This 8-minute ab workout is what we'd call 'core-tastic' at T3 HQ. It's short and sweat and works the lower, middle and upper abs, as well as the obliques. Better still, this exercise session can be completed using a single dumbbell only or no home gym equipment at all; we'd recommend the latter to beginners. Use this as a finisher for a longer workout or a standalone ab blast.
Visible abs look great, but you shouldn't exercise only to reveal your six-pack. There are many reasons to train your midsection, with research indicating that strong abs might help digestion. Eighty women were enrolled in a study to determine the connection between core strength and 'colon transit time' (CTT; the time it takes to push stool through the colon). The results show that CTT "decreased significantly" in sections of the colon in the group that did a 12-week, instructor-led core strengthening exercise. All the motivation we need to start doing crunches!
