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When most people think of a calisthenics core workout, they’ll usually picture lean a guy (or gal) hammering out endless crunches until their eyeballs bleed.
And while I’m not necessarily downgrading this style of training. The truth is that there are, in fact, multiple ways to get the ripped abs you’ve always wanted without performing a single crunch.
Don’t get me wrong…
Crunches have their place in your workout, and they’re awesome for feeling that high rep burn. But to get the kind of chiseled abs you see on a badass Roman gladiator. You need to diversify your training and start thinking outside the box.
So in today’s blog post, I’m going to be revealing some of my most tried and tested calisthenics workouts to get you well on your way to a super shredded core.
Some workouts you might be familiar with and others you won’t. But I promise by the time your done reading. You’ll be equipped with the knowledge to go out and smash your next core workout and build the adonis like abs you’ve always dreamed of.
Table of Contents
Abs Start In The Kitchen
Now, you’ve probably heard a million times that abs are made in the kitchen.
And while I try not to preach too much about diet on this blog. The fact remains that you’re not going to get anywhere near your goal of ripped and ready abs if you don’t have a little self-control and discipline.
This doesn’t mean you should throw away the ice cream scoop and eat nothing but kale and air for the rest of your life.
However, you should be conscious of maintaining a calorie deficit and focusing MOST of your efforts on eating quality foods to help you reach your goals.
Core Engagement Is Essential
Another thing I can’t stress enough is that core engagement is essential for really targeting the core.
It doesn’t matter if you’re hammering through endless reps of crunches or holding a simple plank.
The rule remains the same no matter how you work the abs.
Now, to give you an idea of how to engage your core correctly. I want you to quickly brace your abs as if you were about to take a punch to the midsection.
Then what I want you to do is breathe deeply into your stomach.
Did you feel your core tighten?
This is exactly what it should feel like when your core is fully engaged. And if you’ve done it correctly, you should be able to maintain this core engagement while continuing to breathe normally.
It’s kind of similar to when you cough or laugh. If you try it now, you’ll notice how your core muscles automatically engage when you do either one.
Anyway…
So now you’ve got that nailed, let’s move on…
High Reps Vs Low Reps
So when it comes to the battle between high and low reps. A lot of so-called fitness gurus will have their own die-hard opinions on which is better and why.
The low rep enthusiast will claim that the key to getting your abs to really pop. Is to train them like any other muscle group in the hypertrophy range (6-12 reps).
On the flip side, the high rep calisthenics junkies will claim the abs are essentially made up of slow-twitch muscle fibers. And should be trained in the higher rep range to accommodate.
Now, to be honest, what you do is ultimately going to come down to your own training experience and personal preferences.
If you’re new to calisthenics, you’d be a lot better of focusing on form and working with higher reps to build up a solid foundation.
However, if you got a little more training experience under your belt. Then I’d recommend a 50/50 split by implementing both high and low reps into your workout.
And if you an advanced calisthenics athlete who knows no fear. Then I’d focus at least 60-70% of your efforts on low rep training while adding in one or two high rep calisthenics core workouts for good measure.
Specific Calisthenics Core Workouts For Maximum Results
Now, there are several (probably hundreds) or ab exercises to suit every man, woman, and child on this planet.
And while everyone is going to have their favorite go-to workouts…
I’ve personally found that implementing all of the below will give you the most bang for your buck when it comes to obliterating your core.
L-Sits
Now for me, the L-sit is the creme de la creme of core exercises because it targets a sh*t load of muscle groups.
Better still, they’re adaptable, meaning you can regress the exercise to suit your own level of fitness and work upward from there.
For instance, the traditional L-sit is usually held with your hands on the floor or a set of parallettes.
However, this isn’t always viable for everyone. Because the amount of core strength needed to keep your feet from touching the floor is a lot more than most people can handle at first.
So what I’d recommend doing instead is finding a set of parallel dip bars and working from there.
This way, you’ll have a little more room for error until you’ve built up the required strength to hold a full L-sit on the floor.
Ab Wheel Rollouts
This is probably the most underrated and underused core exercise in the history of the world. But if you’re smart, you’ll already be well aware of the incredible benefits that the ab wheel provides.
Now, if you don’t have an ab wheel, simply get one. You can usually pick one them up for less than $20 on Amazon, and it’ll add a whole new element to your core workout.
The Plank
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then I’m sure you’ll be more familiar with the plank.
However, when most people perform a traditional plank, they tend to just assume the position and go through the motions until they get bored.
This isn’t what you’ll be doing here.
Because when you perform the plank like I’m going to show you in a second. Your abs will be literally screaming in agony while you beg for a quick and painless death to end your suffering.
So there are two ways you can make the plank a ridiculously hard exercise.
The first way is to simply extend your arms further out in front of you to increase the demand on your core.
If you’ve never tried this, you’ll quickly notice that the further forward your elbows are, the harder it is to stabilize your core. Which, in turn, puts a hell of a lot of stress on your midsection.
Now, the second way to make the plank harder is to simply draw your elbows and feet together while tightly bracing your abs.
Like this…
It’s a stupidly simple tip, I know, but it’s a simple tweak that will take your plank to an entirely new level.
And if you impliment it regularly into your workout. Then you’ll slowly but surely reveal the oh-so-sexy abs you’ve been dreaming about all your life.
The Ultimate Calisthenics Core Workout For Ripped Abs
So below are a few of my very own tried and tested calisthenics core workouts to give you the abs of steel that most people would envy.
They ain’t easy, but nothing worth having ever is.
So without waiting any longer, let’s rock and roll…
The L-Sit Dropset
So the first calisthenics core workout uses a few adaptions of the classic L-sit
I originally got the idea for this from Thenx when I researched a few L-sit progressions to add to my routine.
Only I’ve added a little something extra to really beat the sh*t out your core.
Anyway, here it is…
Perform 3-5 sets of the following…
- Hold an L-sit on parallel bars until failure
- Hold a tucked L-sit (knees to chest) on parallel bars until failure
- Remaining on the bars, perform leg raises until failure
- Finish up by performing knee tucks until you hit failure
Rest for 30 seconds, then perform…
- 10-20 ab wheel rollouts (slow and controlled)
- Then finish up by holding a plank until failure
That’s it…
On the surface, it looks relatively straightforward, but this isn’t for the timid or week.
And you’ll quickly find out how disgustingly evil this workout is if you ever dare to try it.
A few key points to consider…
When you’re on the bars, try to keep your arms straight with your elbows fully locked out. This will allow you to engage your core a lot more effectively and really hammer your abs to shreds.
Also, when you perform the plank at the end of the set. Remember to keep your elbows as far forward as possible and attempt to pull them back towards your feet for maximum core engagement.
Your body won’t actually move, but it’ll place a hell of a lot of stress on the core, making it a killer finishing move to end each set.
The 10 Minute Ab Crusher
So this core routine is taken from a full body calisthenics workout that I like to perform on occasion.
It basically involves alternating between two exercises without stopping for a total of 10 minutes.
The idea here is to completely trash your core in the shortest time possible using two exercises that target slightly different core muscles.
It looks like this…
Alternate between each exercise non-stop for a total of 10 minutes…
- Decline Situps
- Russian Twists
The great thing abot this workout is that you can change up the loading of the exercises to suit your goals.
For instance, you could just rep keep repping out until you bust a nut and your abs beg for mercy…
…Or, you could take a different approach and load the exercise by holding onto a heavy plate or medicine ball.
Either way, you’re gonna start feeling the effects before you hit the halfway point and spent the rest of the workout battling through the pain.
Taking Your Core Workout To The Next Level
So there you have it. A simple yet highly effective plan of action to start your journey to getting rock-solid abs.
And I’m confident that if you remain consistent with the workouts above, you’ll be well on your way to getting the results you want a lot sooner than you think.
Now, even though the above workouts are great. The truth is that they’re still just a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to developing a strong and shredded core.
And if you want the real secret to building a core that most people would shoot their mother for. Then I’d recommend checking out the Crunchless Core Program.
In a nutshell, this program is designed specifically for all the boys and girls who are tired of being spoonfed all the boring, outdated information that delivers nothing but fluff and filler.
This is where the Crunchless Core program separates itself from the pack. Because it’s all about building real core strength using unique training methods that you’ve probably never even heard of.
Anyway, I don’t want to bore you by continuing to tell you how great this program is. Because honestly, I’d much rather you just take a look and decide if it’s right for you.
So before I wrap this post up, here’s the link again to take a look: Click Here To Access The Crunchless Core Program
Anyway, hopefully, you’ve learned a thing or two about how to work your core to its full potential.
But if you have any questions or ideas on how this post can be improved. Feel free to drop a comment below…
