There are a lot of different ways to go about building your core strength, and the good news for anyone who hates long training sessions or doing sit-ups is that you can carve out stronger abs and obliques in just 10 minutes with this standing workout.
The standing abs workout has been put together by fitness trainer Kat Boley and it contains four moves. Boley suggests using a light-medium dumbbell during the sessions (she’s using a 10lb weight, for reference), along with an extra-light looped resistance band.
If you don’t have either or both of those then you can still do the workout, but it will provide more of a challenge with some extra resistance — you could sub in a can of food for the dumbbell, for example.
In general, the best resistance bands are a great addition to a core training routine, especially because they’re so portable and versatile, so if you pick up a lightweight looped band for this session you can be sure you’ll get plenty more use out of it in the future as well.
Watch Kat Boley’s 10-minute abs workout
The workout involves doing three rounds of four core exercises, aiming to complete 10-12 reps of each move — complete those reps on both sides, if required.
If you maintain a steady pace with each exercise and don’t rest too much between moves, then you’ll finish it in under 10 minutes easily, but don’t be afraid to rest for longer if and when required.
Boley demonstrates each of the moves in her Instagram post, so make sure you scroll through the videos to see all of them in advance so you know what you’re going to be doing.
Here are the four exercises in the session:
- Standing crunch with dumbbell and band
- Standing side crunch with dumbbell
- Alternating standing toe-taps
- Side-to-side toe taps with band
The workout is designed to target both the upper and lower abs as well as your obliques in just four moves, and if you power through three rounds of the exercises you’ll definitely feel the benefits with regards to your core strength.
While floor exercises like sit-ups are undoubtedly a good option for building core strength, they can put strain on your neck, and standing abs workouts are a great alternative, especially for those just starting a fitness kick.
Just remember that whether you’re standing or lying on the floor, the key to long-term success with your training is consistency — aim to do this workout or similar core sessions two or three times a week, and then progress to more challenging ones when you become comfortable with it.
If you enjoy this style of workout and want to progress with a longer standing session, this 20-minute core workout is worth giving a go.
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