Do fast ab workout at home without going to a gym. You don’t need expensive machines, dumbbells or a barbell. Instead of them, you can exercise using only your bodyweight.
Below, I will show you a fast ab workout routine which you can do at home. It will take only 15 minutes. Of course, if you want, you can perform it for a longer time.
Before the beginning of the workout, remember that abdominal muscles aren’t only muscles in the body. There is also chest, legs, back and other muscles.
If you want to look great naked and get an aesthetic physique, take care of all of them. Many don’t appreciate the fact that the body feels better when it is in a balance.
Three exercises
This workout routine is designed for people who have at least some experience in exercising. I even could say with average training experience. I have included popular ab exercises in the workout routine. So, if you want, you can seek additional information about these exercises.
Three exercises:
- Abdominal crunches on a floor;
- Elbow plank;
- Reverse crunches;
How to perform the exercises?
This time, I suggest you perform ab exercises one exercise after another like in circuit training.
Start the workout with 10 – 15 minutes long warm-up.
Why is warming up so important?
Warm-up prepares our body physiologically and psychologically for a workout. This will help you to reduce the risk of injuries, such as muscle strains, soreness, etc.
Now you are ready for the abs workout.
Fast ab workout at home
Step by step.
Abdominal crunches on a floor. Do for 15 – 30 reps.
Rest for 30 – 60 seconds.
Now it’s time for the 30 – 90 seconds elbow plank. After the plank, you will feel worn out.
Rest for 30 – 60 seconds.
Finally, perform reverse crunches for 15 – 35 reps. Rest for 30 – 60 seconds and repeat the circuit.
To keep your abs in good condition, three circuits will be more than enough. If this workout is too challenging for you, increase the rest between exercises or perform fewer circuits.
Finish the workout with a cool-down and stretch for 5 – 10 minutes.
Ab exercises
Abdominal crunches on a floor
Lie down on your back on a carpeted floor or gym mat. Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor. Pay attention to your lower back and don’t leave space between it and the floor. If there is a space, it could add additional stress to the lower back. After that, cross your arms over your chest.
Exhale, contract abs and slowly start a movement. Raise your head and shoulders toward the ceiling and pause at the peak. You don’t need to your lift your entire back off the floor, only your upper back.
Usually, it is enough to raise the shoulders about 10 cm (4 in) off the ground. Lifting the entire back will engage the leg muscles in the movement more and could cause back strain. We want to train abs not legs!
Inhale and slowly return to the starting position. Don’t slump down, control the movement on the way down.
Repeat the movement 15 – 30 times and complete the exercise.
In order to make the exercise easier, don’t jerk your upper body while doing a crunch. This could cause some injuries.
Hand position during the exercise can affect how difficult it will be. If you rest your arms straight at the side of your body, it will make exercise easier.
However, placing hands behind the head (don’t push head) or extending to the back will make the exercise more challenging. I advise you to start with the less challenging variation.
You can vary abdominal crunches by changing leg position. For example, lift your legs straight to the ceiling or bend knees and place heels on the couch or chair. The latter is a very good variation. It helps to reduce stress on the lower back by eliminating a gap between the back and the ground.
Elbow (forearm) plank
Start the plank from the same position as you would for push ups. Place your hands directly under the shoulders. The distance between palms needs to be about shoulder-width or slightly wider.
Toes are stable on the ground and support the legs. From the side, the body needs to look like one line with a neutral spine. Instead of raising your head, try to look down and between palms. In order to maintain the proper posture, squeeze the glutes.
Bend the elbows, place forearms and palms on the ground. Now, the elbows need to be under the shoulders. Your arms should create a 90-degree angle.
From this position, you are ready to start the exercise. If you want, you can stay on the hands as in the beginning. However, it will make the exercise more challenging.
If you did all this correctly, you should feel a tension in the leg, ab, back and shoulder muscles.
While performing elbow plank, breath freely and don’t hold your breath. Otherwise, your blood pressure could go up and it isn’t good for your cardiovascular system.
Common exercise form mistakes are when you raise your butt too high or drop it too low. This is due to lack of experience and muscle strength. You can take a video shot with a smartphone and check your form.
If this exercise is too difficult for you, I suggest you try the knee plank. During the knee plank, you will stay on your knees and the palms will support the body. It will make exercise easier.
Furthermore, remember to squeeze the glutes. As I said, it will help to keep the body in one line.
Reverse crunches
Reverse crunches will help you to better feel the lower abs. However, this exercise does work all the ab muscles. For this reason, don’t bother about other ab areas.
Lie down on your back on the floor, bend your knees and lift your feet. Your thighs should be perpendicular and shins parallel to the floor. Place your arms along your body and use them for additional stability.
Exhale, tense your abs and slowly lift your hips towards the chest. Try to squeeze the abs as much as possible and pause at the peak.
In this case, the position looks opposite from our first exercise. Now, curl your body from hips towards the chest. In order to reduce the leg muscle becoming involved, try to imagine you’re your body ends with the hips.
At the beginning, you will feel uncomfortable. As long as you continue the exercise, it will become easier.
Inhale and slowly return to the starting position. Go for the next rep…
In order to make crunches more challenging, you can straighten your legs more to the back and/or put your hands behind your head.
In this case, the ab muscles will more be engaged to stabilize the body.
Variation for ab workout
Some prefer to work more on the obliques (side abs) rather than the front part of the abs. In this case, instead of the previously described exercises, you can choose different ones. Instead of the elbow plank, try a side plank or crunches twist etc.
If you would prefer to not exercise in a circuit, you can perform the first exercise in 3 sets and only after that, move to the next one. Between sets and exercises, rest for a 30 – 60 seconds.
Now, your workout will look different. As you can see, if you have the desire there are a plenty of options for quickly working out your abs at home.
Which other muscles do you like to exercise at home?
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