Challenge and strengthen your entire core with this 7-minute abs workout for women! An intense ab workout you can do at home with no equipment. Add this 7-minute ab workout for women onto your next home workout!
7 MINUTE ABS! A quick but intense ab workout you can add to your weekly training routine 2-3 times a week.
My core workouts focus on functional training — engaging ALL the muscles that criss-cross around the trunk of your body (aka your core muscles).
And if you do my at home workouts or follow any of my free workout plans, you use your abs and core in EVERY WORKOUT.
Today’s ab workout is made of seven spicy moves — an option I personally like to add to an upper body workout or a quick run!
Your core is intended to stabilize your torso as your limbs move away from your body. So, I think that some of the best ab workouts incorporate exercises that do JUST that (while also engaging ALL of the major muscles in the core). Today’s workout incorporates several plank and crunch variations to target the major core muscles including: pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis (deep abdominal muscles), internal and external obliques (side abs), rectus abdominis (six pack ab muscles), erector spinae (muscles along the spine).
Core strength is an essential foundation to all fitness levels. I recommend incorporating ab and core workouts 3-4 times per week for best results. That said, if you do my home workouts, you’ll get lots of “sneaky” abs exercises built into every workout (we’re engaging our core in a variety of full body strength training movements and unilateral exercises).
This is an advanced ab workout routine. That said, modifications are included throughout to make this workout accessible to all fitness levels. If you’re postpartum or consider yourself a fitness beginner, I suggest starting with our 10-Minute Beginner Ab Workout or 10-Minute Lower Ab Workout for Women.
This core workout will challenge every ab muscle you have in just seven minutes. We’ll target the deep transverse abdominal muscles, obliques, lower abs, and upper abs (or rectus abdominis muscles) — all necessary for a strong core.
An intense ab workout consisting of seven ab exercises (several of which I borrowed from this 18 Best Ab Exercises for Women post).
Do this as a standalone ab workout, or add these seven minutes onto another workout.
No equipment needed, just your bodyweight.
Follow along with the guided 7-Minute Ab Workout for Women on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, Lindsey Bomgren.
Your Workout Looks Like This:
7-Minute Abs
Targets: Full body, emphasizing the core, abs, shoulders, triceps and obliques.
In addition to toning muscles, plank kick throughs also challenge and increase balance and coordination.
Modification: Option to perform a low plank single leg knee to elbow pull. Or drop down to one knee in table top and perform a single leg knee to elbow crunch.
Targets: The upper abs and lower abs, as well as the inner thighs (adductors) and outer glutes (abductors).
Modification: Keep your heels on the ground and perform a butterfly crunch. Or perform a half crunch, sitting up halfway (or as far as you can).
Targets: The upper abs and lower abs.
Modification: Keep the leg that is closest to the ground on the ground (rather than floating it off the ground). Option to sit halfway up, reaching for the knee instead of the toe.
Targets: The chest, triceps, shoulders, core and lower back.
Push ups are a fast and effective way to build muscle definition in the arms and abs (simultaneously building upper body and core strength).
Modification: Hold high or low plank position, and slightly shift your weight forward and backward as you work into the full plank launcher. Option to omit the push up or perform the push up from the knees.
Targets: The lower abs and obliques. Also improves stability throughout the lower back, hips and spine.
Modification: Keep your heels on the ground and perform a half crunch by reclining one inch and then up an inch before performing the side-to-side twist with heels on the ground.
Targets: The external oblique, internal oblique and rectus abdominis.
Modification: Lying on your side, perform an oblique crunch, keeping both legs touching the ground. Focus on contracting the abs to move your torso up. Alternatively, bend your knees at a 90-degree angle (rather than extending legs straight) and lift your legs while performing the side crunch.
Targets: The upper abs and lower abs, as well as the inner thighs (adductors) and outer glutes (abductors).
Modification: Lying flat on the floor on your back with knees bent and arms at your sides, tap your heels wide, then bring them together and tap them narrow.
This post includes affiliate links. I do earn a commission for products purchased using these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Nourish Move Love, making the content you see on this blog possible.
Nourish Move Love is a health + fitness blog that helps women create a lifestyle and body they love.
LEARN MORE
