Ditch sit-ups and crunches — blast your abs in 10 minutes with this 4-move standing core workout
Sculpt your abs with this quick workout
There are a lot of different ways to go about building your core strength, and the good news for anyone who hates long training sessions or doing sit-ups is that you can carve out stronger abs and obliques in just 10 minutes with this standing workout.
The standing abs workout has been put together by fitness trainer Kat Boley and it contains four moves. Boley suggests using a light-medium dumbbell during the sessions (she’s using a 10lb weight, for reference), along with an extra-light looped resistance band.
If you don’t have either or both of those then you can still do the workout, but it will provide more of a challenge with some extra resistance — you could sub in a can of food for the dumbbell, for example.
In general, the best resistance bands are a great addition to a core training routine, especially because they’re so portable and versatile, so if you pick up a lightweight looped band for this session you can be sure you’ll get plenty more use out of it in the future as well.
Watch Kat Boley’s 10-minute abs workout
A post shared by Kat Boley | Home Workouts for Women (@katb_fit)
A photo posted by on
The workout involves doing three rounds of four core exercises, aiming to complete 10-12 reps of each move — complete those reps on both sides, if required.
If you maintain a steady pace with each exercise and don’t rest too much between moves, then you’ll finish it in under 10 minutes easily, but don’t be afraid to rest for longer if and when required.
Boley demonstrates each of the moves in her Instagram post, so make sure you scroll through the videos to see all of them in advance so you know what you’re going to be doing.
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Here are the four exercises in the session:
- Standing crunch with dumbbell and band
- Standing side crunch with dumbbell
- Alternating standing toe-taps
- Side-to-side toe taps with band
The workout is designed to target both the upper and lower abs as well as your obliques in just four moves, and if you power through three rounds of the exercises you’ll definitely feel the benefits with regards to your core strength.
While floor exercises like sit-ups are undoubtedly a good option for building core strength, they can put strain on your neck, and standing abs workouts are a great alternative, especially for those just starting a fitness kick.
Just remember that whether you’re standing or lying on the floor, the key to long-term success with your training is consistency — aim to do this workout or similar core sessions two or three times a week, and then progress to more challenging ones when you become comfortable with it.
If you enjoy this style of workout and want to progress with a longer standing session, this 20-minute core workout is worth giving a go.
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Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.
Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 and became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 25min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.
Nick is an established expert in the fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.
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