Forget sit-ups — build a stronger core and improve your posture with this 15-minute standing abs workout

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If you want to strengthen your core, classic exercises like sit-ups, crunches and planks are a great option. But, if you’re looking to shake up your routine without compromising on the results, then you can take on this 15-minute standing abs workout instead.

All you need to get started is a yoga mat for underfoot support and a set of dumbbells. If you’re at the gym, choose a pair that’ll challenge your muscles to get through a set but won’t affect your form. But for home workouts, it’s worth investing in a set of the best adjustable dumbbells.

With weights by your side, you’ll be ready to take on this short routine from certified personal trainer Mikala, known as fitbymik on YouTube. There’s no floor work, so you’ll be standing for the duration, making it ideal if you want to give yourself a break from endless sit-ups and crunches.

Watch Fitbymik’s 15-minute standing arms and abs workout

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Mikala uses a technique known as high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) to pack an effective muscle-building workout into just 15 minutes. During a HIRT workout, you train intensely in short bursts and keep breaks to a minimum to work your muscles hard and raise your heart rate.

This helps you burn more energy than during a steady-paced routine, and sustaining a high heart rate can also boost your metabolism (the amount of energy you burn throughout the day). It’s a lot like a HIIT workout but with a focus on strength training rather than cardio.

However, rather than rush through each repetition to pack in as many as you can in the time, Mikala performs each exercise slowly with a focus on form. This helps increase time under tension, which can help increase the workout’s muscle-building results.

Plus, each exercise is designed to target your upper body and core simultaneously, so you get more bang for your buck with each move. This helps build functional strength, making everyday tasks like carrying groceries, grabbing items on high shelves, and improving your balance easier.

This is because your core — a section of mid-body muscle that includes your rectus abdominis six-pack abs muscle — helps connect your upper and lower body, playing a vital role in your stability, posture and workout performance.

Of course, you might not always have weights to hand when you’re ready to train. In this case, a bodyweight standing abs workout can have similar core-strengthening effects. You could even alternate between each routine to give your upper body muscles time to recuperate.

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James is Tom's Guide's Buying Guide Editor, overseeing the site's buying advice. He was previously Fitness Editor, covering strength training workouts, cardio exercise, and accessible ways to improve your health and wellbeing.His first job at as a sales assistant in a department store, and this is where James learned how important it is to help people make purchasing decisions that are right for their needs, whether that's a fountain pen to give as a gift or a new fridge for their kitchen.

This skill stayed with him as he developed a career in journalism as a freelance technology writer and, later, as Buying Guide Editor for MakeUseOf, where his interest in fitness combined with his commitment to impartial buying advice.

This is how he came to join Fit&Well as Fitness Editor, covering beginner-friendly exercise routines, affordable ways to boost your wellbeing, and reviewed weights, rowing machines, and workout headphones.

James is an advocate for sustainability and reparability, and focuses his reviews and advice through that lens to offer objective insights as to whether a specific product or service will be right for your needs.