The Best 30 Minute Ab Workout At Home That Needs No Equipment
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We’ve been in the habit of sharing a workout with you each week, focusing on different areas of the body. But, our favorite workouts are creative ways to get the best ab workout without just listing a bunch of the same ol’ boring ab exercises. Today’s workout is a great way to get in a core workout, with or without weights!
Can I Workout the Abs Every Day?
A common question that we get: Can you train the abs every day? Just like any muscle group in your body, your core and abdominals need a rest day to fully recover between sessions. If you’re working on strengthening the muscles of your core, a great way to do so is by adding in a variety of ab exercises into your post-workout routine. This ensures that your core is warmed up and can help prevent injury or overtraining. A good goal to set would be to include abs into your routine 2-3 times per week.
Note: When done correctly, almost every exercise is a core exercise. During squats, lunges, deadlifts, or even any upper body exercise, such as shoulder presses, focus on stabilizing the core by engaging the muscles in your abdomen. Just because you are not doing endless amounts of crunches does not mean that you aren’t working your abs!
What is the Goal of this Workout?
Doing 500 crunches every day is not only boring, but will not give you the strength gains that you are looking for (and cause you to risk injury!). These creative ab exercises will help to break the plateau and give you results without spending hours doing abdominal exercises. This series of exercises could easily be a standalone workout, but great when added to the end of your workout as a finisher.
This workout is easily modified, which makes it perfect at-home full body stretch workout for beginners or advanced athletes.
See our full free workout series here.
30-Minute Ab Workout
Suggested:
5-10 Minute Warmup (such as a walk)
Optional:
Slow down the tempo. Take a full 5 seconds for each exercise or optionally, hold in an isometric hold at the bottom of an exercise to increase the time under tension.
Want an added challenge?
Add in a pair of dumbbells or even a mini band in the exercises to add extra resistance.
Need a modification?
If the workout becomes too challenging, easily drop down to your knees to take pressure off your shoulders and wrists. Make sure to focus on your core engagement and precent arching in your lower ack.
Exercise List:
Perform 25 repetitions of each exercise. repeat Circuit.
Deadbugs
How-to: Lying on your back, knees stacked over hips, arms extended over your chest. Extend your opposite leg and arm long. Return to the start position and alternate.
Form tip: Do not let the lower back arch from the mat. Press the pelvis into the mat and engage the core muscles.
Modification: Only extend the leg as long as you can keep the back on the mat.
Core Push-Aways
How-to: In the same position as the previous exercise, press the legs out and away to 45 degrees. Find your lowest point and return the knees to stack over the hips.
Form tip: This is a great strength building exercise for the transverse abdominals. However, make sure to not lose the core engagement as you press the legs away.
Challenge: Lift the head and shoulders for a more intense ab exercise.
Leg Circles
How-to: Start with the legs extended at 45 degrees. Point the toes and open the legs, drawing a large circle. At the bottom of the circle, lift the legs back to 45 degrees.
Form tip: Maintain the core engagement by pressing the lower back into the mat. Adjust the size of the circle if you have difficulty maintaining the crunch.
V-Sit Climbs
How-to: Start on your back, one leg extended and one knee bent, foot pressed on the mat. Sit up, lifting from the hip flexor, leg long, and place one hand behind the knee as one hand reaches towards the toe. Hold for one second before laying down on the mat. Perform all reps on the same side before switching.
Form tip: If you do not need the added support of the hand behind the knee, reach both hands directly to the toe. Make sure to keep the chest lifted and sit tall as you reach towards the toes.
Side Chop Bicycles
How-to: Start with your back on the mat, knees at 90 degrees, stacked over hips. As you extend one leg long, twist to reach your arms past the knee on the opposite side for an oblique crunch. Return to center and crunch on the other side.
Form tip: Keep the lower back pressed into the mat.
Modification: If you need support for your neck, bring your hands behind your head, elbows wide and touch opposite elbow to opposite knee in a traditional bicycle.
V-Sits
How-to: With your back on the mat, arms outstretched overhead and legs long, sit up, lifting the legs from the hip flexor to touch your toes, creating a V-shape with your body. Control as you lower back down.
Form tip: Keep the legs long and avoid bending the knees to get the deepest burn in the lower abs.
Modification: Place your hands behind your hips, fingers towards your center, and bring your knees into your chest. Extend the legs long.
Single Leg Plank Walkups
How-to: Start in a forearm plank with one leg lifted off the ground. Press into the forearms to walk up to the hands and slowly lower down. Perform all repetitions on one side before switching and lifting the opposite foot.
Form tip: Planks are a great way to build strength in the core. Reduce twisting and rocking through the hips by squeezing the glutes and abs and focus on stability throughout the entire movement.
Modification: Drop to the knees if needed for sensitive wrists.
Thread the Needles
How-to: In a pushup position, twist to reach one hand toward the ceiling. As you return to the pushup position, reach the arm underneath you and bring the opposite shoulder parallel with the mat.
Form tip: Focus on keeping the core as stable as possible. Move through this exercise slowly.
Modification: Drop to the knees if needed for sensitive wrists.
Plank Knee to Chest
How-to: In a pushup position, bring the knee into the chest, rounding the back, and press the leg back out.
Form tip: To get the most ab engagement from this plank exercise, press through the hands to round the back as high as possible. As you extend the leg, squeeze the glutes to bring the hips back in alignment.
Modification: Drop to the knees if needed for sensitive wrists.
Toe Touches
How-to: With your back on the mat, extend the legs overhead, making an L-position. Start this upper body crunch by reaching your fingers towards your toes.
Form tip: Avoid the rock by controlling the movement as you lift and lower.
Modification: Place the hands behind the head for added head and neck support.
Marching Bridges
How-to: Press the hips up into a glute bridge and alternate lifting each foot in a march.
Form tip: Don’t let the hips drops as you lift the fit. Squeeze the muscles of the glutes and core and don’t drop the hips until the reps are completed.