For most areas of the body, a five-minute workout is unlikely to leave a lasting impression, but regularly adding a short abs routine to the end of a longer session in the gym can make a world of difference.
Case in point: this five-minutes abs workout from 1Rebel coach Augusta Woods, which is a ruthlessly effective way to target your abs – although it may feel longer than five minutes while you’re doing it. While it’s challenging, we found it treads the fine line between progress and pain. If you find it too hard for your level, it scales easily, making it the perfect abs challenge for all comers.
“It’s called Hollow Victory,” says Woods, “because by the end you’ve definitely achieved something, but it will leave you feeling it. Plus, there’s a tonne of hollow holds.
“You work straight through for five minutes: 30 seconds of a static hold, then 30 seconds of a high-intensity exercise that will target your core. All the exercises will test your core, but returning to the hollow hold each time demands willpower and focus – you have to pay strict attention to form when your body is starting to fatigue.
“If 30 seconds sounds too intense to begin with, then try going down to 20 seconds or even 10 seconds for every exercise. You will know after the first attempt where you’re at, then remember that level and try to build upon it the next time. You can also mix and match different exercises – the key is keeping the hollow holds as your base.”
You’ll find many more moves to sub in with our collection of the best abs exercises, or you can vary the routine using one of these three abs workouts which target your upper, lower or side abs in turn.
Five-Minute Abs Workout
1 Hollow hold
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
Lie on your back with your legs together and extended, with your arms extended behind your head and your lower back pressed into the floor. Raise your legs and arms about 15cm off the ground and lift your shoulders as well. Keep your core engaged and lower back pressed into the floor throughout the hold.
2 Plank
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
Lie on your front, then raise your body supporting yourself on your forearms and the balls of your feet. Engage your core and glutes to align your body in a straight line from shoulders to ankles.
3 Hollow hold
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
4 Mountain climbers
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
Lie on your front, then raise your body supporting yourself on your hands and the balls of your feet, with arms extended and hands under your shoulders. Drive one knee at a time to your chest, keeping your back straight. Continue at pace.
5 Hollow hold
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
6 Toe touch
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
Lie on your back, extend your legs and point your toes at the ceiling. Slowly raising your back off the floor, reach up with both arms to try to touch your toes, then return your back to the floor.
7 Hollow hold
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
8 Walking plank
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
Adopt the plank position. Then, keeping your core tight and your hips in line with your shoulders and ankles, push up to the high plank position one hand at a time, finishing with your arms extended and hands underneath your shoulders. The slower you complete this move the better. Alternate your leading hand.
9 Hollow hold
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
10 Bicycle crunch
Time 30sec Rest 0sec
Lie on your back with your hands touching the sides of your head, elbows pointing sideways. Raise both legs off the ground and then slowly bring one knee up towards your chest, and the opposite elbow towards the knee. Alternate sides.
More Short Workouts
- 10-Minute Abs Finisher
- 10-Minute Workouts That HIIT It Hard
- The Six-Move Six-Pack Home Workout To Build Abs
- Five Minutes Of Fire Legs Workout Challenge
