You do not need a floor mat for this workout. This easy to follow 15 minute standing core routine will help you build abs and obliques without hurting your back or knees. All you need is your body weight and a little bit of balance.
Why You Do Not Need the Floor to Get a Strong Core
Let us be honest traditional floor workouts are not for everyone. A lot of people find it uncomfortable to get down on the floor to do crunches and sit-ups. It can hurt your lower back it can be uncomfortable for your knees. If you have muscles in your hips you will feel pain in the wrong places. Also trying to force yourself to do a sit-up can give you a headache.
But here is the truth about your core: its main job is not to bend your body in half like a piece of paper on the floor. Your core is supposed to help keep your spine straight keep you standing up against gravity and help you move your arms and legs while you are on your feet. This means you can build a core while standing up. This 15 minute standing ab workout is for anyone who wants to avoid the floor. Every move in this workout will make your abs, obliques and deep muscles work hard while keeping your posture straight and your joints happy.
The Secret to Standing Abs: Balance and Control
When you do core workouts on the floor the ground helps keep you stable. When you stand up that stability is gone. Your core has to work. However if you just swing your legs and arms around while standing you are not doing a core workout you are doing a cardio workout.
The secret to making standing ab exercises work is to use a technique called “bracing”. Imagine someone is going to poke you in the stomach. What do you do? You tense up your muscles to protect yourself. You need to hold that tension throughout this workout. Also you need to keep your knees bent, not straight. If you lock your knees you will turn off your abs. Hurt your lower back. Keep your knees bent tense your stomach and focus on balance and control not speed.
Phase 1. The Upright Warm-Up
We need to warm up our muscles before we start the 15 minute standing ab workout.
1.Standing Marching: Stand up straight. Start marching in place. Lift your knees up high as you can. As you lift your knee swing your left arm forward. This will get your blood flowing. Engage your abs. Do this for 30 seconds.
2.Torso Twists: Stand with your feet wide. Keep your hips facing. Let your arms hang loose. Slowly twist your body from left to right. You should feel your stomach muscles waking up. Do this for 30 seconds.
3.Standing Side Bends: Stand up with your feet together. Reach your arm down the side of your leg. Slowly bend your torso to the right. You should feel a stretch on the side of your waist. Pull yourself back to the center. Switch. Do this for 30 seconds alternating sides.
Phase 2. The Standing Core Circuit
This is the part of the 15 minute standing ab workout where you will do each exercise for 40 seconds then rest for 20 seconds. You will do this circuit 3 times.
1.Standing Bicycle Crunches: Put your fingertips behind your ears. Shift your weight onto your leg. Lift your knee up and across your body while twisting your torso to bring your left elbow down to meet it. Squeeze your abs hard. Slowly return to the start. Switch sides. Do not pull on your neck. Do this for 40 seconds.
2.Standing Oblique Crunches: Stand up straight weight on your leg. Place your hand behind your ear. Lift your knee up and out to the side while crunching your body down aiming to tap your right elbow to your right knee. Focus on squeezing the side of your waist. Do 40 seconds on the side rest then do 40 seconds on the side.
3.Standing Knee-to-Elbow Reaches: Reach both arms up toward the ceiling. Shift your weight to your leg. Drive your knee up toward your chest while pulling both elbows down to meet the knee. Alternate. Focus on exhaling as you pull down. Do this for 40 seconds.
4.Standing Side Plank Tap: Shift your weight to your leg. Extend your arm up toward the ceiling. Extend your right leg straight out to the side. Keep your leg straight. Sweep it up in front of you while bringing your right hand down to tap your toe. This is hard on your balance and lower abs. Do 40 seconds on the right rest, 40 seconds on the left.
Phase 3. The Standing Cooldown
Now that you have finished the 15 minute standing ab workout lets stretch out your muscles.
1.Standing Side Stretch: Stand up straight. Reach your arm up to the ceiling. Lean your torso over to the left pushing your hip out to the side. You should feel a stretch down the side of your torso. Hold for 30 seconds then switch sides.
2.Standing Forward Fold: Stand with your feet hip-width. Slowly hinge forward at your hips. Let your upper body hang heavy toward the floor. Let your head and arms dangle loose. This will release tension in your back. Do this for 30 seconds.
3.Slow Deep Breathing: Slowly roll up to a standing position. Close your eyes. Take a breath in through your nose letting your belly expand outward. Exhale fully through your mouth pulling your belly button back toward your spine. Do this for 30 seconds.
Coachs Tip: Go Slow to Get Results
When people try standing ab exercises they often rush through the movements. They start swinging their legs and jerking their elbows around to get their heart rate up. This is a mistake. Rushing through the movements does not help you build a core. Standing core work is about balance, control and slow movements. When you use momentum to swing your leg up your core muscles do not work hard. Instead move slower than you think you need to. Focus on the muscle you are trying to squeeze. When you bring your elbow to your knee pause for a second to feel the contraction. Remember to keep your knees bent and your core muscles tense. Quality is more important, than speed if you want to build a core.