Whether youβre just looking to strengthen your workouts or feel more confident in your summer body, adding core exercises to your routine is always a good idea.
A strong core is important for even the most simplistic movements, like keeping yourself upright and balanced.
But if youβre not all that fond of and or maybe just a tad bit anxious about core work, youβre not alone.
Thatβs why Iβve designed this ab routine to be as fun as it is challenging. Plus, did I mention you can do it at home?
What Are Abs?
Your core is made up of four main muscle groups:
- External Obliques: Located on the outsides of your torso, these muscles help flex your spine and rotate and bend from side to side.
- Internal Obliques: Sits beneath the external obliques. These two groups work together to perform the rotation and bending motions.
- Transversus Abdominis: This is where the deepest set of your abdominal muscles resides. It is used for nearly all core functions.
- Rectus Abdominis: Famously known as βthe abs,β this set of muscles runs along the surface of the abdomen. Theyβre mainly responsible for bending the torso.
The abdominals, along with your back and glutes, work together to stabilize and support the spine, allowing you to perform a range of functional movements.
This includes sitting, standing, bending, lifting, and more. Therefore, it is beneficial to strengthen the entire trunk of your body to make these activities easier.
Weak core muscles can lead to problems such as poor posture, lumbar pain, and other injuries.
At-Home Ab Workout for Women
Obtaining defined, visible abs involves a combination of proper nutrition and exercise; however, other factors like genetics may also determine the formation and appearance of your “6-pack.”
Genetics can make it harder for women to develop visible abs than men.
Women contain less testosterone and more estrogen, which means they have a tougher time growing muscle mass and burning fat.
While building visible abs may present more of a challenge, it is not impossible, although it will require reducing and sustaining a lower percentage of body fat.
Women need around 14% to 24% body fat, whereas men need 6% to 17%.
A person will start to see the formation of their abs once they’ve met the body percentage threshold (24% for women and 17% for men). The lower it drops, the more defined your “6-pack” will become.
Later, we’ll discuss your nutritional needs to achieve abs, but for now, here’s the best ab workout at home for women! (Do each exercise below for 30 to 45 seconds each and go 3 to 5 rounds/sets).
(Do each exercise below for 30 to 45 seconds each and go 3 to 5 rounds/sets).
Wood Chop
The wood chop is a great rotational core exercise to promote stability and mobility.
Although it primarily works your obliques and transverse abdominis, the wood chop is a full-body workout incorporating your hips, legs, back, and shoulders.
This also makes it useful for rehabilitation purposes.
The wood chop exercise can be performed in various ways; however, we will be using a dumbbell. But if you like, feel free to try it with a kettlebell, medicine ball, band, or cable (if at the gym).
How to Perform a Wood Chop
Youβll begin this exercise standing shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in both hands.
If you are rotating to the right, your right hand will rest above your left, and vice versa. Weβre going to start on the right and in a squatted position.
Squat down and set the weight on the outside of your left thigh. Inhale and rise from the position, lifting the weight diagonally across the body just over the right shoulder.
As the weight goes up, rotate your torso simultaneously in the same direction.
Lastly, follow the weight with your head and exhale at the top before reversing the movement as you return to your starting position.
Corkscrew Leg Raise
The corkscrew leg raises exercise, a.k.a leg raises with an oblique twist, targets mainly the obliques and lower abs as well as the hip flexors and lower back muscles.
Itβs an excellent move to include in your workout routine to build core strength, flexibility, and coordination. This is also an ideal exercise for trimming down your waistline.
How to Perform a Corkscrew Leg Raise
Lie flat on your back with your hands at your sides (or under your butt) and legs together. Lift your legs to the ceiling until they are perpendicular to the floor.
Keep your legs relatively straight, tighten your core, and press your lower back into the floor.
Reach your legs up toward the ceiling and simultaneously twist your torso to one side.
Lower your body down to the starting position and repeat the action, twisting to the other side. Remember to exhale on the way up and inhale coming back down.
Jackknife with Ball Pass
The jackknife is one of the best core exercises you can do, and adding a ball makes it even more fun and challenging.
This move works your entire body, including the core (especially the rectus abdominis), hips, legs, and lower back. Itβs also a great way to improve posture while building strength and stability.
A little heads-up: this exercise takes some coordination, so go at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
How to Perform a Jackknife with a Ball Pass
Lie flat on the floor with your legs straight and arms extended overhead, holding a ball.
You can use a stability ball, medicine ball, or even a slightly deflated soccer ball (like in the picture), anything thatβs easy to pass.
Moving as one, lift your arms and legs toward each other, keeping your limbs straight. When your arms meet your legs, pass the ball from your hands to your feet.
Lower back down to the starting position with the ball between your feet. Keep your core engaged and your lower back pressed against the floor.
On the next lift, pass the ball from your feet back to your hands and lower down again. Repeat the motion.
This is a fantastic addition to any ab routine for women at home and works especially well for lower ab workouts at home.
Shoulder Taps
Shoulder taps are an anti-rotational exercise, which means they help strengthen and stabilize the body to resist involuntary twisting, reducing the risk of injury.
It provides a full-body workout targeting muscle groups like the core (primarily the obliques), chest, back, and shoulders.
This is another great womenβs ab workout you can use to improve your posture as well as boost your heart rate, all from the comfort of your home.
How to Perform Shoulder Taps
Start in a plank position with feet hip-width apart.
Ensure that you form a straight line from your head to your ankles.
With your core tight, lift one hand and touch your opposite shoulder, holding for a moment.
Place it back at the starting position and repeat the action with the opposite hand.
Hollow Body Hold
In my humble opinion, the hollow body hold is the GOAT (greatest of all time) core exercise.
Highly scalable, it can be matched to any fitness level and performed anywhere you have space with absolutely no equipment whatsoever.
Plus, this exercise provides a beautifully brutal workout for your entire core, back, legs, arms, and hips, leaving little doubt that you are building considerable strength and stability.
This is one of the best core workouts at home you can do.
How to Perform the Hollow Body Hold
There are many modifications to the hollow body hold, so we will start with the first.
First Modification
Lie flat on the ground with your legs extended and arms by your side.
Lift your legs and bend your knees, pulling them toward your chest.
Raise your head and arms so they are pointing to your feet.
Press your lower back into the ground and tuck your chin down. This modification will take some of the pressure off your core.
Second Modification
If you want to challenge yourself further, extend your arms over your head near your ears.
Third Modification
Want a little more?
With the core still engaged and your back pressed into the ground, extend your legs outward.
The full expression of this exercise is to hover your feet just above the ground with the arms extended, but of course, only lower the legs as much as possible without arching your lower back.
If you are unable to do this, go back to the modification youβre comfortable with.
Warm-Up
Before the workout, be sure to warm up your body for 5 to 10 minutes. Here is a sample warm-up routine:
3 to 5 MIN POWER WALK
ARM CIRCLES (30 to 60 sec)
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS (30 to 60 sec)
LUNGE W/ TWIST (30 to 60 sec)
ALTERNATING PLANKS (30 to 60 sec)
SUPERMANS (30 to 60 sec)
Cool-down
After your workout, spend 5 to 10 minutes stretching and getting your heart rate under control. Here are a few sample stretches:
WORLD’S GREATEST STRETCH (30 to 60 sec)
UP DOWN DOG (30 to 60 sec)
CAT-COW (30 to 60 sec)
CHILD POSE (30 to 60 sec)
How to Eat for Abs
Nutrition is just as important as exercise when trying to obtain fitness goals. With that said, here is a general guide for how you should be eating to lower your body fat percentage.
It’s safe to say that you want to include vegetables in your diet. Fill half your plate with starchy vegetables. That’s around two fistfuls of foods like potatoes, chickpeas, and butternut squash.
Lean protein should definitely be included in your diet. The portion size is usually the size of your fist. Consider lean chicken, tofu, and low-fat yogurt.
Also, ensure that you are eating about a fistful of complex carbs.
Think along the lines of beans, oats, and bananas. Lastly, you can’t forget about your healthy fats.
Consume about a tablespoon of unsaturated fats, which can include olive oil, nuts, and seeds. This supports your lower ab workout at home efforts.
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One Last Thing…
In this post, we discussed the best ab workout at home for women and what to eat to help you achieve your fitness goals.
While building a “6-pack” is a popular aim, maintaining and sustaining an overall healthy lifestyle is a better alternative.
A dramatic drop in body fat percentage for some people may impact hormone levels, leading to other health issues. So, listen to your body and always prioritize your own individual wellness.
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