4-Minute Abs

In the video, I go through a series of all moves in about 4 minutes. I’ve added a couple additional sequences you could make out of these below with a specific rep count. 

1. Knee Ups

• Lay on your back, arms extended. Engage your core and press your lower back down into the mat. Lift your torso and knees up together, meeting in the center. Extend out and repeat.

2. Boat Pose Hold

• Hold your legs up in a V, arms by your sides. For advanced, raise your arms up overhead. To build to this move, bend your knees and balance on your sit bones, holding the position and breathing evenly.

3. Upright Bicycles

• Balance on your sit bones, arms at your sides for balance. Begin by drawing one knee in to your chest, extending the other straight. Raise your arms overhead to add an additional challenge. To take this down a notch, lay on your back and work on these with your back resting on the ground.

4. Leg Float – low, then lifted (both sides)

• Lay on your back, core engaged, right knee bent, left leg extended. Lift your left leg up straight with a flat foot to 90 degrees. At the top, point the toe and bring the leg back down with control. Don’t make contact with the floor, float the leg right back up. Lift up into a single leg bridge, pressing down into your right heel. Continue to float the leg as before, keeping the hips lifted and square (not rotating side to side). Repeat the sequence on the other leg.

5. 3-Way Down Dog

• Come into tall plank, hands stacked below your shoulders, core engaged. Press back into a downward dog. Float your left leg high and as you come forward to tall plank, bring it to the outside of your left elbow. Press back into down dog, sweeping the leg up again. As you float forward, bring it under your body toward your nose. Float back to down dog, and as you come forward again, bring it under and across toward your right elbow. Repeat on this side for desired reps, then switch to the other leg.

6. Butterfly Scissor Kick Sequence 

• Lay on your back, pressing your lower back into the mat and engaging your core. Lift your upper body up slightly to add a little more challenge and further engage your core. Point the toes and begin to alternate lifting them up and down to about 45 degrees, never touching them down. Switch to scissors (without touching down if you can) crossing your left leg over your right, alternating in this 45 degree position. Place your hands behind your head and neck to support you. Come back to the butterfly kicks, this time widening them (it’s easier this way, and as you fatigue, it will make it easier to squeeze those last few in). Come back to a final few scissors.

7. Full Roll Ups

• Lay on your back, extending arms and legs. Engage your core, and use your abdominal strength to sit up, diving forward toward your feet, allowing your body to come into a C-shape. Roll back slowly with control and repeat. Bend your knees for a little help with this move.

8. Straight Leg Lifts

• Lift your torso up slightly, placing your hands behind your head to support yourself as needed. Straighten your legs, and lift them up to 90 degrees, lifting your hips slightly. Lower the legs slowly to 45 degrees, then come back up into the hip lift. This move can also be performed with the knees bent to build strength in the lower abs.

9. Alternating Straight Leg Lifts

• I just add a quick set of these to the end of the straight leg lifts to get a tiny more out of this move when I start to fatigue. Take the lift out, and just lift one leg up, then the other while keeping the non-lifting leg hovering.

10. Toe Reaches

• Lift your legs to 90 degrees and engage your core. With control, lift your upper body up, reaching for your toes. Use a hand behind your head to support you if your neck gets tired.