10-Minute Daily Ab Workout

How To Do An Alternating Knee Pull and Straight Leg Pull

1. Lay flat on the floor, lower back pressed into the mat with feet together. Bring your arms overhead so your biceps are near your ears.
2. Raise your neck and shoulders as you pull your right knee in to meet your chest, bending the right leg as you do so. Feet are flexed and left leg remains straight out. Bring your fingertips to meet your right knee.
3. Then, send the arms back overhead as you kick the right leg back out so both legs are kicked straight out again.
4. Repeat the movement, this time performing a straight leg pull. Raise your neck and shoulders as you pull your right leg straight overhead. Feet are flexed and left left remains straight out. Bring your fingertips to meet your right ankle.
5. Then, send the arms back overhead again as you lower the right leg back to the ground.
6. Repeat, alternating the knee pull and straight leg pull.

Modification: Option to perform alternating knee hugs.

How To Do 2 Dead Bugs and a Crunch Up

1. Lie on your back, performing a slight pelvic tilt to press your lower back into the mat and drawing your belly button towards your spine. Think about wrapping your abdominal wall around your torso.
2. Then bring your legs up, knees bent at 90 degrees, shins parallel to the floor. Extend your arms straight overhead, wrists stacked over shoulders.
3. Contract your ab muscles to engage your core as you extend your right arm overhead while simultaneously straightening your left leg. Return to the starting position.
4. Then extend your left arm overhead while simultaneously straightening your right leg. Return to the starting position.
5. Then perform a crunch up by lifting your head, neck and shoulders off the ground as you roll up onto your sit bones. Brace your core, engaging your abdominal muscles to lift you up.
6. Hold at the top for a moment, then lower to the ground with control and repeat the sequence of two dead bugs and one crunch up.

Modification: Option to omit the crunch up and perform dead bugs throughout the timed interval. Reduce range of motion to reduce the intensity. You can keep bends in both knees rather than kicking straight out to scale this exercise as well.

How To Do A Modified Side Plank Clamshell and Leg Lift

1. Lie on one side, with legs and feet stacked and knees bent at a 45-degree angle.
2. Rest on the forearm of the lower arm, shoulder stacked over elbow.
3. Exhale to engage the core and stabilize your spine and pelvic floor.
4. Use your outer glutes and hips to lift your resting hip off the floor. As you lift your hips off the floor, open your legs, raising your upper leg as high as you can to perform a leg lift. Avoid shifting your hips or pelvis.
5. Pause, and hold at the top of the movement for a moment. Then return to the starting position.

How To Do Bear Crawl Shoulder Taps

1. Start in a table top position, quadruped on all fours, shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees, pelvis even.
2. Inhale as you let your belly slightly drop, raising your gaze up as you breathe into your belly.
3. Exhale, drawing your belly button towards your spine. Tuck your toes under and lift your knees one inch off the mat, finding a bear crawl.
4. Hold this bear crawl position, then perform a shoulder tap, tapping the left shoulder with the right hand.
5. Return your right palm to the mat and repeat on the other side. Tap the right shoulder with the left hand, then return it to the mat.
6. Continue this pattern, alternating shoulder taps.

Modification: Perform bird dog by finding a quadruped position, then extending your right leg back, floating it off the ground. As you extend the right leg back, extend the opposite left arm straight out in front of you. Return to the starting position and repeat this movement on the other side of the body.

How To Do 3-Count Bicycle Crunches

1. Lie on your back, lower back pressing firmly into the mat. Bring your legs to a raised 90 degree bend.
2. Lift your head, neck and shoulders off the ground. Place your hands behind your head and think about pressing your head into your fingertips. 
3. Lift your right elbow towards your left knee as you extend your right leg long.
4. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Pulling your left elbow towards your right knee as you extend your left leg long.
5. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat on the right side again. This time, hold for a moment as you pull your right elbow towards your left knee.
6. Return to the starting position and repeat this ‘bicycling’ movement, alternating knee to elbow crunches and holding for a moment at every third crunch. Think, “one, two, three and hold.”

Modification: Perform with knees bent, reducing the range of motion.

How To Do Double Alternating Leg Lowers

1. Lie on your back. Press your low back firmly into the mat and think about “wrapping” your abdominal wall around your core.
2. Straighten your legs and extend them over your hips, the bottom of your feet facing the ceiling.
3. Slowly lower one leg towards the ground, keeping both legs as straight as possible. Focus on keeping your lower back pressed into the mat.
4. Hover your heel above the mat, then pull it back up to starting position.
5. Then repeat on the same leg for a double leg lower.
6. After you’ve completed two leg lowers on the same leg, repeat, this time alternating legs.

Modification: Bend both knees, shortening the distance each leg travels.

How To Do A Sprinter Sit Up and Jab

1. Start seated with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Keeping your core engaged, lean your torso back to lay flat on the ground. Send your arms overhead and your legs long, body forms a straight line.
3. Explosively pull your torso back to an upright position to perform a sit up while pulling your right knee toward your chest and shooting the left arm forward, performing a jab. (The motion looks somewhat like you’re sprinting.)
4. With control, lower back down to the mat.
5. Repeat for the timed interval, alternating the leg that pulls in and the arm that punches across with each rep.

Modification: Option to omit the sit up and perform seated alternating jabs.

How To Do A Seated Twist

1. Start in a seated position, sitting on your sit bones as you lean back; heels resting on the ground (option to float one or both feet to increase intensity).
2. Pull your right elbow back towards your right hip as you rotate through your torso to tap your hands to the mat near your right hip.
3. Use your obliques and abs to return to center.
4. Then reverse the movement, pulling your left elbow back towards your left hip as you rotate through your torso to tap your hands to the mat near your left hip.

How To Do A Reverse Crunch and Single Leg Kick Out and Lower

1. Start lying on your back, core engaged, legs extended out from your body and floating off the mat (the closer your legs are to the mat, the harder this exercise will be).
2. Engage your upper abs to perform a sit up as you engage your lower abs to pull your knees towards your chest. Rest your forearms on the mat and maintain this position throughout the timed interval.
3. As you hold this position, extend the right leg long to 45 degrees. Both feet are flexed, left knee remains bent.
4. With control, use the core to pull the right leg and left knee towards the face, lifting the right leg as high as you can (aiming to find a 90-degree angle). Think about rocking back and forth, but use your core to move you rather than momentum.
5. Hold for a moment, then slowly lower the right leg back down to a 45-degree angle. Left knee remains bent the entire time.
6. Then switch legs, pulling the right knee in as you extend the left leg long, finding a 45-degree angle. Repeat the reverse crunch.

Modification: Option to omit the leg lift and lower, performing alternating straight leg kick outs.