If you thought the only way to strengthen your core was through endless sit-ups and crunches, you'll be pleased to hear that's not the case. These moves are great, but they can quickly get boring. Which is where this varied 25-minute ab workout comes in to help build core strength and improve your posture.
All you need to get started is some resistance bands and a set of weights. You can use any dumbbells, although if you regularly train at home, I recommend picking up a set of the best adjustable dumbbells. These combine several weights and you can quickly change the load to effectively challenge your muscles.
The routine, developed by Alo Moves trainer Jeffrey Alan is designed to comprehensively work all areas of your core. As Alan puts it: "This workout is structured to emphasize functional core stability, not only strengthening your core muscles but also improving balance, posture, and full-body strength."
To the most from the session, it's important to do what works for your body. "For beginners, choose lighter weights or no weights, and prioritize mastering the form of each movement. For a more advanced routine, use heavier weights, focus on slow, controlled reps, or add a few more reps to each exercise," explains Alan.
Watch Alo Moves' 25-minute ab workout
It's a 25-minute class led by Alan and is part of Alo Moves' 5-day Sculpt Strength program. The aim is to train intensely for the duration, packing a lot of heart rate-boosting moves in alongside strength exercises to work your muscles.
Although it'll target areas all of your body, it is especially effective at engaging your core, the muscles around your stomach that connect your upper and lower body, including the rectus abdominis six-pack abs muscle.
As Alan notes, "challenging the core from various angles and combining upper and lower body movements, [you] effectively engage all parts of your midsection: the rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, and lower back muscles."
Those muscles combined (with several others) make up your core, and building strength in this area helps improve your posture, increase your balance and stability, and promotes blood circulation around your body.
That's why it's important to strengthen your entire core, not just your abs. And if you're wondering why people use the terms interchangably, there are a few differences. Primarily that your abs form part of your core, a routine like this helps target all the muscles in your mid-section so you can really see the benefits.
The moves with weights are also great examples of compound exercises that work multiple muscles simultaneously, helping build strength all over your body (including your core) in a short amount of time; in this case, 25 minutes.
This is also my preferred way to train. I use high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) workouts where the aim is to exercise intensely in short bursts with minimal rest to complement sessions like this one from Alan to add some variety to my training and keep myself motivated and engaged.
Of course, that's only part of what keeps me going. I love grabbing a pair of sports headphones and pressing play on the best new workout music to keep me entertained. That way, I can train to the music and keep a more regular, rhythmical flow to my exercise.
More from Tom's Guide
- I tried this 10-minute walking exercise every day for a week to build mental strength — here's what happened
- Pilates instructor shares a 20-minute full-body Pilates workout to sculpt muscle and boost metabolism
- Is virtual reality yoga really better than an in-person class? I tried it to find out
