Can you work your ab muscles every day? Technically, yes, you can work your abdominal muscles every day, but if you do, it’s better to stick to shorter workouts of less than ten minutes.
Like all muscle groups, your abs will need time to repair, recover, and grow, but if you’re looking for an ab challenge that’ll get your core shaking, we’ve found it.
This 8-minute intense ab workout can be done daily for 14 days to help you build a stronger core. It’s short enough to squeeze into your lunch break and doesn’t require you to have any extra equipment.
Ready to feel that deep core shake? Read on.
What is the workout?
The workout, devised by Pilates instructor and Lean app founder Lilly Sabri, is a bodyweight Pilates core workout. The workout is designed so that you can follow along with Lilly in real-time to ensure you’re moving with the correct form.
If you’re new to Pilates, Lilly offers modifications to help you keep up, but if you’re more advanced, this one includes double-leg toe taps and boat holds to work all of the muscles in your midsection.
The goal here is to work for the entire eight minutes without taking any breaks to keep the core engaged throughout. However, if you’re a beginner and need to press pause at any point, of course, feel free to do so.
As with all ab workouts, the key here is to move slowly and with control. Make sure you’re focusing on keeping your abdominal muscles engaged as you lift and lower your legs — think about sucking your belly button into your spine, and almost bracing your abs as you move through the sequence.
What are the benefits?
Pilates is a “mind-body” exercise, developed in the 20th Century by a man named Joseph Pilates. It’s low-impact, so suitable for all levels of fitness, and works on improving your strength, posture, and structural alignment. It’s also great for your abdominal endurance. Looking for more Pilates inspiration? Here are 8 of the best Pilates exercises for targeting your core, the Pilates exercise that is the best at sculpting your core, and a guide on Pilates for weight loss.
The workout itself is short and sweet, but there’s no messing around here — within a couple of minutes, my abs were shaking. Lilly suggests doing this workout for 14 days to see results, however, it’s important to note that you cannot spot reduce fat.
Gaining visible abs isn’t the result of ab workouts alone, and if you are looking to define your ab muscles, you’ll want to pair Pilates workouts like this with cardio and HIIT workouts, resistance training, and good nutrition.
That said, core strength isn’t just about visible abs. As a marathon runner, I use my core every time I head out for a run to keep me balanced as I move. As a mum, my midsection needs to be strong to carry my toddler, and Pilates has been vital in rebuilding my pelvic floor muscles. Taking on an ab challenge like this can be a great way to target your core muscles, and in turn protect your spine from injury, and improve your posture. What’s not to love?
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