What if I told you I could help you put your core muscles through the wringer in just 16 minutes?
I’ve put together a four-move dumbbell and bodyweight abs workout that will sculpt a stronger core and hips. You just need one dumbbell and up to 16 minutes to do it, and you can follow along with the video below.
Each exercise is beginner-friendly, although you can use your dumbbell to progress each exercise further. The best adjustable dumbbells allow you to quickly switch between loads depending on the exercise, or you can ditch the weights completely and purely focus on your form and activating your core muscles properly.
Find the full workout below, plus the benefits and ways to adapt the intensity to your fitness.
What is the workout?
Work for 45 seconds, then rest for 15, performing each of the four core exercises in order. Repeat for three to four rounds. It’s short and sweet, but still seriously effective.
Think about your core muscles wrapping around your torso, reaching up to your ribcage and down to your hips and glutes. Each of the core exercises below strengthens many of them, and you don’t need to add too much weight to feel the benefits.
Side planks
Side planks are great for strengthening your oblique muscles, which run down your waist and comprise the internal and external layers of muscles. You can place your bottom leg on the floor for more support, or lift both legs for the full expression of the plank variation.
Regardless, you’ll also feel this one in the shoulder and upper arm of the supporting arm, so make sure your shoulder and elbow are stacked for a strong torso position. Lift your hips high and squeeze your stomach as you hold the position.
If you’re wondering how to make this exercise more challenging, hold a dumbbell against your top hip or lift your top leg into the air and hold the position.
Learn how to do a side plank step-by-step.
Plank toe taps
From a high plank position, press your hips up and back into a downward dog, then tap one hand to the opposite foot and repeat on the other side. Each rep, return to the plank again and repeat.
Planks work many muscles, including your shoulders, arms, upper chest, upper back and core. In addition, the downward dog position stretches the hamstrings while your hip flexors stay active throughout.
Here’s more on how to do plank toe taps. For an extra challenge, add a push-up from the plank position to engage more of your upper body.
Dead bugs
Dead bugs target your deep core muscles, pelvic floor, abs and hip flexors while supporting your lower back. You could hold light dumbbells in each hand to work your arms harder as you extend them behind you, or focus on using your bodyweight and move slowly, with control.
Just remember, while gentle curvature of the spine is normal, you still want to flatten your lower back slightly into the mat below you.
To do this, slightly tilt your pelvis toward you, then slide your hands beneath your lower back to see if your back can touch your fingers.
Here’s how to do dead bugs, and the variations to try.
Russian twists
Russian twists use rotation to work a multitude of muscle groups, including the obliques, abs, deeper core muscles (transverse abdominis), hip flexors, lower back, shoulders and to a lesser extent, your lats.
Hold a weight to your chest or focus on using your bodyweight if you’re a beginner to the exercise. You can place both feet on the floor or lift them into the air, but either way, try to slightly lean back and keep your back straight while you twist.
The movement should be generated from your torso, not your arms, so your chest should move in the direction of your arms.
Here’s how to do Russian twists with proper form.
The benefits
Exercises that focus primarily on the abs, like sit-ups, don’t necessarily strengthen the core muscles responsible for posture, stabilization and support. So while building strong abs is no bad thing, you’re better off hitting multiple muscle groups to strengthen your core as a whole.
I don’t program the exercises above enough with clients, but they’re well worth the time you put into them. Try to add a bit of variety to your ab workouts by thinking about all the muscles of your core (I’ve got more ideas for you at the bottom of this page).
What's more, this routine only takes up to 16 minutes, so you can roll out your mat and do it between meetings or to kickstart your day.
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