A quick core workout should be straightforward and to the point. You don’t need to do hours of abdominal work to get six-pack abs or a stronger mid-section and you certainly don’t need any fancy equipment or hundreds of crunches to get you there, either. All you need is about 15 minutes, some jams to get you pumped up, maybe a little padding, and a can-do attitude. The key to this 15-minute quick core workout that you can do at home? Intensity!
What Is Your Core?
The core of your body is the midsection - the front, back, and sides of your upper body. The core involves your transverse abdominis (TVS), erector spinae, obliques, and your lower lats, aka, not just your six-pack.
Yes, it’s ideal to have this area look lean, trim, and ripped. However, the core does more than just look sexy. A strong core keeps your spine stabilized and helps prevent injury, allowing you to move freely and have good posture supporting your skeletal system.
How To Maximize Your 15-Minute Quick Core Workout
An effective core workout at-home is one that you can:
- Do Anywhere
- Do With Minimal to No Equipment
- Can Perform With Intensity and Purpose
- Works the Entire Core Section
You can do the following on a daily, every other day, or 2-3x per week basis. You can also do it as a standalone workout combined with some mobility work, with some cardio for an intense burn, or at the end of a lifting session.
Instead of focusing on reps, the focus is on intensity, form, and purpose for a set amount of time with a built-in rest.
How To Get Visible Abs
It's no secret that having a killer ab routine like this 15-minute quick core workout that you can do at home is important to get stronger and prevent injury. What is a secret? Doing rep after rep, and workout after workout isn't going to actually get you visible abs if that's your goal. You'll have stronger abs, that's for sure, but probably not visible ones.
If visible abs are one of your goals? Then it's time to think about what you do with your body the other 23 hours of the day outside of your workouts. If you've got the same results, year after year, workout after workout, and you still can't see your abs, then you're doing something wrong. This is where a nutrition coach comes in. Having a coach takes the guesswork out of your nutrition for you, so you can not only get stronger and improve performance, but have that strong, sleek, and shredded physique you've always wanted.
SIGN UP FOR A FREE NUTRITION CONSULTATION WITH THE SWOLE KITCHEN BY CLICKING HERE
The Quick Core Workout You Can Do At-Home
For the purpose of this workout, you will work on an EMOM structure (every minute on the minute). Beginning the movement at the top of the minute and working for 45 seconds, there is a built-in 15-second rest before the top of the next minute. Take advantage of it! This 15-minute quick core workout is going to really make you feel the BURN!
For example:
0:00 - start
0:45 - rest
1:00 - start
1:45 - rest
…so on for 15 minutes
Quick Core Workout Move #1: Mountain Climber
At the heart of the movement is the plank position. Mimicking a running position, mountain climbers don’t just work your abs, they work your entire body while firing up your heart rate. Muscles worked include the abdominals, biceps, chest, deltoids, hamstrings, hip abductors, obliques, quads, and triceps.
How To Do A Mountain Climber Ab Workout
- Begin by taking a deep breath, engaging your core, and lowering into a high-plank/push-up position
- Pressing your fingers into the ground and stacking the shoulders over the elbows, and over the hands, slowly bring one knee into the chest, like a high knee, immediately extending the leg back to the starting position
- Do this with the other leg and begin to gauge a comfortable speed for you to work at
- Keeping your gaze at the floor with a neutral spine, perform this movement as fast as you can with as much control for the duration of the 45-second working window
- Don’t forget to breathe!
Quick Core Workout Move #2: Side Plank
The side plank is unique in that it works muscles not worked in typical ab exercises such as crunches or toe touches. Since your body will be on its side, this killer core position works the deltoids, obliques, and the legs from heel to hip, not to mention the deep muscles of the lower back (aka the quadratus lumborum, the backside of the abdominal wall that plays a major roll in preventing back pain).
**Note: This movement can be quite challenging so there are quite a few modifications if need be. We recommend picking a position that you can maintain for the duration of the entire quick core workout and progressing week after week and as you build strength over time.
How To Do A Side Plank
- Begin by getting down on the floor and onto your side
- Place your elbow or your hand, depending on what modification you are doing, directly underneath your shoulder, and place the other hand on your hips, out of the way.
- Take a deep breath and begin by lifting the hips off of the ground. You can keep both knees or one knee on the ground for a modification, or you can lift both hips and knees, using the feet and toes to root into the ground
- Ensure that your gaze is forward and that your head isn’t ‘hanging’ down or too tense by being pulled up towards the shoulder — this helps the spine stay neutral through the cervical
- Your body should hold firm with tension from head to toe pulling yourself up from the ground in a straight line
- You can keep the opposite arm on your side, in front, up above you, or extended laterally overhead depending on your strength and ability
- Hold for 45 seconds and work the opposite side the next time you see the movement in your 15-minute quick core workout sequence
Quick Core Workout Move #3: Alternating V-Ups
Alternating V-ups (also called Jackknife Sit-Ups or Pike Crunches) work the entire core, utilizing your body weight to isolate the abdominal section. If you’d like to modify the movement, you can keep your arms down by your sides, pressing into the ground with one arm as the other reaches up to meet. You can also keep the knees bent and the feet on the ground, straightening the alternating leg to meet with the opposite arm.
How To Do Alternating V-Ups
- Lie on your back with your back pressed against the floor.
- The arms should be at your sides with prone hands, facing the floor for stability and balance if need be
- Squeezing the glutes and pressing your belly button to the ground, lift one leg up in the air while slowly lifting one arm off of the ground to meet the knee, shin, ankle, or toe.
- To make this movement more challenging, keep the heels 3-6 inches off of the ground for the entirety of the movement
**Note: It’s important to stare at the ceiling and to keep the spine neutral, not letting the neck/chin cave inward.
In Conclusion:
Building a lean six-pack and core strength all year long isn’t impossible to do. With a good, full core workout like this one, you’re going to be well on your way to developing strength, lean muscle, and confidence with your midsection. However, the real secret to perfect abs? Your nutrition. After all, abs aren’t made in the gym alone, they’re made in the kitchen.
Ready to see the muscle that has been hiding under your skin for years? Then it’s time to get a nutrition coach. Instead of spending years trying to figure out the secret, let a coach help you and begin to see your hard work in the first 30 days.
Schedule a Free Nutrition Assessment with a coach from The Swole Kitchen and discover what you can do with a little guidance, accountability, and coaching. After all, SWOLE is the GOAL!!
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