15 Minute Ab Workout At Home (Bodyweight Only!)
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We know that many of you have a busy work from home routine and might not have a lot of time to dedicate to working out. But if you’re looking for a short, but intense, ab workout, we have one of the best for you! This core and abs workout requires no equipment and all of the exercises can easily be done anywhere for the perfect abs workout on your mat.
Not only is this 15 minute core workout easy to do anywhere, but it is sure to give you a challenging workout as you light up the muscles of the core and lower abs into one truly effective bodyweight workout.
How Long Does It Take to Get Abs?
We know that everyone is looking for the “quick fix” flat stomach workouts. Unfortunately, even if you did hundreds of crunches each day, you are not likely to see fast abs. The reason for this is that the muscles of the abdominals lie deep within your torso, meaning that the old statement, “Abs are made in the kitchen” is entirely true. A layer of tissue and fat lies over those muscles, meaning that a decrease is body fat is one of the only ways that you will see those six pack abs that everyone desires. So regardless if you do a 30 minute ab workout at home or a 10 minute ab circuit, you must also be making daily lifestyle changes. To make your abs workout truly beneficial, you need to make sure that you are eating whole foods and maintaining a diet that will help you achieve this goal.
Is This Workout For Beginners?
Bodyweight ab workouts are ideal for beginners because it forces you to focus on the movements of your body. Especially during core exercises, such as planks, it’s important to tune into your body and make sure that you are properly engaging each muscle and that your form is correct. Ab workouts, in general, can be an easy way for a beginner to get injured, as they often include too many reps too soon. This workout is meant to challenge you, while still being accessible for all levels, from beginner to advanced.
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15 Minute Bodyweight Only At Home Ab Workout
Suggested:
5-10 Minute warmup + cool down of your choice.
Tip:
Focus on form before worrying about the amount of reps you can do. If you do not use proper form during ab exercises, you not only focus on the wrong muscles (such as the lower back) but you risk injury.
Need a modification?
Since this is a timed workout, take your time during the exercises and learn the movement before trying to speed up or add any weights.
15 Minute Ab Exercises List
Set a 15 minute timer. Perform each exercise for one minute, completing as many reps as you can with good form. Rest one minute in between sets.
2 Rounds:
Scissor Kicks
How-to: On your back, arms by your sides, extend your legs long to a 45 degree angle. Quickly alternate your legs in a scissor movement.
Form tip: Use the hands to stabilize your abdominals and core throughout the movement. Keep the abs engaged by rotating the pelvis upwards and pressing the lower back into the mat. To ensure that this lower ab exercise targets the correct muscles, only lower each leg as far as you are able to maintain control.
Challenge: Place your hands behind your head and lift your head and shoulders from the mat. Keep the chin lifted towards the sky to prevent straining the neck or cutting off your airway, causing you to hold your breath.
4 Way Reaches
How-to: Keeping the same positioning as the previous exercise, extend your arms directly over your chest. Start in the scissor kick position, right leg towards the ceiling, with the left leg as low as possible. Crunch the upper abs to reach the hands to the outside of the right leg. Lower back to the mat. Crunch upwards, to bring the hands to either side of the right leg and lower back down. Switch legs to bring the left leg towards the ceiling, right leg hovering above the mat. Crunch upwards, bringing the hands to either side of the left leg, then lower to the mat before crunching to the outside of the leg. Continue this pattern, alternating between the side of the leg and the center.
Form tip: Avoid rounding through the chest and shoulders by pulling your body upwards and reaching long with the hands.
Modification: To give yourself added stability, place the opposite leg on the mat instead of hovering.
Leg Lowers
How-to: On your back, in the position from the previous exercises, legs extended long. Slowly lower both legs together to your lowest point, exhaling as you lower, inhaling as you bring the legs back up.
Form tip: Avoid arching through the back, press the lower back into the mat. By doing so, you prevent the lower back from compensating and focus on this lower abs exercise.
Challenge: Lift your head, neck and shoulders from the mat, chin lifted, as you lift and lower the legs to fully work the muscles of the abdomen.
Russian Twists
How-to: Sit up, feet pressed into the mat, knees pointed towards the ceiling. Keeping the back straight, lean back until you feel the muscles of the abs engage. With hands pressed together at your chest, elbows wide, alternate twisting to one side of your body, bringing the elbow past the hip. Twist back to center and transition to the other side.
Form tip: Don’t round through the back. Think about pulling the chest to the ceiling, keeping the back straight as you twist.
Challenge: Lift the legs from the ground so that the shins are parallel with the mat, knees bent. For even more challenge, extend the legs long into a V-sit position.
Spider man Planks
How-to: Start in a forearm plank, shoulders stacked over elbows and body in one line, core engaged. Bring one knee to touch the elbow on the same side of the body, in an oblique crunch. Extend the leg back to the plank position and touch the opposite knee to the elbow on the same side.
Form tip: As you bring the knee forward, don’t move from the plank position. If you can’t bring your knee to meet your elbow, that is okay, simply focus on keeping the plank stable as you bring the leg forward.
Modification: Walk your hands up to a pushup position to increase range of motion to bring the knee to elbow. To add greater stability, drop the opposite knee as you bring the elbow and knee to touch.
Challenge: Walk up to a hand plank and do a pushup after you touch the knee to elbow on both sides.
Side Plank Oblique Crunches
How-to: On your side, hips and knees stacked, bottom forearm pressed into the mat, hand in a fist. Keeping the body in line, lift the hips from the mat. At the top of the side plank, bring the same knee and elbow to touch. Extend both back to starting and return the hips to the mat. Complete all reps on the same side before switching.
Form tip: As you press through the mat, lift the hips directly upwards, making sure that you don’t allow the hips to twist backwards.
Modification: For greater stability and balance in the side plank, drop the bottom knee.
Plank Reach Backs
How-to: Start in a pushup position. Send the hips up as you reach back to touch the opposite hand to the opposite foot. Shift the weight back to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Form tip: Don’t move too quickly through this challenging plank exercise. Make sure that after each touch, you return to the starting position with your shoulders over your hands and your body in one line.