Good news for anyone who’s living room doubles as a fitness studio: You can totally, 100-percent score a hard core by doing ab workouts at home.
Yep, even from home, all you need to create an effective abs workout and sculpt your midsection is to incorporate exercises that target all four of the major muscle groups in your midsection—the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, internal obliques, and external obliques.
You see, your abs are a complex muscle group, so it’s important to work ’em in different planes (front-to-back, side-to-side, and diagonally). The good news here: You can officially stop doing a million crunches and sit-ups, which just work your rectus abdominus, the muscles that run down the front of your stomach. (Hallelujah!)
The better news? Switching up your abs exercises will stop you from getting bored (or landing yourself an overuse injury) and actually help you carve your core faster.
Oh, and the best news yet: All you need at home is enough space for a yoga mat to make the magic happen. Nope, you don’t need a shred of equipment for a scorcher of a home abs workout.
But what does this core-sculpting home workout look like, exactly? This 10-move abs circuit workout. Crank it out two or three times a week and you’ll be well on your way to more toned abs without having to leave home.
Ready to sweat? Turn off Netflix, put on your favorite playlist, and brace that core for the work ahead.
Time: 20 minutes
Equipment: mat
Good for: abs, core
Instructions: Complete the indicated number of reps for each move below (demo-d by certified trainer Kara Liotta). From there, immediately continue to the next exercise without resting until you’ve finished all of them. Then, rest for one minute and repeat all 10 moves a second time. (If you’re feeling up to it, go for a third!)