Ab exercises can sometimes feel like a bit of a chore, but when your goal is to build a six-pack you've got to grit your teeth and get them done. Abdominal muscles take time to develop too, so you’ll want plenty of quick exercises you can do throughout the week, so you can switch things up and not get bored. This particular one is super speedy; it takes six minutes and only has four different exercises, so you’ll be able to easily squeeze it in a couple of times a week to your busy schedule.
As well as doing exercises to strengthen the abdominals, it's important you’re eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet. It won’t matter how many ab workouts you do, if you have strong abdominal muscles that are covered by a layer of body fat then they’re not going to be visible. For your abs to pop through you therefore need to have a low body fat percentage, which means losing weight healthily. Do this and work your abs consistently over a decent period of time and you’ll be well on your way to getting a six-pack.
This circuit workout is completely floor-based, so make sure you have an exercise mat for some extra support and comfort. You’ll also want to grab your pair of best workout shoes too, as there are a couple of high intensity exercises, and wearing some will help you perform the exercise better, therefore reducing the likelihood of injury. You’ll do each of the four exercises for 30 seconds. Once you’ve completed them all you get a 30 second break, before repeating the workout one more time. Here’s what you’ll be doing:
- Side plank and oblique crunch (30 secs each side)
- Ab Bike crunches
- Straight Leg Raise with Hip Lift
- Mountain Climbers
We’ve got loads of other efficient and fast ab workouts you can try giving a go, like this three-move ab workout that only takes three minutes. Want to work your abdominal muscles even harder? Try adding some extra resistance, like a dumbbell, into your exercises. This standing ab workout that uses one dumbbell is perfect for this, but still beginner-friendly.
