Skip to main content
Logo for WebMD
Logo for WebMD
  • Coronavirus Update
  • Check Your Symptoms
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Dentist
  • Connect to Care
  • Find Lowest Drug Prices
  • Health
    A-Z
    Health A-Z
    Health A-Z
    Common Conditions
    • ADD/ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Arthritis
    • Cancer
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Eye Health
    • Heart Disease
    • Lung Disease
    • Orthopedics
    • Pain Management
    • Sexual Conditions
    • Skin Problems
    • Sleep Disorders
    • View All
    Resources
    • Symptom Checker
    • WebMD Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Newsletters
    • Questions & Answers
    • Insurance Guide
    • Find a Doctor
    • Children's Conditions A-Z
    • Surgeries and Procedures A-Z
    • Featured Topics
    • woman experiencing chest discomfort Symptom Checker COVID-19: Check Your Symptoms Now
    • photo of migraine Slideshow Get Help for Migraine Relief
  • Drugs &
    Supplements
    Drugs & Supplements
    Drugs & Supplements
    Find & Review
    • Drugs
    • Supplements
    Drug Basics & Safety
    • Commonly Abused Drugs
    • Taking Meds When Pregnant
    Tools
    • Manage Your Medications
    • Pill Identifier
    • Check for Interactions
    • Drug Comparison Tool
    • Featured Topics
    • assorted vitamins Slideshow Vitamins You Need as You Age
    • photo of vaccine Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Living
    Healthy
    Living Healthy
    Living Healthy
    Diet, Food & Fitness
    • Diet & Weight Management
    • Weight Loss & Obesity
    • Food & Recipes
    • Fitness & Exercise
    Beauty & Balance
    • Healthy Beauty
    • Health & Balance
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Oral Care
    Living Well
    • Women's Health
    • Men's Health
    • Aging Well
    • Healthy Sleep
    • Healthy Teens
    • Featured Topics
    • grocery cart Article Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes
    • walking sneakers Quiz Do You Know the Benefits of Walking?
  • Family &
    Pregnancy
    Family & Pregnancy
    Family & Pregnancy
    All About Pregnancy
    • Getting Pregnant
    • First Trimester
    • Second Trimester
    • Third Trimester
    • View All
    Parenting Guide
    • Newborn & Baby
    • Children's Health
    • Children's Vaccines
    • Raising Fit Kids
    • View All
    Pet Care Essentials
    • Healthy Cats
    • Healthy Dogs
    • View All
    • Featured Topics
    • apple slices and peanut butter Slideshow Smart Snacks When You're Pregnant
    • photo of dogs kissing Slideshow Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats
  • News &
    Experts
    News & Experts
    News & Experts
    Health News
    • Coronavirus News
    • COVID-19 Vaccines -- Latest Updates
    • Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts
    • COVID-19 Symptoms
    • Coronavirus Variants
    Experts & Community
    • WebMD Blogs
    • News Center
    • Featured Topics
    • photo of coronavirus cell WebMD News Get the Latest COVID-19 News Here
    • photo of person typing Get Our Newsletters Health News and Information, Delivered to Your Inbox
  • Mobile Apps
  • Subscriptions
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • My Profile
    • My Tools
    • My WebMD Pages
    • My Account
    • Sign Out

    Fitness & Exercise

    • Home
    • News
    • Reference
    • Slideshows
    • Quizzes
    • Videos
    • Questions & Answers
    • Workouts A-Z

    Health & Fitness Guide

    • Overview & Facts
    • Tips for Success
    • Get Lean
    • Get Strong
    • Fuel Your Body
    • All Guide Topics

    Related Topics

    • Diet & Weight Management
    • Weight Loss & Obesity
    • Food & Recipes
    • Food Calculator
    • Exercise Calculator
    • BMI Calculator
    • Sports Injuries A-Z
    • More Related Topics
    • Fitness & Exercise
    • Videos

    10 Minute, No-Equipment Ab Workout

    Video Transcript

    [MUSIC PLAYING]

    SPEAKER: Hi, and welcome, guys. We're going to do a 10 minute ab exercise. Five exercises, one minute each, and do two rounds of that. So we're going to get started with a simple crunch.

    Lay on your back. Most important thing, always keep your lower back on the floor. And just slowly roll your body up and down. Stop for one second at the top. Now with your hands-- and this goes for all the exercises-- I love putting my hands just lightly behind my ears.

    Most important thing-- never pull on your neck. You should be able to fit a tennis ball in between your chin and your chest at all times. All right, we're halfway there on the first exercise.

    Nice and slow. And remember, low back always on the floor. And of course, any time anything gets too difficult, take a break.

    Just five more seconds, guys. One more.

    All right, now we're going to go on to the vertical leg crunch. Same position, but with your legs in the air. Just crunch up nice and slow.

    Remember, your hands just slightly behind your ears. Never want to pull on your neck. Keep that back flat on the floor, your lower back. Any time you feel any strain, just bring your legs down. No problem at all.

    Remember, nice and slow, no jerking movement. Five more seconds. All right, quick break. Feet on the floor.

    Now we're going to go on to the bicycle. Bring those legs back up, lightly behind the ears. Nice and slow. You're not actually pedaling a bicycle, but you're using the same movements.

    And again, lower back flat on the floor. That's so important. Any time you feel any strain, remember, put your legs down. Just use your upper body. In this exercise, when your legs are in the air, you're pretty much firing all those ab muscles.

    Put your feet down. We're really targeting the oblique muscles on each side. The reason I chose this exercise is there was a study that actually showed the bicycle to be the number one exercise for hitting both the rectus abdominis and those oblique muscles. All right, last one, guys.

    Now on to reverse crunch. Same position. Hands, arms beside. Slowly lower up and down. Lower with your leg. But again, very importantly, your lower back, not the small of your back. Nice and flat on the floor. And you just roll it up.

    Now on this one, you're targeting more the lower abs. And when you think of somebody with a six pack, six pack abs, you're looking at their muscle group called the rectus abdominis, one long muscle that goes all the way up and down your abs. This one, you're kind of getting the lower part of that. All right, last one.

    OK, now we are going to actually flip and do a plank. Now here, elbows under your shoulders. Hands flat on the floor. Most important thing-- kind of squeeze your butt.

    Squeeze your butt muscles. And then suck in your belly. Because you want to make sure that your body is a nice straight line. Like, none of this. None of this. Nice and straight.

    Now I know that this is quite difficult to hold for a minute. So again, variation. You can do this on your knees. Keep going back and forth from your knees here. See? And over time, you'll be able to do this with no trouble. Five more seconds.

    All right, we're going to do that all over again. Back in the crunch position. Now we're going to add a little variation here. Let's just start normal. Your feet should-- your heels on the floor, so that when you come up, you're actually rolling your pelvis a little bit this way.

    It's called a crunch with a heel push. Literally, you're kind of pushing on your heels and bringing your upper and lower body together, kind of like an accordion. Not that I've ever played an accordion, but it seems like that's what it would be like.

    I often like holding it for a second. And again, with all of them, you can see it's all nice and slow. All right.

    We are going to switch now to the vertical leg crunch. Now you can add in a variation here and reach for your toes. When you do that, you'll actually feel it even more in that top part of that rectus abdominis.

    Always make sure, though, your lower back is flat on the floor. And to do that, you might have to tilt your pelvis up a little, like that. Now a variation, as you get comfortable doing this, is to reach toward your toes. Last one.

    All right, now on to the bicycle. Now you may need to rest this time, remember. You can speed it up just a little bit. But remember, the most important thing is your form. Quality, not quantity. Keeping that low back flat on the floor.

    Any time you feel any pain in your back, take a break. Remember, when you need to, feet flat on the floor and side to side.

    Now with this one, and when you have your legs in your air, you're pretty much hitting everything. But when you put your feet down, you're hitting the muscles on each side of the obliques. Just a few more seconds.

    All righty, now on to the reverse crunch. Again, same position. Arms beside you. Slowly roll your pelvis up. Sort of hold it there for a second. And you're really hitting the lower abs, the rectus abdominis. The lower ones are sometimes a little harder to pop.

    Now remember, with ab exercises, this is not going to get rid of belly fat. That's not what the purpose is. To do that, you need to look at your nutrition.

    But as you do lose body fat, and you want your abs to look nice and toned, that's where this comes in. All right, just a few more seconds. One more. All right, hold it just-- OK.

    We are now going to go on to the plank. I'm going to show you a couple of variations here. Again, only as you get used to this, as it becomes just a little easier, I'll show you what you need to-- again, remember. Use your butt. Suck in your belly. A nice straight line from head to toe.

    But as you get a little more used to it, you can raise a foot into the air. And you just hold that for five seconds to begin with. Then you can switch.

    The most important thing really, though-- I can't stress enough-- is your form. We're almost there. All right.

    Thanks for joining me. Do this a couple of times a week, just like you would work out any other muscle group. And in no time, I promise you, it will get easier each day. And you can mix it up from there on out. Take care. Have a great day.

    Related Videos

    Editor's Picks

    • woman with cup of coffee

      Video

      The Truth About Coffee
    • tongue scraper and tongue

      Video

      5 Ways to Beat Bad Breath
    • couple having sex in bed

      Video

      Why Orgasms Feel Good

    Latest Videos

    Top Picks

    • 7 Habits of Super-Healthy People
    • Exercises That Ease Joint Stiffness
    • 10 Common Running Injuries
    • Yoga: How It Works, Types, and More

    Today on WebMD

    couple working out

    Get Fit at Home: You Don't Need a Gym for This Workout

    build a better butt

    Build a Better Butt: Workouts for Slim and Shapely Glutes

    bicycle spinning in gym

    Fitness Dos and Don'ts: Test Your Knowledge on Getting in Shape

    variety of bottled water

    Hydration Quiz: How Much Water Do You Need?

    Recommended for You

    excercise Slideshow

    7-Minute Workout

    Young woman with flat abs Slideshow

    9 Tips for Flat Abs

    pilates instructor Slideshow

    15 Pilates Moves That Get Results

    woman exercising Slideshow

    Core Moves for Your Workout

    pilates workout Slideshow

    Best Toning Workouts

    woman using dumbbells Slideshow

    Fitness Tips for Beginners

    woman measuring waist in gym Slideshow

    What a 5% Weight Loss Can Do for Your Health

    swimmer stretching Quiz

    Test Your Sports Injury Savvy

    broken leg in cast Article

    Types of Ankle Injuries

    Still Life Of Protein Foods Quiz

    Protein Myths and Facts

    athlete on track Article

    Muscle Strain Basics

    athletic man pouring water on head Article

    Heat Exhaustion: Symptoms and Treatment

    Tools & Resources

    • 7 Most Effective Exercises
    • Build a Better Butt
    • Fitness Dos and Don'ts
    • 9 Tips for Flat Abs
    • Good Protein Sources
    • 6 Exercises for Better Posture

    Health Solutions

    • Penis Curved When Erect
    • Could I have CAD?
    • Treat Bent Fingers
    • Discover hATTR Symptoms
    • Tired of Dandruff?
    • Treat HR+, HER2- MBC
    • Rethink MS Treatment
    • AFib-Related Strokes
    • Risk of a Future DVT/PE
    • Is My Penis Normal?
    • Relapsing MS Options
    • Enlarged Prostate Facts
    • Finance Plastic Surgery
    • Bent Finger Causes
    • Living With Psoriasis?
    • Benefits of CBD

    More from WebMD

    • 5 Tips to Help With Relapsing MS
    • How to Thrive With Narcolepsy
    • Relief for Blocked Hair Follicles
    • Psoriatic Arthritis and Your Sleep
    • What Psoriasis Feels Like
    • First Psoriatic Arthritis Flare
    • Talking to Your Doctor About RA
    • Crohn's: A 'Full-Body' Disease
    • Avoiding Crohn’s Flares
    • Living With Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Live Better With Psoriatic Disease
    • Types of B-Cell Therapy for MS
    • Living Better With T2 Diabetes
    • Why Prostate Cancer Spreads
    • Getting the Care You Need for MS
    • Where Breast Cancer Spreads
    • Logo for WebMD
      • Visit WebMD on Facebook
      • Visit WebMD on Twitter
      • Visit WebMD on Pinterest
    • Policies

      • Privacy Policy
      • Cookie Policy
      • Editorial Policy
      • Advertising Policy
      • Correction Policy
      • Terms of Use

      About

      • Contact Us
      • About WebMD
      • Careers
      • Newsletter
      • Corporate
      • WebMD Health Services
      • Site Map
      • Accessibility
    • WebMD Network

      • Medscape
      • Medscape Reference
      • MedicineNet
      • eMedicineHealth
      • RxList
      • OnHealth
      • WebMDRx
      • First Aid
      • WebMD Magazine
      • WebMD Health Record
      • Dictionary
      • Physician Directory
    • Our Apps

      • WebMD Mobile
      • WebMD App
      • Pregnancy
      • Baby
      • Allergy
      • Medscape

      For Advertisers

      • Advertise with Us
      • Advertising Policy

    © 2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.

    WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

    See additional information.