All You Need Is a Weight Plate to Demolish Your Abs

Trainer Jay T. Maryniak knows abs. Just check him out any of his workouts or our profile on him for photographic evidence. The trainer prioritizes functional, athletic movements to build up the body, which makes his workouts anything but boring for anyone looking to follow his lead.

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So when he shares an entire core workout that uses a single weight plate, it’s worth paying attention. He and fellow fitness coach Michael Vazquez showed off a three-move weight-plate circuit in an Instagram video that will absolutely demolish your core. You’ll take on plate truck drivers, Russian twists, and hollow body flutter kicks to get it done. Just make sure you’re using a rounded weight—you won’t be able to do the first exercise without one.

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?Core Work? – – Myself and @michaelcvazquez getting after this plate core circuit?? Perform each exercise for 30 seconds. No rest in between exercises. Do 3-5 sets. Rest 1 Minute in between sets. Let’s get to work!?? – – Plate Truck Drivers Russian Twists Hollow Body Flutter Kicks – – ??Check out my training programs at www.jtmfit.com or click the link in my bio?? – – ? @dustinhayungs #calisthenics #bodybuilding #functionaltraining #kettlebells #kettlebellworkout #core #crossfit #fit #fitness #workout #wod #legday #deadlift #wod #gymnastics #mobility #functional

A post shared by Jay T. Maryniak (@jtm_fit) on Sep 26, 2019 at 7:06am PDT

The first move here, the plate truck driver, is far and away the most challenging. To maintain good form and actually work your abs, as opposed to throwing out your back or just falling over, Take your time with each rep. Prioritize slow, controlled motions, maintaining total body tension throughout. Squeeze not just your abs and your glutes as tightly as possible.

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Here’s a tip to help: Widening your feet and increasing the bend in your elbows so that the plate is closer to the top of your head will make stabilizing easier. If that’s still too hard, try lowering down onto your knees—just make sure to still keep your glutes tight and your body in a straight line from head to the anchor point.

The other two moves, Russian twists, and hollow body flutter kicks, require less actual skill to perform, but they’ll still give you a great ab burn, zeroing in on the obliques and deep-lying transverse abdominis. Just make sure to maintain total body tension (here’s a guide for that hollow hold position) and fight the temptation to hang in your joints.

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Perform each exercise for 30 seconds back to back without out. Take 60 seconds to catch your breath, and then repeat the circuit for a total of three to five rounds. You don’t have to perform this workout with a partner, either, but doing it that way certainly looks cool.