My unprofessional, yet honest thoughts on seven popular ab workouts from your favorite influencers… *Law and Order sound effect*
- Alexis Ren, 10 Minute Ab Workout
-
This video is the go-to for so many people, which is why I started here.
Alexis’s workout is doable yet difficult, which is the reason why I refused to try anything besides this video for years. Now I understand what’s best for me, so the full-body movements coupled with no breaks makes it hard to call this workout my favorite. I feel as if it would be more effective if there was a ten second break between each interval so you could rest in order to fully do the next move. Or am I just being lazy?
I do enjoy the effectiveness of the video: I worked my upper and lower abs, obliques, and strengthened my core in just ten minutes. I will revisit this video in the future because it gets the job done, but it probably wouldn’t be my first choice.
Personal Rating: 9/10
- PopSugar, 10 Minute Standing Barre Core Workout
-
Over the last few weeks, barre has slowly become one of my favorite exercises to do. The fusion between ballet and pilates targets different muscles than someone would normally work, leaving you sore and flexible in hard to reach areas.
I found this workout to be a great mix between stretching, dynamic movement, and core work. While it didn’t give me a truly “wiped-out” feeling in my abs, this would be a perfect video to follow after doing an intense full-body workout in order to challenge your abs and glutes one last time.
Fun fact: each time your knee reaches above your hips, your core is being worked. Standing ab workouts challenge the idea that the only way to work your stomach is to be on your back.
Personal Rating: 7.5/10
- Chloe Ting, 10 Minute ABS
-
Chloe Ting’s video is difficult, consisting of 40 second work intervals that require full-body movements and 15 second breaks that are truly gone too soon. While doing this workout, I had to take 2-3 short breaks to catch my breath and rest my arms because of its high intensity.
My abs were sore after the video and my heart rate was elevated. The 40 second intervals were killer compared to the typical 20-30 second I’m used to, but I’ll definitely (well, probably) go back to this workout for a challenge.
Personal Rating: 8.5/10
- Pamela Reif, 10 Minute Ab Workout
-
This video could also be titled “Lazy Girl’s Ab Workout” since it keeps you on your back for almost every exercise, but this doesn’t mean it’s easy… trust me. The movements are reminiscent of Alexis Ren’s video– basic yet difficult, especially with no breaks. The burn in my lower abs was there, but it wasn’t the type of feeling I got from Alexis Ren or Chloe Ting. I would recommend doing this workout after HIIT training because it requires little to no work from your arms or legs.
Personal Rating: 7.5/10
- The Live Fit Girl, 10 Minute Pilates Abs
-
This workout is low impact and great for an introduction to pilates– it helps you to maintain balance and flexibility, possibly in a way you’ve never had to before. The movements provided a slow burn in the abs throughout the video without destroying me. This exercise was less intense than I’m used to, but it’s still made me work; perfect for after a difficult workout. I find myself returning to this video because of its emphasis on solid core strength that pilates is great for.
Personal Rating: 9/10
- MadFit, 15 Min Flat Belly & Strong Core
-
This workout is another huge challenge for balance and flexibility due to its barre inspiration. From the very start, this video worked my lower core (and legs at some points) to the point where I had to pause to lay down for a minute (or fifteen.) Sometimes, seemingly simple movements burn your abs more than a sit-up or crunch would. The one drawback of this video is the 45 second work intervals. As we all know, time moves in slow-motion during workouts, and an extra five or ten seconds can make or break you.
Personal Rating: 9/10
- PopSugar, 10 Minute Flat-Belly Barre Workout
-
As one commenter put it, “This wasn’t a workout, it was a full-on ab massacre.” I completely agree, but I loved it. This ab workout was the best I’d ever done. The barre movements work your entire core and increase your flexibility while doing so. The movements flow into one another–leaving no time for breaks–but force you to give your 110% throughout the video. This was by far my favorite workout I tried; it worked every muscle to its breaking point and made me feel amazing once that 10 minutes was up.
Personal Rating: 10/10