs this summer after all. 

Training Day: Squat Demo

It's Wednesday, time for a new video. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Exercise Demo: Squat with Bicep Curl

Some movements can get boring after a while. Change it up by doing compound movements. It's a great way to change up your routine a bit. You burn more calories doing two exercises at the same time. It's also a great way to save precious time in the gym. I recommend doing 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps. Give this a try the next time you're planning on squats or bicep curls. 

Exercise Demo: Medicine Ball V-up

Here is a challenging move to incorporate into your ab routine, the medicine ball v-up. Just grab any sized ball that you think is challenging (I used a 4 lb ball here).

When performing the exercise, make sure your abdominals stay contracted throughout the entire move. Once you reach the top of the movement (when toes and feet come together), squeeze your core muscles by trying to pull your belly button down toward the floor.

Start off doing 10 reps and then build from there. If you can ultimately get to 3 sets of 20 reps with proper form, you'll be well on your way to having a rock solid core.

Workout: 500 Reps Total Body Circuit

Are you ready for a challenge?

This workout consists of 10 exercises that you do for 50 reps for each. Perform the warm-up which adds on 150 reps to the workout, then do each of the exercises as quickly as you can while maintaining proper form.

Since this is a circuit, try not to rest too much between exercises -- aim for no more than 30 seconds. Now, because this routine is a bit tough, you might have to take small breaks in order to complete all 50 reps of each move -- that's fine.

Clock how long it takes you to get through the workout and use that as your starting point. Each time you do this routine, try to get through it in less time.

Warm-up 
Jumping jacks
Jumping rope
Alternating lunges with arm extension

Workout
Front squats with overhead press
Push-ups with rotation
Tire flips
Stiff-legged deadlifts with hammer curls
Bentover rows
Overhead tricep extensions
Stability ball knee tucks
Ab circles
Side leg lifts
Russian twists

Exercise Demo for Upper Body and Core Strength

Try this variation of the standard push-up in your next workout. This move targets the chest muscles, like the standard version, but it is also is great for your core, shoulders and arms. As you rotate from side to side, your abdominal muscles are engaged. Alternating the arms engages the shoulders and triceps in a different way.

Set goals by fitness level:
Beginner: 5-10 reps*
Intermediate: 10-20 reps
Advanced: 20-30 reps

*Rotate to each side to equal one rep.

4 Ab Exercise Mix-ins

It's easy to get into a rut with your ab routine. We end up going on autopilot and doing the same exercises over and over. If your goal is to get 6-pack abs, you have to mix things up. Our bodies adapt to the exercises that we do often, making those exercises less challenging. And when our bodies are no longer challenged, results no longer happen.

Check out these 4 ab exercises. There may be a couple new ones you haven't done before or haven't done in a long time and will be good to mix into your current ab routine. To keep seeing results with your workouts, it's important to keep your body guessing by changing things up.

Do 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps depending on your fitness level. If you can only do a few to start, that's fine. Be sure to hold your abs in tight during all abdominal exercises.

SLIDING KNEE TUCKS: These are great because they are definitely challenging, hitting the entire core area. You'll want to get a couple old towels and do this move on a tile or wood surface. You can also do this exercise on carpet if you have gliding discs.

SINGLE LEG KNEE TUCKS: Similar to the sliding knee tucks, the single leg version is the modified version, but still very effective, hitting the entire core are.

SINGLE LEG CROSSOVER KNEE TUCKS: The primary muscles targeted in this exercise are the obliques. The secondary muscles targeted are the rectus abdominis.

WALKING PLANKS: This move is a variation on the standard plank. Walking your arms up and down forces you to continually contract your abs in a different way than in the standard holding plank position. This move targets the entire core area.

How to Cut Pineapple

Until about a year ago, I used to avoid buying whole pineapples because I didn't know how to cut them. I know for a lot of people, cutting a pineapple is the easiest things to do -- but that wasn't the case for me.

Anytime I wanted to have some pineapple, I would just buy the packages that were already cut. Then one day, I was out grocery shopping with a friend and she picked up a whole pineapple, like it was no big deal.

It got me thinking, "Hey, wait a minute. I need to figure this out." So, I bought my first whole pineapple. My friend told me how she picks them and cuts it. I got home and did a little research of my own, via YouTube (gotta love the internet) and found all kinds of pineapple demos.

So, if you're like I was and avoid pineapples because the thought of cutting them up is a little intimidating, this video is for you! Check it out.

Preparation tip: after slicing, cut into cubes or keep as slices. Be aware of the core -- you might want to remove that or cut around it. You could eat it, but it's hard and bitter.