Forget sit-ups — use this 10-minute standing abs workout to build a strong core
While classic core exercises like sit-ups and crunches are certainly an effective way to train your abs, they are not the only way. If you prefer to stay standing for your workouts, then this 10-minute session is well worth trying.
It’s been put together by fitness trainer Maddie Lymburner, who goes by MadFit on YouTube, and you don’t need any equipment to get it done, though standing on one of the best yoga mats will grant you a better grip during the workout.
The whole session takes just 10 minutes and is suitable for all fitness levels. You stay standing throughout and don’t repeat any exercises, aside from those you do on each side of the body.
Watch MadFit’s 10-minute standing abs workout
There are 10 moves in the workout and you do each exercise for 45 seconds and rest for 15 seconds, though you can extend the breaks if you need to.
Lymburner does the workout with you and provides form tips and motivation throughout, so make sure you can see and hear her while you train.
To target a variety of muscles in the core while standing, you’ll be doing moves where you bend, twist and raise your legs and knees.
This way, you replicate some of the movements you do with floor-based abs moves, like crunches and sit-ups, so you can work the upper and lower abs, plus your obliques and deep core stabilizing muscles.
The key to success with any core workout is to engage the right muscles, which might mean you need to slow down and really focus on using your abs and obliques to drive the movements.
Rather than rushing through as many reps as possible during each set, keep the relevant core muscles engaged throughout the 45 seconds while moving slowly.
This will maximize the time under tension for your core muscles and ensure an effective workout in just 10 minutes.
With the moves on each side, it’s worth trying to notice if you find it easier on one side or the other. Identifying strength imbalances in your body means you can work to even them out with future workouts.
Standing abs workouts like this are a great low-impact option for training your core, and you can use them as standalone sessions or add them onto the end of a longer session, like this 15-minute full-body workout, to add extra focus on your core.
If you have some weights to hand, you can progress your standing abs workouts by using these. If you’re unsure what to do, try this 12-minute standing dumbbell workout to fire up your abs.
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