10 Minutes To A Toned Tummy

By Craig Ballantyne
[10 Minutes]
Get a slim tummy with three simple moves you can do in the comfort of your own home.  Craig Ballantyne tells you how to achieve this in 10 minutes.
The other morning after training one of my favourite clients, I stopped by a convenience store in downtown Toronto to inspect the latest fitness magazine headlines.  The cover of one of the slickest, most popular female fitness publications immediately jumped out at me with the headline, “One Minute Abs.”

Now before you laugh, I just want to let you know that I could put you through 60 seconds of stretching and strengthening that would leave your abs sore for days.  So even though it sounds preposterous and clearly the headline was there for shock value, I promise you that working your abs in a few minutes is no laughing matter.

Today’s 10 Minute Ab Workout

If you want to get a slim stomach and six pack abs in just minutes or even seconds, then you need to stop wasting your time on useless crunches and dangerous sit-ups.  Instead, you need to focus on 21st century ab exercises to get better results in less time.

Here’s an effective four-exercise pre-fatigue abdominal circuit in which you are going to fatigue the abdominals with classic endurance exercises and then follow it up with a dynamic moving exercise.

In the first exercise, start with a simple abdominal plank, holding that position for 45 seconds while bracing your abs, breathing normally and holding your body in a straight line.  That will pre-fatigue your abdominals for the second exercise.

Next, you will perform stability ball jackknives for 15 repetitions.  At this point in the workout, your abs will be slightly fatigued from the previous exercise, so pay special attention to your form.  This is the perfect combination of abdominal exercises to help you strengthen your abs and build six pack muscles.

Sculpt Your Abs With Science

Research shows that abdominal exercises like the plank and side plank are essential for helping you build abdominal endurance and reduce your risk of low back pain.  My experience shows that we can use these simple exercises combined with fun stability ball exercises to work your abs harder than ever.

The third abdominal exercise in the circuit will fatigue both the obliques and abdominals and is called the side plank.  While holding for 30 seconds per side, be sure to maintain your body in a straight line, keeping your hips up and your chest rotated outwards.

Brace your abs to work them harder than ever.  This simple exercise is far more effective than crunches and works your abdominal oblique muscles extra hard.  Plus, the side plank pre-fatigues your abdominal oblique muscles for the final exercise.

The last ab workout exercise in the circuit is the cross body stability ball mountain climber.  To get into position, place your hands on the floor, your feet on the ball and bring your knee across your body to your opposite elbow.  This is a powerful exercise for your six pack abs and obliques.

Once completing the pre-fatigue abdominal circuit, go through and complete it two more times for a total of three circuits.  You’ll be shocked at how hard you can work your abs without sit-ups, crunches or any of the ab gadgets that are really just a waste of money.
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