10 Minute Abs Workout (No Equipment Needed!)
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Not much time to workout? We understand that! That’s why we love a 10 minute ab workout! This two round ab circuit is the perfect compliment to a cardio session, a longer strength training workout, or just when you want a quick workout at lunch or at the end of the day.
This abs challenge focuses on working all of the muscles of the abdominals and core, while also increasing your balance and strengthening those hard-to-work muscles by slowing down the tempo in one intense ab workout.
The best part is that this 10 minute routine is a perfect beginner ab workout because you can control the tempo and the difficulty by making simple adjustments and using the clock to your advantage. First time doing this workout? Take your time, focus on your form and not your repetitions.
Ready to make it more challenging? Increase the resistance, slow down the tempo even more, or do more reps! This whole work will have you saying, “What are crunches?!” and you will never go back to traditional, boring ab workouts ever again!
10 Minute Ab Workout
Suggested:
5-10 minute warmup, such as walking or active stretching.
Modification:
Since each exercise is performed for one minute, take your time going through each movement. If this is your first time doing a workout like this, rest as needed.
10 Minute Ab Workout Exercise List
Do each exercise for one minute. Complete one set, and then repeat.
Slow L-Sits
How-to: On your back, start with your legs long, arms extended with your elbows by your ears. For round one, sit up as slowly as possible, keeping your arms alongside your head, legs long, until you come into an L-shape at the top. Then, in one movement, lower down. For round two, repeat, but lower down as slowly as possible.
Form tip: When slowly sitting up, avoid swinging with your arms for momentum by throwing them in front of you. Resist the urge by keeping your arms alongside your head. When you are lowering back to the mat, slowly roll back down; avoid dropping quickly to the mat.
Single Leg Sit-Up Twist
How-to: Start on your back, arms and legs extended. As you sit up, touch your opposite hand to your opposite toe, keeping the arms and legs long as you reach. Lower down and alternate to the other side.
Form tip: Avoid swinging through the movement to be able to touch your toes. If you cannot touch your fingertips to toe, reach for your ankle or shin. If needed, slightly bend your knees.
Modification: If reaching towards your toe is too difficult, sit up, alternating which knee that you bring into your chest, opposite leg long.
Challenge: As you reach your hand to touch your toe, lift the bottom leg slightly off the mat into a hold to increase the difficulty. Then, switch sides.
Leg Lowers
How-to: On your back, extend your legs long above you, creating an L-shape as your back is on the mat, with legs together. For round one, lower your legs until you find the lowest point that you can maintain control and lift the legs as slowly as possible. For round two, lower your legs as slowly as possible and lift in one smooth motion.
Form tip: Maintaining ab engagement is the most important part of this entire movement. Make sure that your lower abdominals are engaged by keeping your lower back pressed into the mat and only lowering as far as you have steady control.
Modification: Move the legs in smaller movements until you grow stronger.
Plank Rotations
How-to: Start in a forearm plank, shoulders over elbows, and body in one line. Creating a rainbow-shape with your hips, alternate from the left to right side, tapping the hip to the ground.
Form tip: To prevent injury to the spine and to fully engage the abs, focus on creating the arching shape with your hips, versus just tipping from side to side. This works the obliques and requires full core engagement.
Modification: Hold a forearm plank for the full minute.
Plank Reach Extensions
How-to: Start in a hand plank or pushup position. Holding your core as steady as possible, lift your right arm and left leg off the mat, balancing at the the top. Slowly lower down and alternate to the other side.
Form tip: This movement requires a lot of body awareness and core engagement. Focus on lifting the opposite arm and leg, versus reaching far away from your body if you feel unstable in the position.
Modification: There are several ways to modify this movement. Staying in the plank position, you can remove the leg lift entirely and just alternate lifting the hands. Alternately, you can do the same with the legs, or cycle through each, lifting each arm and each leg separately.
For sensitive wrists: drop down to a quadruped position and extend opposite arm and leg out as in a bird dog position.