Sometimes, all we’re craving is a short ‘n’ sweet ab workout, and as luck would have it, YouTube sensation and social media star Daisy Keech has shared a 10-minute blast that she claims to use when she wants to "flatten her tummy a bit".
It’s named "Do this every day for a FLAT stomach: HIIT + Abs" and it's already amassed more than 150k views on YouTube. As a personal trainer, I naturally had to give it a try. Read on to find out what happened.
Before I start, I set myself up in the living room with a mat. It’s a no-equipment workout which makes it incredibly versatile, and great for me as I’m currently traveling. In fact, most of Keech’s Youtube workouts seem to be equipment-free.
I check out the workout beforehand to prepare myself. It consists of nine separate moves each done for 45 seconds with a 15-second break between. However the 15-second break doesn’t seem to be a part of the video, so I’m not entirely sure how that would work.
I won’t lie, at a glance, I wasn't impressed with this workout. There aren't enough of the high-intensity moves to actually work up much of a sweat, and the ab-based moves — such as sit-ups and crunches — only really work on the upper and lower abs, rather than the obliques. I’ve heard Keech doesn’t focus on oblique-based moves. This is odd in my eyes as all muscles should be given attention for a well rounded workout. I digress.
The workout is clear and Keech moves through the exercises with perfect form. The music is meh; it doesn’t motivate me, but others might enjoy it. It's a fine workout if you just need some movement in your day. But you could just as easily go for a lovely walk, or lift a few weights instead. You could also incorporate the moves into your own workout, so for ease, I’ve listed them below with some descriptions.
What is the Daisy Keech flat stomach workout?
The flat stomach workout consists of nine moves, with the ab-based moves repeated twice. Not keen on watching the workout? The moves that Leech includes are below so you can do them in your own time. New to exercise? Go through the moves slowly, and if anything feels overly uncomfortable, stop.
Slow v sit-ups: 45 seconds
Lie down flat on the ground, arms overhead. Slowly lift your arms up, and as you do so, come to sit up. Pause when your torso is upright, and then very slowly go back down.
V sit cycles: 45 seconds
Sit on the ground upright, with legs bent and feet off the floor. Keeping arms outstretched in front of you, either side of your legs, slowly extend one leg, then as you bring that leg back in, extend the other. Keep going, as though you're cycling.
Crunches: 45 seconds
Lie back flat on the ground, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Slowly crunch your torso up, so head and shoulders come off the ground, then lower back down. Keep repeating.
Bicycles: 45 seconds
This is similar to the V sit cycles, however this time, your upper body is involved. Lie back on the ground, and drive your right knee into your chest, simultaneously lifting the torso and meeting your left elbow with this right knee. Extend the leg and return the elbow to the start, then do the same with the left knee and the right elbow. Here's more on how to do a bicycle crunch with the correct form, plus the variations to try.
Cross jacks: 45 seconds
Lie back on the ground, arms overhead. Lift up your torso slightly and bring your left elbow to meet your right knee. Return to the start, then lift up your left arm and right leg, allowing the left hand and right toe (or shin) to touch. Return to the start then swap sides with the right elbow and left leg.
4 high knees, 4 butt kicks: 45 seconds
Up on your feet, bring the right knee up to stomach height, then the left. Do this twice on each side, before bringing the right foot to hit the right butt cheek and then swapping and bringing the left foot to hit the left butt cheek. Do this four times, then go back to the high knees.
Jump to close squat: 45 seconds
On your feet, place feet so they’re hip-width apart. Drop down into a squat position, then jump up. When your feet are in the air, jump feet inwards and drop down into a squat, with legs close together. Then jump up again, and jump the feet apart, landing back into a wider squat position. Keep repeating.
Jump and jog back in: 45 seconds
Stand upright, drop down and use your arms to leap forward as far as you can, before quickly stepping feet back to the start position.
Jumping jacks: 45 seconds
Stand tall. Jump feet apart whilst simultaneously bringing arms up and meeting both hands overhead. Then, jump your feet back in, whilst dropping your arms back down to your side. Keep repeating.
I tried the Daisy Keech flat stomach workout — here’s what happened
I did Daisy Keech’s flat stomach workout thinking it would help blow a few cobwebs as I’d been staring at my screen for far too long. I wasn’t particularly gripped by the workout and I didn’t really ‘feel’ it in my abs. Aside from a slight twinge by the last rep, I didn’t seem to reap any benefits from this.
What’s more, when the workout is over and Keech is explaining how "dead" she feels (how?!) she recommends a protein shake within 30 minutes of completing the workout. As a personal trainer, I wouldn’t think this warrants a protein shake.
I am relatively fit and active, so I might find this workout a little easier than someone who wasn’t as fit, however, I’m fairly certain no one would complete this and say they were "dead." Especially Keech, who has shared endless workouts and seems pretty fit herself.
If it’s calorie-burning you’re after, I’d give this a miss. My Apple Watch clocked up a measly 66 calories. I will add though that Keech does advise doing the whole workout two to three times for a complete workout, but it's definitely not as effective as a HIIT session, or a weights workout (check out this dumbbell workout with over 1.3 million views, or this beginner's HIIT workout for more inspiration).
As a personal trainer, I do have my doubts about any workout that claims to give you a flat tummy. You won’t get a flat tummy from doing a 10-minute workout each day. You just won’t. A flat stomach is made in the kitchen with good, consistent nutrition, plenty of de-bloating foods, and limited sugar and alcohol. Oh, and resistance-based workouts to build muscle and keep the metabolism revved up.
You will only see your abs if the layer of fat that lies over them goes, and that layer of fat takes a consistently good diet to get rid of. Especially if you’re like me and seem to store fat naturally in your tummy area. But that’s genes for you. As one YouTube viewer rightly said: ‘Remember, a body like Daisy's requires diet and discipline, not only exercises’.
If you don’t have fat, the ab exercises in Keech’s workout will help to work the ab muscles and help them shine through, but to progress, I’d recommend adding resistance, mixing up the speeds and work/rest periods, and also generally mixing up the moves. The title of this video says a flat tummy and abs can be achieved if you do this every day — although how long for is anyone's guess.
Looking for more workout inspiration? Take a look at the best ab workouts that are completely free and can be done from just about anywhere. We’ve also found this exercise which is better than squats at building your glutes, and this exercise which is better than sit-ups at targeting your inner core muscles.
