​ ​
nourish move love main logo
searching icon

10-Minute Beginner Ab Workout for Women (Diastasis Recti #8)

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | December 6, 2023

Build a strong core with this 10-Minute Beginner Ab Workout. 9 core strengthening, pilates ball exercises for beginners and postpartum moms looking to rebuild pelvic floor, transverse abdominal and lower abdominal strength.

Jump to Workout

This is WORKOUT EIGHT of our Diastasis Recti Program.

woman performing diastasis recti exercises while laying on her back

LET’S GET STARTED

Download Your FREE Workout Plan Here

Download the PDF calendar for this 28-day diastasis recti workout plan so you can easily access your daily workouts.
Download Plan

Build a strong core with this quick beginner ab workout.

This beginner ab workout focuses on building (or rebuilding) core strength. These nine ab exercises for beginners target the deep transverse abdominals, lower abs, and pelvic floor muscles.

Today’s workout challenges the core in a new way using a pilates ball.

A pilates ball is one of my favorite tools to help make the mind-muscle connection necessary for beginners looking to build foundational core strength. This is also a great option for postpartum moms looking to repair diastasis recti or rebuild core strength.

woman performing an alternating leg extension with a pilates ball under her low back in a beginner ab workout

10-Minute Beginner Ab Workout for Women

Build a strong core with 9 beginner ab exercises you can do at home.

These ab exercises for beginners are specifically designed to build foundational core strength. They’re also designed to heal diastasis recti, strengthen the pelvic floor and glutes, and rebuild your abs after baby.

Add this beginner workout to your beginner workout routine (or postpartum workout routine) as you feel capable, starting with 1-2 times a week and scaling up to 3-4 times a week.

Workout Equipment:

A pilates ball. You can also use a kids squishy ball or a throw pillow if you don’t have a pilates ball available.

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided Beginner Ab Workout on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, Lindsey Bomgren. 

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • 9 Beginner Ab Exercises
  • Timed Intervals (start wherever your fitness level allows, with the goal of working up to holding or performing each exercises for 45-60 seconds)
  • No Repeats (Perform Each Exercise x1)

Workout Outline

  1. C-Shape Tucks
  2. Lying Bent Knee Toe Taps
  3. Lying Alternating Leg Extensions
  4. Side to Side Leg Lowers
  5. Modified Side Plank Lift and Ball Squeeze
  6. Bear Crawl Hold with Ball Squeeze
  7. Modified Plank and Ball Roll
  8. Superman and Ball Press
  9. Glute Bridge
pelvic floor recovery | C-Shape Curls with Spongeball | Pilates Ab Exercises | Beginner Ab Exercises | home gym equipment

Prefer to Watch On YouTube?

youtube icon Beginner Abs

9 Ab Exercises for Beginners

C-Shape Tucks

Targets: Deep transverse abdominal muscles.

woman performing a C-shape tuck with pilates ball low back push to engage core

How To Do C-Shape Tucks

  1. Start in a seated position on your mat, legs bent at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. Place a pilates ball behind you, pressing it tightly into the low back.
  2. Sit back into a C-Shape. Shoulders are pulled slightly forward, navel is drawn in tight as you lean back into the ball. Extend your arms long in front of you.
  3. Push your low back into the ball on a four-count and pause to hold the tucked position for a four-count.
  4. Then exhale as you slowly release on a four-count.

Lying Bent Knee Toe Taps

Targets: Transverse abdomen (deep core muscles below your rectus abdomen or six pack ab muscles), lower abs and hip flexors.

The closer your knees are to your chest the easier this ab exercise will be; the farther your knees are from your chest, the harder this exercise will be.

woman performing alternating lying bent knee toe taps with pilates ball under low back to engage core

How To Do Lying Bent Knee Toe Taps

  1. Start lying on your mat, back flat on the ground. Place a pilates ball under your low back and engage your core, pressing your lower back into the ball.
  2. Lift your knees to a 90-degree angle (knees bent at 90 degrees).
  3. Imagine there is a string connecting your hipbones. To activate your transverse abdominal muscles, pull your hip bones towards one another.
  4. Then, with control, tap your right toe to the mat. Return to the starting position and then tap your left toe to the mat.
  5. Alternate, tapping each toe to the mat without letting your low back ‘pop off’ the ball.

Lying Alternating Leg Extensions

Targets: Transverse abdomen, upper abs, lower abs and hips.

woman performing alternating lying leg extensions with pilates ball under low back to engage core

How To Do Alternating Leg Extensions

  1. Start lying on your back. Place a pilates ball under your low back and engage your core, pressing your lower back into the ball.
  2. Lift your knees to a 90-degree angle (knees bent at 90 degrees).
  3. Extend the right leg straight out in front of you, keeping the left leg bent at 90 degrees.
  4. With control, pull the right leg back so both knees are bent at 90 degrees. Then alternate by extending the left leg long. This movement is slow and controlled.
  5. To intensify this movement, kick both legs straight out at the same time.

Side-to-Side Leg Lower

Targets: Obliques (muscles along the sides of your torso), lower abs and hip flexors.

woman performing side to side leg lowers with pilates ball between knees to engage core

How To Do Side-to-Side Leg Lowers

  1. Start lying on your back, core activated to press your lower back into the mat.
  2. Lift your legs, knees bent at 90 degrees (knees stacked on top of hips) and squeeze a pilates ball between your knees.
  3. Keeping your shoulder blades flat on the mat, slowly lower your knees to the right side of your body, knees stacked and tapping the mat with your right knee.
  4. Squeeze your abs as you pull your knees back up to starting position.
  5. Repeat on the left, lowering your knees so your left knee taps the mat on the left side of your body.

Modification: Reduce range of motion of your legs to reduce the intensity of this exercise.

Modified Side Plank Lift and Ball Squeeze

Targets: Obliques (muscles along the sides of your torso), lower abs, outer glutes (gluteus medius), and hip flexors.

woman performing a modified side plank and hip lift with pilates ball between knees to engage core

How To Do A Modified Side Plank Lift and Ball Squeeze

  1. Start in a modified side plank or knee down side plank on the left side. Left forearm on the mat, left shoulder stacked over left elbow and left knee on the ground. Place a ball between your knees.
  2. Engage your abs and obliques as you lift your hips off the mat and squeeze your legs together to compress the ball.
  3. Hold at the top, thinking about pressing your bottom knee into the mat to engage your glutes.
  4. Then return to the starting position by lowering your hip back to the mat with control.
  5. Repeat on the opposite side the next set.

Bear Crawl Hold with Ball Squeeze

Targets: Deep transverse abdomen muscles, rectus abdominis (six-pack ab muscles), oblique muscles, shoulders, back, legs, glutes and quads.

woman performing a bear crawl hold with pilates ball between knees to engage core

How To Do A Bear Crawl Hold with Ball Squeeze

  1. Start in a table top position, quadruped on all fours, shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees, pelvis even. Place a pilates ball between your inner thighs.
  2. Inhale as you let your belly slightly drop, raising your gaze up as you breathe through into your belly.
  3. Exhale, drawing your belly button towards your spine as you tuck your toes under and lift your knees one inch off the mat, finding a bear crawl. Squeeze the ball between your inner thighs. Hold for a three-count.
  4. Inhale as you lower your knees to the mat, finding a neutral spine position.

Modified Plank and Ball Roll

Targets: Upper abs, lower abs, obliques, transverse abs, shoulders, back and hamstrings.

woman performing a modified plank and ball roll with pilates ball under forearms to engage core

How To Do A Modified Plank and Ball Roll

  1. Start in a modified plank. Knees on the mat, shoulders stacked over elbows and toes connected to the mat. Straight line from head to tailbone. Place a pilates ball under your forearms.
  2. Slowly roll out, sliding the pilates ball under your forearms until it reaches your elbows. Keep your core engaged as your torso lowers closer to the mat.
  3. Pause for a moment, then roll back in, rolling the pilates ball under your forearms until it’s closer to your wrists, pushing yourself back up a bit, core engaged.

Modification: Reduce range of motion by taking this from a quadruped (table top) position rather than modified plank.

Superman and Ball Press

Targets: The entire posterior chain (or backside of your body).

The superman exercise strengthens your back muscles, back extensors, glutes and hamstring muscles to increase overall core strength.

woman performing a superman with pilates ball push to engage core

How To Do Superman and Ball Press

  1. Start lying on your stomach, arms and legs extended out away from your body. Place a pilates ball under your hands.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to engage your posterior chain as you lift your legs off the ground while you press your hands into the pilates ball.
  3. Hold this position, keeping your core engaged and a neutral spine. The harder you press into the ball, the more intense this exercise becomes.
  4. Slowly lower your legs back towards the ground and release the pressure from the ball.

Glute Bridge

Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, hips and pelvic floor.

woman performing a glute bridge with pilates ball between knees to engage core

How To Do A Glute Bridge

  1. Start lying on your back, feet planted under knees. Place a pilates ball between your knees.
  2. Press through your heels to lift your glutes off the mat, squeezing your glutes as you lift. As you lift upwards, squeeze your inner thighs together, pressing into the pilates ball.
  3. Exhale, slowly lowering your hips to hover an inch above the mat and releasing some of the tension on the pilates ball.

More Workouts

Diastasis Recti Workouts

FAQs

What Is A Good Beginner Ab Workout?

Beginner abs exercises should help you make the mind-muscle connection needed to properly engage your core. An effective beginner ab workout should target every core muscle including: upper rectus abdominis (the upper abs), lower rectus abdominis (the lower abs), internal obliques and external obliques (side abs, along the sides of your body) and the transverse abdominis (your deepest core muscles).

How Often Should A Beginner Do Ab Workouts?

I recommend adding targeted ab and core workouts to your fitness routine 1-3 times per week for the best results. If you’re advanced, ab workouts with weights are a great progression.

Is This Beginner Ab Workout Safe For Diastasis Recti (Abdominal Separation)?

Yes, this is a great postpartum ab workout! A good rule of thumb is to avoid any ab exercise that causes “hard” coning or doming of the midsection. If you try this beginner ab workout and notice your abs coning (coming to a point), scale back to this Diastasis Recti Ab Workout. Find a full, Diastasis Recti Repair Program here. 

Pin this 10-Minute Beginner Ab Workout for Women

Beginner Abs pin for pinterest

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.

2 comments

  1. “Results come from consistency, which means showing up, day after day. Knowing that every day you show up, you’re one day closer to your goals!” Thank you! I need to print this out and post it on the bathroom mirror to see everyday. Statements like this are great motivation!

    • YES! Love me some goal inspo and I’m glad you love it too! This is a good one to post somewhere where you can see it everyday like the bathroom mirror! Thank you so much for checking out this post + I hope you found the inspo you were looking for! Lindsey

More from Postpartum Abs + Core (Diastasis Recti Exercises)