The 5-Minute Ab Workout to Strengthen Your Core

Photo: Daily Burn

Got five minutes? That’s all the time you need to work your core, thanks to this quick 5-minute ab workout from Daily Burn trainer Anja Garcia. Whether you’re tacking it on to the end of your cardio session, or simply squeezing in five minutes of fitness before you start your day, we promise you’ll feel the burn. “If things start to shake, things are working,” Garcia says.

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Perform each move for 50 seconds, with 10 seconds of rest in between. You’ll be done before you know it.

The 5-Minute Ab Workout You Won’t Get Sick Of

1.Standing Cross Crunch
How to: Stand straight, arms behind your head. Perform a standing crunch, bringing your opposite elbow to opposite knee. “You may feel like you’re getting off balance, but that’s part of the drill here,” Garcia says. With each crunch, try to drive your knee so it’s at a 90-degree angle.

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2. Beast Crunch
How to: Get down on the floor, positioned on your hands and knees. Lift your knees a few inches off the ground. Twist your torso side to side, bringing your right glute towards the ground (but not touching!), then your left. Need a challenge? Pick up your right hand, and bring your left knee in to touch your right elbow — and repeat on the opposite side. “You’ll feel that right into those obliques — those are the side abs,” Garcia says. “I really like this movement because we’re not on our back, but everything is working from the front of our core to the backside.”

3. Side Plank
How to: Lie on your right side, propped up on your right elbow, right knee on the ground, left arm straight up in the air. Reach your right arm down, threading it under your torso, then bring it straight up into the air again. Then, lift your left leg up, bending at the knee, as you bring your left arm down, touching knee to elbow. For an extra challenge, lift your bottom knee off the ground to come into full plank. Repeat for 25 seconds on each side.

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4. Plank Walks
How to: Sit on your butt, legs out in front of you. Plant your hands on the ground just behind your butt, fingers pointing towards your toes. Lift your butt off the ground, keeping your legs straight. Hold there, or for an extra challenge, bring alternating knees towards your chest. “Now remember that your core involves your back as well as the front side, which is why this move is so important,” Garcia says. Keep your hips lifted as you go; they might start to drop as you get tired.

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5. Tick Tocks
How to: Stand up, feet positioned wider than your hips, toes pointed out. Put your hands behind your head and get into a squat position. Then, keeping your torso upright, reach your elbows side-to-side, bringing your right elbow to your right knee, and left elbow to your left knee. Keep your belly button tucked up and in. “Pretend that there’s a wall in front of you, so you’re not starting to hunch forward,” Garcia says.

Want more no-equipment exercises like these? Head to DailyBurn.com/365 to get new live workouts, daily.

Life by Daily Burn is dedicated to helping you live a healthier, happier and more active lifestyle. Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain strength or de-stress, a better you is well within reach. Get more health and fitness tips at Life by Daily Burn.

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