Core & Abs — Workout Tracker

Deep Core · Obliques · Trunk Stability

Video credit: these exercise demos are not mine — shared with thanks to the creators who made them.

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Goal of this session
This workout targets the deep stabilizers and obliques — the muscles directly under trunk fat. Move with intention, not speed. Slow reps with full control burn more and build more than fast, sloppy ones.
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Rest between sets — 30–45 seconds
Core muscles recover quickly. Short rest keeps intensity high and heart rate elevated, which helps with trunk fat mobilization. If an exercise is truly hard, take 60 seconds.
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Rep range & progression — 5–10 reps, 5 sets
Work each exercise for 5 sets in the 5–10 rep range. Once you can complete all 5 sets at 10 reps with good form, it's time to raise the weight. The last set of each exercise should be a true system fail — push it until you can't complete another rep with good form.
Warm-Up
Cam Dance (Boxing Footwork)
Full-body warm-up — calves, quads, shoulders, core; raises heart rate and primes footwork coordination before lifting
Warm-Up
▶ Video
  • Hold a 5 lb dumbbell in each hand, arms relaxed at your sides or up in a light guard position
  • Step and slide across the gym floor — like light boxing footwork — for about 20 steps in one direction
  • Keep your knees soft and weight on the balls of your feet, staying light and bouncy
  • Turn and step-slide back the other direction for about 20 steps — that's one round
  • Keep your shoulders relaxed and breathing steady — this is about movement and rhythm, not intensity
Treadmill Warm-Up
Light steady-state cardio — raises core temperature and heart rate, loosens hips and calves before lifting
Warm-Up
  • Start at an easy, conversational walking pace
  • Keep posture tall — no leaning on the rails
  • Gradually increase pace over the first few minutes if it feels good
  • Goal is to feel warm and loose, not tired — save your energy for the lifts
Elliptical Cross-Trainer
Low-impact full-body cardio — warms up hips, knees, and shoulders together while keeping joint impact low
Warm-Up
  • Set resistance low to moderate — this is a warm-up, not a workout
  • Stand tall, engage your core, and avoid leaning heavily on the handles
  • Keep a smooth, even pace for the full duration
  • Use the moving handles lightly to warm up the shoulders and arms too
Deep Core — Foundation
Dead Bug
Transverse abdominis, multifidus — the deepest stabilizing layer; trains the core to resist extension while limbs move
Bodyweight
▶ Video
  • Lie on your back, arms straight up toward ceiling, knees bent 90° in the air
  • Press your lower back FLAT into the floor — this is the whole point of the exercise
  • Slowly lower opposite arm and leg toward the floor while keeping the back pressed down
  • Return and switch sides — that's one rep. If your back lifts off, the range was too big
  • Exhale as you lower, inhale as you return. Breathing drives the deep core activation
Pallof Press
Transverse abdominis, obliques, glutes — anti-rotation exercise; the cable wants to twist you and your core resists it
Cable
▶ Video
  • Set cable at chest height. Stand sideways to the machine, feet shoulder-width apart
  • Hold the handle at your chest with both hands — this is your start position
  • Press straight out in front of you, hold 2 seconds, return to chest. That's one rep
  • Your hips and shoulders stay square — the whole goal is preventing rotation
  • Complete all reps on one side, then turn around and repeat on the other side
  • Start light — this is harder than it looks when done correctly
Obliques & Trunk
Cable Woodchop (High to Low)
External and internal obliques, trunk rotators — the primary trunk fat burner in this session; rotation through full range
Cable
▶ Video
  • Set cable HIGH (above shoulder height). Stand sideways, feet wider than shoulders
  • Grab the handle with both hands, arms extended — start position is up and across your body
  • Pull the cable DOWN and ACROSS your body toward your opposite hip in a chopping motion
  • Pivot your back foot as you rotate — the movement is through the trunk, not just the arms
  • Control the return — don't let the cable yank you back. The eccentric counts too
  • Do all reps on one side first, then switch the cable to the other side
Bicycle Crunch
Rectus abdominis, external obliques — SLOW tempo only; fast bicycle crunches use momentum, slow ones use muscle
Bodyweight
▶ Video
  • Lie on back, hands lightly behind head — fingers don't pull the neck
  • Bring one knee in while rotating the opposite elbow toward it — hold the twist 1 second
  • Switch sides slowly and deliberately. Each full rotation is one rep
  • Keep the lower back pressed into the floor throughout — same as dead bug
  • If your neck strains, look at the ceiling, not your knees. The work is in the trunk
Upper & Lower Abs
Crunch on Lat Pull Down
Rectus abdominis (upper) — seated crunch against cable resistance on the lat pulldown; weighted crunch creates progressive overload just like any other muscle, abs grow under load
Machine
▶ Video
  • Sit backwards on the lat pulldown seat, facing away from the machine, knees hooked under the pad
  • Grab the bar or rope attachment and bring it down behind your head or over your shoulders
  • Crunch your torso down and forward, leading with your sternum toward your hips
  • Pause and squeeze at the bottom for 1 second before controlling the return
  • Keep the movement coming from your abs, not your arms pulling the bar down
  • Start light enough to feel the abs working through a full range
Lying Leg Raise
Rectus abdominis (lower), hip flexors — lower ab work is harder to isolate; keeping the low back down is the whole challenge
Bodyweight
▶ Video
  • Lie flat, hands palms-down under your glutes for low back support
  • Raise legs to 90° keeping them straight (or slightly bent if hamstrings are tight)
  • Lower slowly — STOP before your low back arches off the floor. That's your range
  • The lower abs are working hardest in the bottom half of the movement
  • If full leg raises are too hard, bend the knees — it shortens the lever and reduces demand
Stability Finisher
Plank with Alternating Reach
Entire anterior core, shoulders, glutes — destabilizing the plank by reaching forces much harder deep core activation than a static hold
Timed
▶ Video
  • Forearm plank position — elbows under shoulders, body in a straight line heel to head
  • Slowly reach one arm straight forward, hold 2 seconds, return, then alternate
  • Hips stay level — no rocking side to side. The anti-rotation work is the whole point
  • Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs like you're about to be punched — hold that tension
  • If hips drop or sag, stop. A short perfect plank beats a long sloppy one every time
Cool-Down
Treadmill Cool-Down
Gradual heart-rate recovery — easy walk to bring breathing and heart rate back down after training
Cool-Down
  • Drop the pace down to a slow, easy walk
  • Focus on slow, deep breathing to bring your heart rate down
  • Use this time to mentally note how the session went
  • Optional: step off and do some light calf and hip flexor stretches
Notes
Session notes
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Core & Abs — Session Summary

Session summary

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Minutes
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Sets
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Reps
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Vol (lbs)
From the Iron

“It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.”

Psalm 18:32 (KJV)