If you have 10 minutes to spare and a couple of dumbbells to hand, then this quick core workout from fitness trainer Kat Boley is the perfect way to strengthen your core and energize your day.
You ideally need two dumbbells of different weights for this workout, one light and one heavy, or if you have one of the best adjustable dumbbells to hand it will serve you well for the whole workout.
Kat Boley’s workout contains five moves and you do three circuits of them to target your abs and obliques. Keep the pace high during the workout and you’ll also raise your heart rate and boost your metabolism.
Watch Kat Boley’s 10-minute abs workout
You’ll be doing five moves in each circuit during the workout, and three circuits in total for the 10 minutes, though you can always add on another round or two if you have the time and motivation.
Boley suggests keeping your rest to a minimum during the circuit, aiming for a maximum of 20 seconds between moves, and then resting for a minute in between circuits.
Here are the five moves in the workout:
- Alternating leg raises - 20 reps
- Sit-up and reach - 12-14 reps
- Rotating side plank - 5 reps each side
- Kneeling woodchop - 16 reps
- Standing crunch and twist - 10-12 reps each side
As mentioned above Boley uses two different weights during the workout, so if you have a heavier dumbbell and a lighter one to hand that will be useful.
Boley uses the heavier weight for the leg raises, sit-ups and woodchop, switching to the lighter one for the side plank and standing crunch.
The variety of moves in the workout ensures that you target all the main muscles in your core. The leg raises primarily work the lower abs, the sit-ups focus on the upper abs and the twisting motion in the side plank and woodchop hits the obliques.
Then you round off the workout with a move that works the whole core and also gets your heart pumping with the standing crunch and twist.
The workout is suitable for all levels, but if you’re a beginner don’t be afraid to ditch the weights to complete a set of an exercise if required. If you have time to go past 10 minutes you can also increase the rests between moves, though try to stick to short breaks to keep your heart rate up if possible.
If you’d prefer to stay upright during your workout, give these five standing dumbbell abs exercises recommended by a personal trainer a go, and if you prefer to wield a kettlebell instead of a dumbbell, these are the five best kettlebell core moves to try.
More from Tom’s Guide
- I did a 5-minute plank every day for a week — here’s what happened to my abs
- Forget crunches — this beginner-friendly workout challenges your abs in 7 exercises
- Three 10-minute ab workouts that hit all your core muscles
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