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10-Minute Abs and Butt Workout (No Equipment)

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | April 17, 2024

Build a strong core and toned glutes from home with this no equipment workout. This bodyweight workout combines ab exercises and butt exercises to target your lower abs, upper abs, obliques and glutes. No squats, no lunges and no standing – this ab and glute workout is performed entirely from the mat.

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No lunges, no squats, and no standing — this workout combines 5 ab and butt exercises from the mat to sculpt and strengthen your glutes and core muscles at home.

Your core muscles are more than your “six-pack” abs. They wrap all the way around your body, and include the obliques (sides of your body), erector spinae, pelvic floor, transverse abdominis (or deep, corset-like ab muscles), diaphragm AND your glutes.

I personally love training the abs and butt together because you get a “total core” workout in one, hitting every muscle between your collarbones and pelvis.

Training the abs and glutes together is also efficient because they are two muscle groups that work to stabilize the body.

Add this glutes and abs workout onto a leg workout as an isolation burnout, or perform it on its own as a quick and efficient 10-minute workout.

two women lying on their backs performing a single leg glute bridge and crunch as part of abs and butt workout

10-Minute Abs and Butt Workout

Tone your butt and abs with these 5 low impact, bodyweight exercises.

Add core workouts like this one to your home training program 1-2 times a week to build muscle mass and increase strength.

Workout Equipment:

No equipment, just your bodyweight.

I used a foam exercise pad to cushion my knees during some of these exercises. You could also sub a rolled up yoga mat or throw pillow.

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided Butt and Abs Workout Video on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer Lindsey Bomgren. 

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • 5 Butt and Abs Exercises On The Mat
  • Timed Intervals (40 seconds work, 20 seconds rest)
  • Repeat All 5 Exercises x2 Sets (Perform each exercise on first the right side of the body then on the left side)

Note: we re-filmed this workout to improve audio and video quality and update some of the exercises. You can find the original 10-Minute Butt and Abs here if you’d like to compare them.

Two women performing a side plank with an oblique crunch as part of abs and glutes workout

Prefer to Watch On YouTube?

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Workout Outline

  1. Single Leg Glute Bridge and Crunch 
  2. Fire Hydrant Lift and Kick
  3. Side Leg Lift and Pulse 
  4. Modified Side Plank Hip Lift and Oblique Crunch
  5. Low Plank Rear Leg Lift

5 Best Abs and Butt Exercises

Single Leg Glute Bridge and Crunch

Targets: Low abs, obliques, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors and upper abs.

two women lying on the ground performing a single leg glute bridge with a crunch as part of abs and butt workout

How To Do Single Leg Glute Bridges and Crunches

  1. Start lying on your back, knees bent at 90 degrees. Place your hands behind your head, elbows out to the sides.
  2. Keep your right foot on the mat and lift your left leg, sending it straight above you.
  3. Press through the heel of your right foot to slowly lift your hips up, performing a single leg glute bridge.
  4. Slowly lower your hips to the mat to return to the starting position.
  5. Then, perform a crossbody crunch, lifting your shoulders as you bring your right elbow to meet your left knee.
  6. With control, lower your shoulders to the mat, keeping your left foot in the air.

Modification: Omit the crunch, performing just single leg glute bridges.

Fire Hydrant Lift and Kick

Targets: Gluteus maximus, hip abductors and core.

two women in a quadruped position performing a fire hydrant exercise as part of abs and glutes workout

How To Do Fire Hydrant Lifts and Kicks

  1. Start in a table top position, quadruped on all fours, shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees. Option to place your forearms on the mat for more stability.
  2. Lift your right leg up and to the side so you create a straight line from glute to knee, keeping a 90-degree bend in your right knee.
  3. Hold at the top and straighten your right leg; kicking through your right heel.
  4. Pull your right foot back in to bend at the knee and create a 90-degree angle again, then bring your right knee back down to the mat, returning to starting position.

Modification: Omit the kick, just performing a fire hydrant lift.

Side Leg Lift and Pulse

Targets: Gluteus maximus, hip abductors, obliques and core.

two women performing a lateral leg lift and pulse from a quadruped position as part of abs and butt workout at home

How To Do Side Leg Lifts and Pulses

  1. Start in a table top position, quadruped on all fours, shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees. Option to place your forearms on the mat for more stability.
  2. Lift your right leg up and to the side so you create a straight line from glute to knee. Right leg is straight; hip, knee and ankle all aligned.
  3. Keep your right leg lifted in this position as you pulse the leg forward an inch, then back an inch.

Modification: Bend your floating knee, reducing the range of motion.

Modified Side Plank Hip Lift and Oblique Crunch

Targets: Obliques, abs, upper back, outer glutes, inner thighs, hamstrings, upper body and shoulders.

two women performing a side plank with an oblique crunch to target the butt and abs

How To Do Modified Side Plank Hip Lifts and Oblique Crunches

  1. Start in a side plank position with your right forearm on the ground, elbow directly under your shoulder, and legs out straight. Place your left hand behind your head, elbow out to the side.
  2. Drop your right knee to the mat, finding a modified side plank position.
  3. Float your left leg off the ground, squeezing through your outer glutes to hold your floating leg at approximately hip level.
  4. Then, engage your core and lift your hips up so that your body forms a straight line from your head to your feet, performing a hip lift.
  5. Hold at the top of this position, then bend your floating left leg to a 90-degree angle. Perform an oblique crunch by pulling your left knee and left elbow in towards each other, crunching through your left side body to meet in the middle.
  6. Return the left knee and elbow to starting position, straightening the left leg and hovering it above the ground.
  7. Then, slightly lower your hips, dipping 1-2 inches towards the mat, before squeezing through your right glutes and obliques to lift, performing a hip lift.

Modification: Omit the oblique crunch, performing just modified side plank hip lifts.

Low Plank Rear Leg Lift

Targets: Shoulders, triceps, glutes, lower back, abs and core.

two women performing a low plank with a single leg lift as part of abs and butt workout for women

How To Do Low Plank Rear Leg Lifts

  1. Start in a low plank position with your forearms on the ground and your elbows directly under your shoulders.
  2. Engage your core and glutes and lift hips to form a straight line from head to heels.
  3. Keep your body stable in the plank position, and squeeze your right glutes to lift your right leg up off the ground. Keep your right leg straight, lifting just high enough to feel a squeeze in your glutes without letting your hips sag or lower back arch.
  4. Hold the contraction for a second, then lower your right leg back down to the ground, returning to starting position.

Modification: Perform the rear leg lifts from a tripod position, dropping your left knee to the ground for additional support.

Abs and Butt Workout FAQs

Can You Do Butt And Ab Exercises Together?

Both ab muscles and glute muscles make up the core. These muscle groups work together to provide strength and stability through the trunk of the body. Abs and butt exercises naturally pair well together, making a combination of the two an effective and efficient workout.

What Are The Best Exercises To Tone The Butt And Abs?

Variations of planks and hip thrusts/glute bridges are some of the best exercises to tone the abs and butt. Note that in my opinion (as a certified personal trainer), spot reduction isn’t effective. These exercises are part of a well-rounded health and fitness routine, focusing on total body strength training and a nutrient-dense diet.

Why Should Women Do Abs and Glutes Workouts?

Strengthening the core is important for so many reasons. According to Mayo Clinic, a strong core is tied to improved balance and stability, improved posture, reduced risk of lower back pain, and reduced risk of injuries (especially from activities that involve core rotation).

Can You Tone The Abs and Butt At Home?

Although spot reduction hasn’t been proven to be effective, training the core is extremely beneficial for overall strength and fitness and can be done effectively at home. A combination of bodyweight core exercises and weighted ab exercises is an effective way to strengthen and tone the core in different ways. If lying on your back isn’t comfortable, you can also strengthen the abs with standing core exercises.

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4 comments

  1. Great workout to add onto a leg day. Just wanted to let you know that I love the timer and up next feature!

    • Andrea! Thanks so much for giving this workout video a shot! So glad you loved the timer + ‘up next’ features….we are hoping to continue to add features like this for the future! -Lindsey

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