If you’re looking to start a fitness journey during quarantine, a good place start is with some great beginner ab workouts. They can be great for slimming down your waist or building up your ab muscles and overall core. Pair these with some solid cardio workouts and you’ll be slimming down and toning your body in no time! Quarantine is a great time to get used to these beginner ab workouts, as you can do them in the safety of your home without worrying about being shamed for your potential poor form or fitness. Take advantage of this extra free time at home and use it to get into better shape! Here are 10 beginner ab workouts to do while stuck in quarantine.
Planking is a great beginner ab workout, as it is relatively easy with lots of variations. You’ll start with your elbows bent against the ground and resting your weight on your forearms. You should be forming a straight line with your feet out behind you. Basically, you should be in a push-up position but using your forearms instead of your hands. Brace your core as you hold yourself up in as straight a line as possible. Try starting out with 30-second holds, then increase your time and see how long you can plank for!
The metronome is a great beginner ab workout, as it is easy to learn and leaves you feeling super exercised. You’ll start by lying on your back with your legs raised and knees bent. Your ankles should be parallel to the ground and your arms should be extended to your sides for balance. You’ll rotate your legs to one side while keeping as much of your upper torso on the ground as you can, then bring your knees as close to the floor as you can without touching it. Return your legs to your center, then move your knees to the other side. Start out with about 10 repetitions in your sets.
Another great core and ab exercise is Russian twists. It’s good for a beginner ab workout, as it helps you strengthen up your abs and core. Sit on the ground, ideally on an exercise mat, and hold up your legs with a slight bend in your knees. Lean back slightly and engage your core to make a v-shape. While balancing, you’ll twist your torso from side to side without moving your legs. It can be helpful to cross your ankles to maintain your balance. There are couple variations of this exercise, like using a medicine ball or dumbbell for a tougher workout!
Leg raises are great beginner ab workouts that help strengthen your core. You lay down and have your arms at your sides with your palms facing down. Try to keep your legs straight as you lift them off the ground, keeping your ankles close together, and bring them up to a 90-degree angle. Make sure to keep your back and butt on the ground as you do so! This workout focuses on your lower abs as well as your hip flexors.
The dead bug exercise may not give you the same burn as other beginner ab workouts, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good for building stronger abs. It works all aspects of your abs and can be done anywhere! Lie down on your back with your arms extended up toward the ceiling and your knees up and bent at a 90-degree angle. Extend your right leg out straight and drop the alternate arm (left arm) straight past your head. Alternate sides by extending your left leg and dropping your right arm for another rep. Do as many as you can in 30 seconds! Increase the time or strive for more reps in the time interval to build a stronger core.
This is a fantastic addition to your beginner ab workouts that you can do anywhere. You’ll start in a standard plank position with your forearms on the floor, legs straight behind you, butt down and back straight. For this workout, you’ll engage your hips, core, butt, and quads while you rotate your hips to one side and tap the floor, then repeat to the other side. This exercise activates and works your transverse ab and oblique muscles, which will lead you to a stronger core in no time.
Mountain climbers are great for beginner ab workouts, and also double as some good cardio. You’ll start from an upward plank position (or push-up position) and alternate bringing one knee to your chest, then back out as you bring up the other knee. Pick up speed to where you’re quickly alternating and almost “running” against the floor. This really works your quads and core and helps shed fat fast as you work toward your summer beach bod. It can be done anywhere and is great for turning that stomach flat and those abs into a six-pack! You can even get some sliding pads if you need help moving faster on carpets or other floor types you have at home.
The superman pull is a great addition to your beginner ab workouts! It more so focuses on your lower back as opposed to your abs directly, but working your abs can strain your lower back, so it’s important to stretch and strengthen it as well. Lay on your stomach with your legs straight behind and your arms straight out ahead. Activate your core and lower back by lifting your legs and arms off the ground as high as you can go. For the “pull” part of the workout, you’ll bend your elbows and bring your arms closer to your head and down to your sides (but still off the ground). Your elbows should be in a 90-degree angle. Then, when you push them back out straight, slowly drop your legs and arms to the ground for one rep.
Double leg lowers are slightly more advanced than the other beginner ab workouts here, but they’re still relatively easy and a great workout overall. You’ll lay down on the ground with your ankles together and your legs out. Lift up your legs as high as you can, trying to get them straight up in the air! Then, brace your core and slowly lower your legs down to the ground, getting as close as you can without touching it. Then, raise them back up. Try to start with a 30-second interval and do as many as you can!
Sit-ups are great for beginner ab workouts, as they’re easy to learn and can be done anywhere. If you’re wondering, sit-ups are different than crunches because they work more muscles than crunches, which focus solely on ab muscles. Sit-ups can work your chest, hip flexors, lower back, and neck muscles. And even though they work all those different muscle groups, sit-ups are still great for working your abs! You’ll start lying down on your back with your legs bent and feet firmly on the ground. Cross your hands across your body and curl your upper body all the way up toward your knees, exhaling as you lift. Then, slowly lower yourself down back to your starting position, inhaling as you lower. It can be pretty helpful to have either someone holding your feet or place them under something so they don’t move too much when you’re doing the exercise.
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