Improve your core strength and abdominal definition with this 20-minute bodyweight abs workout.
Ask most men what body part they most want to improve, and the abs will feature pretty high on the list. But beyond basic aesthetics, a strong midsection is essential for both athletic performance and everyday health. This 20-minute bodyweight abs workout is here to help. Whip out your exercise mat and get ready to work – and don’t forget to use a foam roller for post-workout recovery.
Why you can trust the workouts in Men’s Fitness
At Men’s Fitness we pride ourselves on delivering information that serves a singular purpose: to improve some aspect of your health, fitness or wellbeing. For over 16 years, we’ve been publishing authoritative health and fitness content – written by our expert editors and contributors – in the form of the monthly Men’s Fitness magazine. Each of our workouts has been created by either a highly experienced editor or expert contributor, and has been tested and used in real-world situations. This workout was devised by celebrity PT Bradley Simmonds.
How to do this bodyweight abs workout
Complete each exercise for 40 seconds, resting for 20 seconds between moves. Once one round is complete, have a 60-second breather, then go again twice more, for three total rounds.
Exercises in this 20-minute bodyweight abs workout
1a. Cross climber
1b. Toe touch pike
1c. Side plank
1d. V crunch
1e. Bicycle crunch
1f. Flutter kick
1a. Cross climber
| Reps | 40 seconds |
| Rest | 20 seconds |
- For the first move in this bodyweight abs workout, start in a high plank position, ensuring your core is tight, back is straight, hands are underneath the shoulders and your head is in a neutral position
- Bring one knee up towards your chest and twist towards the opposing elbow, contracting the core, then return the leg to the starting position
- Maintain your strong plank position as you do the same with the other leg
- Continue alternating legs
1b. Toe touch pike
| Reps | 40 seconds |
| Rest | 20 seconds |
- Begin in a high plank position, keeping your core strong and tight
- Now push your hips up and back into a downward dog position, while tapping one hand onto the toes of the opposite foot
- Return to the strong high plank position, then repeat on the other side
- Continue alternating
1c. Side plank
| Reps | 40 seconds (each side) |
| Rest | 20 seconds |
- For the next move in this bodyweight abs workout, start by lying on your side, with your body fully extended
- Once comfortable, lift your body off the ground and balance your weight on your forearm and side of your foot
- Raise your opposite arm into the air and keep your body in a straight line
- Change sides after the 40 seconds, then repeat
1d. V crunch
| Reps | 40 seconds |
| Rest | 20 seconds |
- Lie on your back and place your hands on either side of your head
- Raise both your legs and your torso at the same time, bending your knees as you crunch
- Now lower both in unison, but make sure you don’t let your back or feet touch the floor, to keep the core engaged
1e. Bicycle crunch
| Reps | 40 seconds |
| Rest | 20 seconds |
- For this bodyweight abs workout move, start by lying on your back, with hands held behind your head
- Bring your knees up, with shins parallel to the floor
- Straighten your left leg out and turn your upper body to the right, bringing your left elbow towards your right knee
- Return to the centre, with both knees bent and elbows wide
- Repeat on the other side and continue alternating
1f. Flutter kick
| Reps | 40 seconds |
| Rest | 20 seconds |
- Start by lying on the ground, with your lower back pressed flat into the floor, then place your hands to your sides
- Extend both legs and, once your core is engaged, alternate raising your legs up and down in a controlled manner
- Keep your legs off the floor for the full 40 seconds
Have a 60-second breather, then go again twice more, for three total rounds in this bodyweight abs workout.
Benefits of bodyweight abs workouts
Regularly doing core sessions, like this bodyweight abs workout, offers an array of benefits. Your abdominals are a collection of crucial postural muscles. The group also assists with breathing, stabilising the torso during exercise, and protecting your internal organs from impact.
When people talk about the ‘abs’, they’re often referring to the rectus abdominis, a paired muscle that runs vertically on either side of the front of your abdomen, separated down the middle by a band of connective tissue called the linea alba, or ‘white line’. It’s that, along with those that run horizontally across the muscle group, that create the distinct sections of a six-pack.
How to strengthen your abs
There are plenty of abs workouts designed to target these muscles. Heavy compound lifts – squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, etc. – are among the best moves for building strength in your abs, because they require your core to work extra hard to stabilise your upper body and transfer power between your legs and your torso.
However, the abs are like every other muscle group in that they also need to be targeted directly, from a variety of angles, to effectively elicit maximum growth. So while this workout from PT and fitness model Bradley Simmonds – and targeted bodyweight abs sessions like it – should not be used as a replacement for the bread-and-butter compound stuff, it will hit your abs more directly, helping to carve a rock-solid set of six. You can work all of the abs at once, or target specific sections, like with a lower abs workout, for example
Bradley Simmonds’ Get It Done training app is currently available online at getitdone.fitness and via app on iOS, Android, and Apple TV. Subscriptions start at £22 per month.
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