You only need six minutes and these six bodyweight exercises to strengthen your abs

They take time, consistency and a well-balanced diet

Women laying on the floor with her abs out
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The recipe for visible, well-defined abs isn’t doing super long workouts. It’s consistency, eating a well-balanced diet and being in a calorie deficit. If you’ve got the latter two in check, then this workout will be the perfect missing piece in your puzzle. It’s super quick and easy to fit in around a busy schedule and, better still, requires no equipment at all. 

While we have no issue with you wanting to work on your six-pack for aesthetic purposes, we would also advise that you try and incorporate some core exercises (like this three-move core workout). As your core not only includes the abdominal muscles, but also the pelvis, lower back and hips and working it helps to stabilise your spine and torso. Aesthetic goals are fine, but don’t forget about overall body health too. 

Make sure you have an exercise mat beneath you for this workout, as all of these exercises are floor-based; put on your best workout shoes and have your gym water bottle at the ready, as you're going to get hot! You're going to do each exercise for 40 seconds, then you get a 20 second break, before you go in again and do the next exercise. You're only doing one round of the workout in total, so try and keep working for the entire 40 seconds. Here's your workout:

  • Flutters
  • Toe taps
  • Deadbugs
  • Ab bikes crunches 
  • Side to side plank 
  • Mountain climbers

We hope you found that effective and quick enough to fit into your schedule. If you're looking for more advice on developing your abdominal muscles, take a read of this fitness experts four workout and diet tips for abs. However, if it's more ab workouts that you're after, here's another speedy five minute bodyweight ab workout you can do in no time.

Bryony Firth-Bernard
Staff Writer, Active

Bryony’s T3’s official ‘gym-bunny’ and Active Staff Writer, covering all things fitness. In her spare time, you will find her in her natural habitat - the gym - where her style of training is a hybrid of bodybuilding and powerlifting. Bryony loves writing about accessible workouts, nutrition and testing innovative fitness products that help you reach your fitness goals and take your training to the next level.