Man carrying a 10kg weight plate

Using a Weight Plate to work your core is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your abs as well as burn fat.

And if you’re looking for functional exercises that go above and beyond just using your bodyweight, you’ve come to the right place.

Weight plates exercises are great for building strength while allowing you to move naturally.

Target weak spots, challenge your core and give your abs the resistance they need to get to the next level.

Below you’ll find our guide to the best core exercises you can do using just an Olympic Tri Grip Weight.

Follow these exercises for stronger abs as well as a solid workout.

Ultimate weight plate exercises for a solid core

1 - Dead Bugs

30 x reps

Target your lower core and maintain focus with dead bugs. While lying on the floor, hold the weight plate up above your chest with your arms straight. Bring both legs up at the same time and lower them gradually towards the floor but don’t let them relax. Bring them back up again and repeat.

2 - Overhead With Russian Twists

30 x reps

Take your Russian twists to the next level with these exercises. Start by lying on the floor with your knees bent. Take the weight plate up over your head and back again. Come up into a sit up position and twist the weight plate once towards your right hip and once to your left before you go back down to start again.

3 - Lying Leg Holds

fitness expert performs a lying leg hold using a Mirafit tri grip weight plate

Hold for a minute

Isometric training is great for helping you get stronger so adding in some holds as well as full reps, is ideal. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Place the weight plate on top of your lower shins. You can also grip it between your feet – whatever is most comfortable. Lie back and then raise both your legs up off the floor.

4 - Side Bends

30 x reps each side

Target your obliques with side bends. First, stand up straight with the weight plate in your right hand. While keeping your chest elevated, reach the weight down towards the floor so that you bend down on your right-hand-side. As soon as you get to the point where you can’t go any lower, come back up slowly so that you’re standing up straight and start again.

5 - Weighted Dish

fitness expert performs a weighted dish using a Mirafit tri grip weight plate

Hold for a minute

We’re not going to lie; these exercises aren’t easy! But if you can do them, they’re really worth adding to your core training as the benefits are tenfold.

Lie on your back with your legs straight and feet together. Raise the weight plate up over your head with your arms as straight as possible. Then raise your arms and your legs off the floor at the same time so that your body forms something similar to a dish or banana shape. Hold.

6 - Overhead Plate Crunches With Reach

30 x reps

When you’re doing these, really focus on your form to make sure you’re fully extending your abs. Start off by lying on the floor with your knees bent. Take the weight plate up over your head, then bring it back over. As you sit up, straighten your arms and push the weight plate up into the air as high as you can. Make sure you elevate your chest and straighten your back at the same time. Then bring the weight plate back into your chest as you lie back down to start again.

7 - Wood Choppers

30 x reps each side

You can use these to inject some real power into your oblique exercises. While standing up straight, bring your weight plate up and over your right shoulder. Then, swing it down to your left knee while squatting down at the same time. You’ll need to twist your body to get the full motion but be careful to do this in a controlled manner so that you don’t put yourself at risk of injury. Once you have done 30 reps, repeat on the other side, starting off with the weight plate over your left shoulder and bringing it down towards your right knee.

8 - Three-Point Crunches

fitness expert performs a three point crunch using a Mirafit tri grip weight plate

30 x reps

These are a great variation to normal crunches, and you can concentrate on maintaining your posture as you extend and retract the plate.

Sit up on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. While clasping your weight plate in-between your hands, “point” the weight out to the left of your knees, then back in again. Then point it out in-between your knees, retract and then point out to the right.

9 - Weighted Planks

Hold for a minute

Ramp up your planks and challenge your core with this awesome exercise. This is basically a plank with a weight plate on your back. Place your Tri Grip Weight Plate somewhere close to hand. Then get into a plank position and drag the weight plate up onto your back. Try and place it centrally or you can place it on your glutes. Just make sure it’s in the middle.

10 - Weighted V-Sits

fitness expert performs a weighted v-sit using a Mirafit tri grip weight plate

30 x reps

V-sits are hard enough on their own, never mind with a weight plate. But that’s exactly why we added one in! Lie down on the floor with your arms above your head while holding the weight plate. Sit up into a ‘V’ position, bringing your legs up at the same time while keeping them straight. Reach the weight up to meet your toes and then lie back down again. Your body and legs should come up together. Really squeeze your abs in the top position before you lower yourself back down.

11 - Squats With Rotation

30 x reps

These will work your lower back as well as your abs and obliques, so a really good all-rounder to finish off with. Stand up straight with the weight close to your chest. Then squat down while pushing your weight back. In this position, twist once to the right taking the weight plate all the way round to the side of your hip. Return to the middle and then do the same on the left-hand-side. Then stand back up straight to start again. It’s important to make these movements slow and controlled to help you build strength.

If you'd like to read more about our weight plates as well as the types of exercises you can use them for, head over to the weight plate section of our Product Help Centre.

For more content, follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and on our official Mirafit Facebook page.

Enter your email to signup to our newsletter

Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Exercise Type > Conditioning ; Exercise Type > Strength ; Misc > Workout