If you want a strong, explosive core, you need to use RESISTANCE.

And the Dumbbell Crawl is one of THE best resistance-based exercises that I've ever found for the core...now we're going to take it to the NEXT level by adding TWO more forms of resistance.

First, a little background. The Dumbbell Crawl exercise itself is very simple. This is done with your hands set on a pair of dumbbells and your feet just on the floor.

Now "walk"/crawl forward one step at at time, moving opposing hands and feet. For example, when you pick up and move your right hand forward, you'll step forward with your left foot.

This puts diagonal tension and torque in through the core, placing MASSIVE stabilizing demands on the obliques and the transverse abdominis (the rectus abdominis is worked with this one as well, just not to the same degree...it affects the deep core muscles more).

You can work up to some fairly heavy dumbbells with just plain Dumbbell Crawling and get GREAT core training out of it.

The next step for additional resistance is adding in a set of ankle weights.

I've got a pair of 20 lb "loadable" ankle weights (click here to see where you can get some yourself).

When you add in the ankle weights, this places additional load on the deep core muscles every time you lift your foot off the ground, and involves the glutes and lower back in the exercise a bit more.

The THIRD piece of resistance is what we're going to add in today...a Training Band.

The bands I use are a standard 41 inch size (click here to see where I get mine). These are great quality and can really take a beating. I use mine all the time. If you don't have any bands yet, I would recommend getting a multi-band package, which you can use for a variety of exercises and techniques.

Now, I would HIGHLY recommend you try the standard Dumbbell Crawl exercise without the bands or ankle weights first, just to get an idea of how it's done. Once you do, then you can add in the ankle weights and/or the bands (depending on what you've got).

I'm going to demo the total package here.

Start by setting your dumbbells at the start position. Set one end of the band on the floor and step on it. You want the band to basically be hooked under your heel during the exercise. The tension of the band will keep it in place.

Put your forearms/wrists into the loop of the band. You don't have to tie it on or wrap it around anything. Again, as long as you maintain tension in the band, it'll stay in place.

Now it begins...

Bend down and grab the dumbbell handles. Pick the right dumbbell up and move it forward a few inches. At the same time, lift your LEFT foot off the ground and step it forward a few inches (this is much easier to see in action in the video, so definitely watch that).

Every time you step, you're putting ALL the load diagonally THROUGH your core. The band adds additional forward-and-backward pulling resistance to the movement, making every step that much harder.

And yes, to answer your question, I am nuts.

Once you've set the dumbbell down, shift the tension to the other side and lift the left dumbbell off the ground and step it forward while stepping forward with your RIGHT foot.

Keep going in this patterns for about 10 to 20 feet (how far you will depend on how much floor space you've got, how much weight you're using, how strong your core is, and how much suffering you're willing to endure...not kidding there).

Once you've gone as far as you're going to (or can) go...now step BACKWARDS. This is actually even harder to do than going forwards because you have less leverage to move.

It's the same basic idea of lifting one dumbbell and stepping with the opposing foot.

And then you're going to get acquainted with the floor.

That's the exercise! Your core will be TRASHED at the end of one set. It develops incredible strength in the deep core muscles due to the multiple forms (and directions) of resistance applied in the exercise.

I would recommend you do 2 to 3 sets of this one at the END of your workout. This one should be saved for after you don't have anything else to do that requires core strength or stability (for real).

It's very straightforward to increase loading with this one...heavier dumbbells, greater distance, thicker band, bigger ankle weights.

If you're crazy enough to give this triple-threat core exercise a try, let me know how you like it!

To watch the full video of the exercise in action (recommended!), click here.

If you want even MORE insane exercises like this one, check out my book "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of"

And if you're interested in my FULL collection of truly insane exercises for your ENTIRE body, I've put together a Lifetime "All-Access Pass" Package Deal that gets you all 14 of my current "Best Exercises" books and EVERY new that I put out in the future as well for NO additional money!

If you like this type of unique training info, this is the BEST deal I've ever offered on it....1,150 exercises in total.

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Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"