7 Cardio Exercises for Abs For Beginners (2024)

Achieving sculpted abs isn’t just about laborious workouts. There are other effective exercises that play a crucial role in revealing the abdominal muscles. One of those exercises is cardio exercises for abs. incorporating these exercises into your fitness routine helps burn fat and enhance core strength. Thus, making your abs more defined and visible.

In this article, I’ll provide you with a comprehensive guide to cardio exercises for abs. These exercises will help you get one step closer to the toned midsection you’ve been working on.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-intensity interval training is a workout strategy that shifts between short bursts of intense exercise and rest intervals. The main advantage of this exercise is efficiency. You can lose significant fat and acquire muscle definition in a short period. This makes HIIT one of the perfect cardio exercises for abs.

The rapid and intense nature of HIIT increases your heart rate. This leads to increased calorie burns both during and after the workout. The process is known as EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) or the “afterburn” effect. This helps to burn overall body fat. It also includes the stubborn fat around your midsection.

Sprints

Sprints are a form of high-intensity exercise. It boosts your metabolism and enhances the afterburn effect. The intense effort required for sprinting engages multiple muscle groups. This helps to strengthen and define the abdominal muscles.

To intensify the workouts, consider adding sprinting intervals to your routine. Here’s how you can do it.

Warm-Up

Start with 5-10 minutes of warm-up. You can do light jogging or perform dynamic stretches. This prepares your muscles and prevents injury.

Structured Intervals

1. Try a structure which includes 30 seconds of all-out sprinting.
2. Then walk or jog for 1-2 minutes. Repeat this for 15-20 minutes.
3. Increase the sprint duration gradually and then decrease back down.
4. Allow for adequate recovery.

Suggested Read: 10 Effective Gym Routine For Women

Jump Rope

Jump rope exercises are highly effective in burning calories. This makes it a great addition to a workout routine aimed at achieving visible abs. Jumping rope can burn up to 10-16 calories per minute. But it depends on your intensity and weight.

To maximise the benefits of jump rope cardio exercises for abs, incorporate the high-knees variation. This variation increases the intensity of the exercise. Thus, boosting calorie burn and requiring greater engagement from your core.

Suggested Read: Jumping Rope and Weight Loss: What Does Jump Roping Do to Your Body?

1. Bring your knees towards your chest with each jump as if you are running.
2. Continue for 30-60 seconds.
3. Rest for 30 seconds.
4. Repeat for several sets.
   

Cycling

Cycling is also among powerful cardio exercises for abs. it reduces belly fat and contributes to more defined abs. high-intensity cycling increases your heart rate and boosts your metabolism. Thus, leading to a higher calorie burn, creating a calorie deficit to lose your overall body fat.

High-intensity cycling engages multiple muscle groups. This includes the legs, glutes, and core. The core muscles work to stabilise the body, maintain balance, and support efficient pedalling. This constant engagement helps strengthen the abdominal muscles. Thus, contributing to better muscle definition.

To maximise the benefits of cycling for your abs, interval training on a stationary bike is highly effective. This involves alternating between high-intensity and incorporating both sitting and standing positions to engage the core muscles more dynamically.

Kickboxing

Kickboxing is a high-energy workout. It combines cardio, strength, and agility exercises. This makes it an excellent choice for targeting the core. The rotational and stabilising actions involved in kickboxing enhance core strength and improve coordination. The following are a few common kickboxing moves effective for abs.

1. Roundhouse Kicks
   1. Begin in a fighting stance with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your one foot slightly in front of the other.
   2. Shift your weight to your back leg. Pivot on the ball of your front foot.
   3. Lift your front knee and extend your leg. Strike with the top of your foot while rotating your hips and shoulders.
   4. Return to the starting position and repeat.
2. Sidekicks
   1. Start in a fighting stance with your feet shoulder-width apart.
   2. Shift your weight to your back leg and bring your front knee up toward your chest.
   3. Extend your leg to the side, striking with the heel of your foot, while keeping your upper body stable.
   4. Pull your leg back and return to the starting position.
3. Front Kicks
   1. Stand in a fighting stance with your feet shoulder-width apart.
   2. Lift your knee toward your chest and extend your leg forward, striking with the ball of your foot.
   3. Retract your leg and return to the starting position.
4. Hook Punches
   1. In a fighting stance, bring your lead arm up to shoulder height with your elbow bent.
   2. Pivot on the ball of your lead foot, rotating your hips and shoulders while swinging your arm in a hooking motion.
   3. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other arm.
5. Uppercuts
   1. Stand in a fighting stance with your knees slightly bent.
   2. Drop your lead hand slightly and rotate your torso as you drive your fist upward in a scooping motion.
   3. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other hand.

Burpees

Burpees combine strength training and cardiovascular conditioning in a single movement. It engages multiple muscle groups. This includes chests, arms, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core. Thus, making it the most effective full-body cardio exercises for abs.

The transition between standing, plank, and jumping requires continuous engagement of the abdominal muscles. This leads to stronger and more defined abs.

How to Perform a Proper Burpee

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your arms at your sides.
• Lower into a squat position. Place your hands on the floor in the front.
• Jump your feet back to land in a plank position. Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Perform a push-up. Lower your chest to the ground. Then push back up to the plank position.
• Return to the squat position by jumping your feet back to your hands.
• Explode from the squat into a jump.
• Land softly and immediately lower back into the squat position.
• Get ready to begin the next repetition.

Suggested Read: 15 Shoulder Exercises for Sculpting your Upper Body Muscles

Swimming

Swimming is an excellent full-body workout. It combines cardiovascular exercise with strength training. The buoyancy of water reduces the impact on your body. This makes it an ideal exercise for people of all fitness levels. Despite being a low-impact exercise, swimming provides high resistance due to the density of water. This requires more effort to move through compared to air.

This high resistance makes it an effective exercise for strengthening the core. Various strokes in swimming involve significant rotation and undulation. These strokes target the abdominal muscles, obliques, and lower back. This leads to a stronger and more defined midsection.

Bottomline

Incorporating these cardio exercises for abs into your fitness routine is a powerful way to achieve sculpted abs. each exercise offers unique benefits for the abs. consistency and proper form are the keys to optimum results. Make sure you stay hydrated. Listen to your body. Avoid overtraining.

So, start your journey towards achieving the toned abs you always wanted.

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