Sculpt and strengthen your abs at home with this awesome 15-minute workout. Ab exercises simple enough for beginners, but at an intensity that everyone will feel. The best part is all the moves are safe for diastasis recti as there are no crunches, sit-ups, or front planks.
15-Minute Beginner Ab Workout Without Crunches
- Alternating Toe Taps
- Quadruped Stomach Vacuum
- Side Plank
- Dying Bug
- Side-To-Side Toe Taps
- Thread-The-Needle Side Plank
- Double Toe Tap with Ball Squeeze
Keep reading for a step-by-step guide of the workout with pictures and descriptions of each of these exercises.
As a doctor of physical therapy, low back pain, core weakness, and postpartum core issues are some of the most-common referrals I receive. Fortunately, there’s a lot that the right exercises can do for each of these conditions and today I want to share them with you.
Today we’ll run through one of my favorite at-home ab workouts that’s perfect for beginners. The exercises are simple, but the timing and sequencing make this a great, challenging workout! Follow along with the full video below; let’s get it started!
Now when we talk about our “abs” there are actually four muscles that make up the abdominal wall. With so many of our workouts there is so much time and emphasis placed on working only one of these muscles (the rectus abdominis) that oftentimes the others get neglected.
The rectus abdominis is the abdominal muscle that goes from the bottom of your rib cabe to the top of your pelvis. It’s primarily active in motions introducing trunk flexion including sit ups, crunches, and planks.
While this is a good muscle to tone and strengthen, there are actually better, more functional muscles we can train that will yield more results, both functionally as well as aesthetically.
To achieve a strong, tight core, the muscle you should be primarily focused on is the transverse abdominis. This is your deepest abdominal layer. It originates on your back and wraps all the way your abdominal wall to connect right under that rectus abdominis. I often refer to this muscle as the “corset muscle” or “waist trainer” muscle as when you activate it your stomach and core “draws in” tighter.
In this workout I’m sharing with you 7 of my favorite exercises that are designed primarily to activate this transverse muscle, pull your stomach in tighter, and help you achieve a toned, strong look.
IS THIS WORKOUT SAFE FOR PEOPLE WITH DIASTASIS RECTI?
Absolutely!
Diastasis recti is a condition in which your anterior abdominal muscle (your rectus abdominis) is stretched and even torn down the middle. Most often this happens with pregnancies (the growing child puts a lot of stress on the connective tissue that holds this muscle together), increased abdominal weight, babies (some children are born with a diastasis due to incomplete development of this area), and increased abdominal strain.
HOME TEST FOR DR
If you think you might have a diastasis condition here is a simple test you can perform at home to assess it: https://youtu.be/LpsvIeGBKuk
If you do have a diastasis recti, there are a few exercises you should avoid while it heals. Basically I tell people we have to increase strength and muscle activation in the RIGHT muscles while giving the torn/stressed out muscle a chance to heal.
DO’S AND DON’TS OF EXERCISING WITH DR
To learn more about the “Do’s and Don’ts of Diastasis Recti” check out this link: https://youtu.be/lpp21kgbWJM
Finally if you’re looking for one more ab workout similar to this one that doesn’t include crunches or sit-ups and is completely diastasis recti safe you may want to check this one out: https://youtu.be/ltoueUICjB8
I hope you guys enjoy this workout! My wife and I enjoyed putting it together for you and I know it will not only help flatten your stomach but help with your postpartum abs and diastasis recti as well.
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I’m stoked to introduce our all-new workout plan – “THE MOMMY TUMMY FIX”. This is a six-phase system designed specifically to flatten your stomach and heal your diastasis recti condition. This is the same exercise progression I take my patients through in my physical therapy clinic and the same one my wife used to achieve her amazing results.
“The Mommy Tummy Fix” program will officially be available on April 16 – you can be the first to know about it when you get on our emailing list here: https://toneandtighten.activehosted.com/f/11
I’ll even send you “7 Secrets To Flatten Your Mommy Tummy” absolutely free!!
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FOR THIS AB WORKOUT:
You’ll perform 7 exercises total. The workout is an interval format with only one rest period. You’ll perform each exercise for 60 seconds before you move on immediately to the next. After one round of each of the seven ab exercises you’ll get a 60-second rest period, but then we’ll jump right back in for one more set of each.
No equipment is necessary; simply get down on the floor and hit play on the video below to follow along with my wife and I as we run you through this awesome ab workout!
Crunches are a great exercise for activating one very specific part of one very specific ab muscle. In order to truly maximize your outcomes you need to focus on strengthening some of the different and deeper layers of your abs. This workout is exactly what you need to do it.
Looking for some more great workouts to tone and tighten your abs? Check out some of my other abs workouts I have posted on YouTube:
Make it happen,
Jared