10 Easy Ab Workouts You Can Do At Home

Rachael Schultz
·11 min read

Chances are the only thing clogging your feed more than sourdough starters and home tie dye projects are videos of at-home workouts.

We love the explosion of easy exercises you can do at home. But it’s hard to know which of the zillion trainers have the best routines — and which ab workouts will give you the best results. Does Chloe Ting’s ab workout really deliver the results her fans rave about? Are those four-move routines enough to truly strengthen your core?

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Here’s the thing about ab workouts: Real strength and stability — the kind that keeps your deadlifts strong and body injury-free — lies in your deep abdominal muscles (namely, the transversus abdominis). But that coveted six-pack relies on working vanity muscles (your rectus abdominis). So if visible abs are your goal, a good ab routine will target both.

But "good" doesn’t necessarily mean crazy-hard. In fact, easy ab exercises like planks, reverse crunches, and flutter kicks, are often the best. Here’s a few of our favorite easy ab workouts from top trainers.

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Chloe Ting’s Standing Abs

If you groan every time a routine includes mountain climbers and crunches, you’ll love this standing Chloe Ting ab workout. The Aussie trainer is known for her killer fitness challenges — particularly her core programs. And her 10-minute routine here is a great glimpse into why.

Full Core with Naturally Stefanie

One glance at Scottish fitfluencer Stefanie Moir’s six-pack and we’ll do whatever moves she tells us to. This super easy routine includes three sets of four moves that will target your entire core without even breaking a real sweat.

Jeanette Jenkins’ Pilates Picks

Founder of the Hollywood Trainer fitness club, Jeanette Jenkins knows a thing or two about the best moves to deliver results. (She's also worked with celebs like Alicia Keys and Serena Williams). We love this seven exercise routine for the lesser-known but uber-effective Pilates core burners the celeb trainer has included.

Kayla Itsines’ Five-Minute Abs

This five-minute ab routine harks back to the Australian fitness guru’s basics: small workouts that beginners can master. With just four moves, 30 seconds each, this quick-and-dirty ab workout will deliver a quick burn to help build that indestructible core.

10 Moves in 10 Minutes with GainsByBrains

Sophie, a Netherlands-based trainer, uses serious science to back her smart programming — and this 10-minute routine is no different. With 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, this easy ab workout covers 10 tried-and-true core moves that will also improve mobility to loosen while you tighten.

At-Home Abs with Fancy Fit

Staff Sergeant Frantzcesca Casimir is about as badass as they come as she balances a career in the army and in personal training. Lately, she’s been harnessing that intensity to deliver something every woman can relate to: creative living room workouts. This ab routine leverages basic moves like planks and flutter kicks but adds a simple water bottle for a micro challenge to the routine.

Easy Abs with Krissy Cela

This easy, intro ab routine is case-in-point why the Tone & Sculpt trainer has such a devoted following (2.1 million and counting on IG). She's programmed four super basic, but super effective core moves that you can squeeze into any spare three minutes of the day.

Natacha Oceane’s Secret Weapons

Natacha Oceane isn’t just any old fitness influencer — she uses her degree in biophysics to come up with smart, well-rounded workouts. And this ab routine, which targets the deep core muscles instead of just the look-good rectus abdominis, is no different. The 8-move program includes exercises you won't see many other places, but that are easy enough for a beginner to get after.

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Today’s at home core workout to hit those abs!! ?? ? ?? I always focus on working my full core rather than just the superficial layer of my abs (the rectus abdominis, which sits over the top) which makes such a difference for moving properly and getting real strong! ???? ? ?? Make sure you SAVE it so you always have them! ???? ? ?? ?? Reverse walkouts (3 x 8): we’re walking back as far as you can hold and control for 1 second, and then coming back in nice and tight while squeezing the core throughout! ? ?? ?? Lateral plank walks (3 x 15 steps): 3 steps in each direction before switching is perfect, and we’re keeping the core tight and maintaining a straight line from our head down to our heels ? ?? ?? Plank to dolphin pose (3 x 10): slowing down the motion is perfect, keeping control the whole time ?? ? ?? ?? Crab to bear switches (3 x 12 total): we’re using the stabilisers in our core to maintain a neutral position down the spine, and we’re pushing down with the shoulders throughout instead of letting them roll up to the ceiling ? ?? ?? Chair superman (3 x 8): amazing for so many muscles all the way down our back, especially with a 1 second squeeze at the top! ? ?? ?? Bear opposite extensions / bird go (3 x 10 total): keep watching for bird dogs, which are an easier version but still super effective! ??? ?? This is perfect for a 20-30 minute session if that’s what you’re after or you can always add it to whatever else you want to target to get to a 50-60 minute session, which is usually how I train my core! ?? ? ?? All my love always, I hope you’re doing the little things that make you happy ?? ? ?? @gymshark @gymsharkwomen

A post shared by Natacha Oceane (@natacha.oceane) on Apr 20, 2020 at 11:46am PDT

Massy Arias Tiny Movements

Since the start of lockdown, the LA-based trainer (who has worked with Kelly Rowland and many pro athletes) has been feeding her 2.7 million IG followers at-home workouts that are pure fire. This core routine doesn't ask for big moves or a lot of time — just three sets of five micro movements. But you better believe your core will be burning from the first rep to the last.

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SIX PACK AT HOME WORKOUT [save, share, and tag your friends ] you’re going to love this one! Workout details: perform 3 sets of 8-10 slow repetitions per movement. Note: Core exercises help strengthen your abdominal muscles and build muscle in those areas. But exercises alone without a balanced and consistent nutrition, won’t help you decrease body fat to reveal the muscle you’ve built with these routines. The one goal in mind when trying to lose body fat is that you’ll need “spend” some good amount of energy (burn calories). Therefore when trying this routine go through the movements without resting too much. You can also pair these movements trying a 30 second jump rope session between sets. For my at home HIIT #ma45day program click link in bio. __________________________________________________ ENTRENAMIENTO ABDOMINAL PARA LOS FAMOSOS CUADRITOS [guardar, compartir y etiquetar a tus amigos] Detalles del entrenamiento: realiza 3 series de 8-10 repeticiones lentas por movimiento. Nota: Los ejercicios abdominales ayudan a fortalecer los músculos del tronco y a desarrollar músculo en esas áreas. Pero los ejercicios solos sin una nutrición equilibrada y entrenamiento consistente no te ayudarán a disminuir la grasa corporal para revelar el músculo que has desarrollado con estas rutinas y alimentación. Tu objetivo en mente para perder grasa corporal es “gastar" una buena cantidad de energía (quemar calorías). Por lo tanto, al intentar esta rutina, haz los movimientos sin descansar por mucho tiempo. También puedes emparejar estos movimientos en una sesión de 30 segundos de salto de cuerda entre cada serie de cada ejercicio. Prepárate para sudar.

A post shared by WWW.MASSYARIAS.COM (@massy.arias) on May 5, 2020 at 10:08am PDT

Beach Burn with Tone It Up

Karena Dawn and Katrina Scott have come a long way — and created an entire multi-million dollar empire — since their first beach workout videos. (And who could forget their Bravo show?) But their original, simple approach to routines still plays: easy moves that work every corner of your core. In the case of this ab routine, you can achieve that in under 10 minutes.

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