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Home workouts are a great way to start a fitness kick, and if you’re looking to increase the amount you train this January, then short, accessible sessions you can do in your living room are a perfect option. Next time you have time to train, give this quick core workout a go. It’s been put together by fitness trainer FitByMik and is suitable for all fitness levels.
It only takes 12 minutes to complete the session, and you don’t need any special equipment for it, though using one of the best yoga mats will make it more comfortable on hard floors. One of the things I really like about the workout is that there are two trainers on screen, with FitByMik demonstrating easier versions of each move, while her fellow trainer, Sydney, shows how to do a more advanced move.
Watch FitByMik’s 12-minute core workout
The workout has 12 moves, and you do each for 45 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds. The range of exercises you do targets both the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques and the deep core muscles that are vital to everyday movement.
If you’re new to core workouts, the session will introduce you to lots of exercises and movements you’ll be doing in the future if you keep training, like leg raises and crunches.
The fast pace of the session, combined with the advice and motivation provided by FitByMik, means that the 12 minutes will fly by. It also helps that you only do each move once (or once on each side), so when you’ve completed a set, you know you’ll be moving onto something new.
It’s easy to scale the workout to your fitness level, too. Not only are there two versions of each move you can pick from, but you can also extend your rest periods if you’re a beginner and try 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for more of a challenge, you can work faster to fit in more reps, or even grab a light dumbbell if you have one to hand to increase the resistance involved in the exercises.
How often should you do this workout?
If you can do this workout once, twice, or three times a week, you’ll quickly notice the strength gains in your core, which will translate across to other workouts and your everyday life. Any training helps, so even if you can only work out once a week, it’s well worth doing.
Consistency really is key when it comes to building strength and fitness, but if you find it boring to do the same workout over and over again, you can mix it up by also doing this 15-minute core workout that targets the abs from all angles.
Another important element for a successful fitness routine is progressive overload, so if you find that you’ve become comfortable with these workouts, make sure to increase the difficulty to continue challenging your core.
To do this, you can try longer workouts or add resistance to sessions using dumbbells or resistance bands. You can also opt into harder variations of the exercises. All of this will also help to keep your training fresh and interesting.
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