Heading to the gym and fitting in a serious weights session with the many dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells that are available to use at your own disposal is always a good idea. But on the days when work and life (or both of the above) take over, that’s when bodyweight workouts from the comfort of your own home rise to the occasion.
This 15-minute workout from certified personal trainer Anna Engelschall is a great option if you’re looking to build stronger abs and you’re lacking time and motivation. It’s also the perfect solution if you’re hoping to do so in a low-impact way, as all of the moves are floor-based and there’s no jumping required.
“This 15-minute abs workout will light up your core and leave you feeling strong,” Engelschall says. “No equipment needed, just press play and feel the fire.” Of course, equipment like the best resistance bands, best adjustable dumbbells, and the best kettlebells for weightlifting are well worth investing in. Especially if you want to take your training to the next level. But no-equipment workouts like Engelschall’s prove that it’s still possible to move your frame, strengthen your torso, and do so with just your bodyweight.
Watch Anna Engelschall’s 15-minute bodyweight ab workout
To help build stamina and endurance, Engelschall has devised this 15-minute session into intervals. The idea is that you complete each exercise for 30 seconds before moving on to the next move.
In most other interval training sessions, you usually get a 10 or 20-second rest to catch your breath before the next exercise begins. But to maximize the gains and make the most of the 15 minutes, there aren’t any breaks in between each exercise. This helps to raise your heart rate (and keep it up) throughout the session, and doing so comes with multiple benefits. For example, getting your heart to beat faster helps lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. It also increases your aerobic capacity.
However, if you do find that you need to take a short 10 to 20-second break before moving onto the next bodyweight move, hit pause on the workout and do so.
Engelschall uses a variety of exercises in this workout, all designed to fire up your abs. But, by way of design, many of the moves, like alternating toe taps, scissor kicks, and bicycle crunches, will also boost your core strength, too.
To keep things interesting, the session includes a real mix of isotonic and isometric exercises, like ab holds, like the humble hollow hold and plank holds, along with reverse crunches and leg drops.
You might be wondering what the difference is between isometric vs isotonic exercise. Despite sounding very similar, they refer to two very different things. Isotonic exercises involve movement, like a squat, whereas isometric exercises are static moves, like a plank. Each type of movement comes with a plethora of benefits. For example, when done repeatedly and with the correct breathing, there is evidence to suggest that isometric exercises can help to lower blood pressure. While a 2022 review, which looked into different interventions to help with hamstring weakness, found that isotonic exercise can specifically work to improve muscle strength.
Along with these different types of moves, Engelschall throws in a mix of side dip planks, kneeling side rotations, and kneeling side crunches. These are all examples of unilateral exercises, which refer to the process of using one side of the body at a time to help improve muscular imbalance, balance, coordination, and core stability, too.
So, as you can see, you might only have 15 minutes to spare. But as Engelschall has shown, it’s still more than enough time to fit in an effective workout that will help you carve out stronger abs, bullet-proof your core, and raise your heart rate.
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