I’ve dug deep for a kettlebell ab workout that is short, fiery and efficient. And I think I’ve found one.
You’ll never do crunches again when you grab one of the best kettlebells for weightlifting and enter the hurt locker with this three-move functional core workout.
When we say “functional,” what do we mean?
A functional workout is a workout that primarily uses multi-muscle compound exercises to move your body in natural ways — pulling, pushing, jumping and squatting, for example, to build strength, mobility, muscle, or all of the above.
Functional core workouts usually include exercises you wouldn’t necessarily pick for an ab workout — they utilize the core heavily to drive and stabilize while also working and strengthening other muscle groups rather than isolating your abs.
Efficient, effective and good for your mind and body — that’s functional training. Give this workout a try, and get ready for the burn.
Watch Flo Lyfe’s 10-minute functional core strength circuit:
This 10-minute kettlebell workout only consists of three exercises:
4 rounds
- Half kneeling kettlebell chop (8 reps right / 8 reps left)
- Turkish sit-up (8 reps right / 8 reps left)
- Banded suitcase march (8 reps right / 8 reps left)
Building core strength doesn’t just mean hitting your abs (read: abs vs core), so it’s unsurprising that this functional core circuit doesn’t either.
Also unsurprisingly, Flo Lyfe isn’t the real name of the coach who designed it. Colin Pasque is a functional training coach followed by celebs, like Tom Segura, and athletes alike.
He’s programmed this circuit to work your left and right sides independently, which is one of my favorite ways to train — unilaterally. Unilateral workouts are particularly helpful if you have a dominant side that tends to take over during workouts.
Unlike barbell exercises, single-sided movements prevent your slacking side from getting help from your dominant side, helping to iron out potential weaknesses and muscular imbalances you might not even be aware of.
Over time, these weaker or underused muscles can cause dysfunction in your movement mechanics, potentially leading to overuse elsewhere or even pain and injury.
A functional workout is a workout that primarily uses multi-muscle compound exercises.
Even if you don’t always train unilaterally, trying a few workouts like this one, especially with kettlebells, can help you add more functional training to your strength routines.
I love coaching with kettlebells because they give you access to a free range of motion, which is great for developing mobility and strength and hitting more muscle groups. Back in the gym? these 5 kettlebell exercises are worth a try, too.
I’m a sucker for the comments sections when any coach posts a workout routine, myself included. One question that pops up is about the type of band to use for the hip marches.
I’d recommend a loop band from our best resistance bands guide, perfectly suited to glute and hip activation exercises. Choose a thickness that allows you to draw your knee upward to roughly hip height; too low, and the exercise becomes less effective for your hips and core.
And runners — the hip march is definitely an exercise aimed at you!
Why are crunches not recommended?
They are — they’re just not for everyone.
Crunches primarily strengthen the abdominal muscles while targeting the obliques and lower back. Doing too many, like any exercise, increases your risk of injury, especially if you have any problems with your back or struggle to engage your core properly.
While crunches aren’t “bad,” there are many other ways to strengthen your core as a whole unit of muscles rather than drilling down on one area repeatedly. As part of a wider core routine, you may enjoy crunches (and that’s great!) but if they bother your back, look elsewhere.
There’s no shortage of highly effective, functional exercises that load and move your core muscles through multiple planes of motion that reflect how you move day-to-day — rotating, flexing, extending, sitting, or standing up, for example.
Kneeling workouts are also brilliant at working on your core engagement because you can’t use your legs for support, as you’ll soon find out with this kettlebell routine.
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