No matter whether you’re starting out on your fitness journey, returning to training after a short break or you’ve just got the urge to move your frame, bodyweight workouts are worth their weight in gold—and for countless reasons.
Able to be completed from just about anywhere (all you need is a level surface and enough motivation to move), using your body as resistance is an effective way to train on a budget—and you can do so in minutes.
This 10-minute bodyweight workout from workout instructor Maddie Lymburner, who runs the YouTube channel MadFit, proves this point. Using just a yoga mat and a range of bodyweight exercises, Lymburner demonstrates how to carve out a stronger core and stronger abs from home.
How to do this core workout
Whether you’re in a gym, at home or exercising outside, all you need is enough space to lie down fully, as most of the moves in this workout will be floor-based.
To kick things off, Lymburner recommends completing a short warm-up, which helps you learn how to properly engage your core by taking a deep breath and drawing your belly button toward your spine.
“Before we move at all, I want you to make sure you’re pressing your lower spine into the mat,” Lymburner says. “Your belly should still be flat, but there should be no gap in between your mat and your back.”
Warm-up complete, Lymburner gets straight into the exercises. Each exercise, like a deadbug, leg extension, leg lifts and a high plank, is designed to target your lower ab muscles, including your rectus abdominis, external obliques and transversus abdominis. But many of these moves will also hit the rest of your core muscles, like your erector spinae, pectorals and glutes, so you’ll get more bang for your buck.
Each exercise is split into either 60 or 30-second intervals, followed by a 15-second rest. The aim isn’t to rush through your reps to fit in as many as possible. Instead, Lymburner recommends taking each move slowly to ensure your form is on point and you’re working the right muscles.
Benefits of bodyweight workouts
Bodyweight workouts offer a wide variety of benefits, which makes them a much-loved option for the masses, regardless of their fitness level.
Given that you need zero equipment to perform these exercises, bodyweight training can be an accessible option for those on the go or anyone unable (or unwilling) to head to a gym. Their accessibility can allow for greater consistency too, as you can fit in a workout any time, any place with minimal fuss.
Plus, as confirmed by an article published in the Journal of Yoga and Physiotherapy, bodyweight workouts can level up your physical health by enhancing functional strength, endurance, and stability due to their ability to call upon multiple muscle groups in one move.
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