Ab Workouts 10 Minute Ab Workout for a Strong Core By Elizabeth Quinn, MS Elizabeth Quinn, MS Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics. Learn about our editorial process Updated on February 13, 2023 Reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by nutrition and exercise professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Kristin McGee, CPT Reviewed by Kristin McGee, CPT Kristin McGee is a certified personal trainer and currently teaches yoga and meditation for Peloton. She is also certified in Pilates by the National Association of Sports Medicine. Learn about our Review Board Print Get your core in shape with this ab circuit workout. Combining five killer ab exercises with rope jumping will not only give your midsection a total workout, but you'll also build cardiovascular fitness simultaneously. Begin your core workout with a light warm-up to get the blood flowing and gradually increase your core temperature. This can help reduce your risk of injury. The actual workout consists of a one-minute interval of each of the following ab exercises, with a 60-second interval of rope jumping between exercises. 1 Plank Verywell / Ben Goldstein Start with 60 seconds of the standard front plank exercise. If you can hold this position for the entire 60 seconds, challenge yourself by alternating lifting the right and then the left foot off the ground in a slow, steady motion. After your one-minute plank, move quickly into your one-minute rope jumping interval. Then go to the next exercise. 2 Crossover Ab Crunches B2M Productions/Digital Vision/Getty Images The crossover ab crunch targets the obliques. The goal is to touch each elbow to the knee without cranking your neck forward. It's helpful to look up as you crunch and rotate from the torso, not the neck. Do as many slow, controlled repetitions as you can on one side in 30 seconds, then switch to the other side for the remaining 30 seconds. Follow with rope jumping, then move on to the one-leg bridge. 3 One-Leg Bridges Verywell / Ben Goldstein The one-leg bridge is not typically considered a power-house core exercise, but it is excellent for working the posterior chain (the backside of the body). Building strong glutes and hamstrings is essential for torso strength and stability. The key to making this one a good core strengthener is to resist allowing the hips to sag or one side of the pelvis to rotate or sink toward the ground. If you can keep your pelvis level, you will better engage your core muscles. For this circuit, hold the one-leg bridge for 30 seconds on one side and then switch to the other side for the remaining 30 seconds. Follow with another 60 seconds of rope jumping before moving to the next ab exercise. Modification If you have difficulty with sinking or sagging on one side, perform a basic bridge exercise until you build up enough strength to do this one right. 4 Oblique Twists With a Medicine Ball Matt Henry Gunther / Getty Images Your abs may be burning a bit as you hit the fourth exercise in the circuit, the oblique twist with a medicine ball. If not, they will be by the end of this 60-second interval. To do it right, keep your feet up off the floor and alternate tapping a medicine ball (the weight of your choosing) back and forth from the right side of your body to the left. Do this in a slow, controlled motion for the entire 60 seconds, and then do your jump-rope interval. 5 Standard Crunch ljubaphoto / Getty Images To do a standard crunch, hold your torso up off the ground, staying as close to the floor as you can increase the intensity. You can have your knees bend slightly to make it easier or straighten them out to make it harder. If you start fatiguing, lift up a bit higher to reduce the effort, or roll up and grab your knees to take a little break. Ultimately, aim to hold the position for the entire minute. Follow with one more interval of jumping rope and you are done. Nice work! 8 Ways to Slim Your Waistline 2 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Park D-J, Park S-Y. Which trunk exercise most effectively activates abdominal muscles? A comparative study of plank and isometric bilateral leg raise exercises. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2019;32(5):797-802. doi:10.3233/BMR-181122. Choi K, Bak J, Cho M, Chung Y. The effects of performing a one-legged bridge with hip abduction and use of a sling on trunk and lower extremity muscle activation in healthy adults. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016;28(9):2625-2628. doi:10.1589/jpts.28.2625. By Elizabeth Quinn, MS Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Helpful Report an Error Other Submit Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from companies that partner with and compensate Verywell Fit for displaying their offer. These partnerships do not impact our editorial choices or otherwise influence our editorial content.