Fitness coach Jeff Cavaliere has an ab routine that works for even the busiest gym-goers. On Feb. 1, 2026, he broke down his no-nonsense 9-minute weighted ab workout.
“All you need is a little space on the floor here, and nine minutes.”
Jeff Cavaliere isn’t an armchair fitness influencer. He practices what he preaches. With decades of experience perfecting his diet and training, he boasts a conditioned and vascular physique. From daunting leg training tutorials to nutritional programs, he shows how to make the most of what’s around you. This led him to take a closer look at how to torch the core without even leaving your home.
Jeff Cavaliere’s No-Nonsense 9-Min Weighted Ab Routine
Find his exercises below:
Note: 30 seconds of rest in between each movement
- Plate Pass Reverse Crunch
- Hideaway Twisting Leg Raises
- Russian Twist and Press
- Plate Drags
- Rainbow Bridge Twists
- Upper Circle Crunches
*Each exercise should be performed for at least one minute each
- Beginners: Use a 5-pound plate
- Intermediate: Use a 10-pound plate
- Advanced: Use a 25-pound plate
Plate Pass Reverse Crunch
For lower ab activation, Cavaliere emphasized why this ‘bottom-up’ movement works:
“This one is going to hit the lower abs with this bottom-up movement. The weight is going to be pushed underneath your tailbone as you curl up, which requires that you get enough lift on the tailbone from the work of the lower abs and also that you can hold it up there long enough to accomplish the pass.”
Hideaway Twisting Leg Raises
The hideaway twisting leg raise helps with bottom-up rotation. For the best results, the toes should disappear when the lifter raises their legs up.
“Here’s what you do is take the plate and engage the abs by lifting the shoulders up against the weight of gravity. The idea is the rest of the movement is what’s happening with the legs.
You want to get them lifted to the point where the toes disappear or hide away behind the plate. Once you lose sight of the toes, twist the torso at the bottom to create that bottom-up rotation.”
Russian Twist and Press
He recommended keeping the legs off the ground throughout the Russian twist and press.
“Try to keep the legs up off the ground the entire time, requiring a lot of core stability and balance as you do this. As you get into the middle of the exercise, you’re reaching the plate up and overhead.”
Plate Drags
The plate drag looks like a plank. However, he tweaks it by having the lifter drag a plate across and under their body.
“It’s a standard plank, but we like to make it more difficult. You have to drag that plate alternately across your body. Every time you have to reach up and pull, you have one less point of contact on the ground,” he said. This makes it more difficult, more challenging in rotational stability.”
Rainbow Bridge Twists
He used the rainbow bridge twists for top-down rotation, noting that it’s also important to keep the shoulders off the floor throughout repetitions.
“You’re making the big rainbow shape arch with the shoulders up off the floor. This is our top-down rotation move. It’s pretty simple, you’re just wiping the plate left to right and right to left, but reaching up in the middle there and also making sure to keep those shoulders off the entire duration of the exercise,” he said.
Upper Circle Crunches
Lastly, he finished with circle crunches, holding a weight plate in the air and performing a circular motion.
“Think about making big clockwise circles here off the ground, always. Getting the shoulder blades cleared completely off the ground. The halfway point, 30 seconds in, you want to switch the direction and go back in the opposite direction for the remaining 30 seconds.”
This routine can go by quickly, but if time is even more limited, Cavaliere has a solution. He shared the only two exercises needed to build chiseled abs. He said the reverse corkscrew and upper circle crunch make for a balanced and effective routine.
Cavaliere continues to boast a ripped midsection. He is adamant that this workout can help anyone achieve results if they remain consistent and put forth the effort.
Watch the full video from the ATHLEAN-X YouTube channel below:
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