It’s easy to buy gym equipment for your home, but not always so easy to actually use it. If you have a mini loop resistance band sitting in a drawer, this quick core workout is going to help you make use of it.
The workout has been put together by fitness trainer Kat Boley and takes just 10 minutes. Each move in the session makes use of a mini band, and that’s all the equipment you need. Boley is using a heavy band, but pick whatever resistance you need to ensure you can do the moves in the workout with control.
If you don’t have a looped resistance band, you can use a straight one and tie it in a knot — our round-up of the best resistance bands contains great options for all budgets if you need to pick up a new band.
Watch Kat Boley’s 10-minute abs workout
The workout comprises four moves, and you do three rounds of those four exercises in total. Boley says to do 10-12 reps of each move — if you alternate sides for the exercises, do 10-12 reps in total — and keep your rest breaks to a minimum.
If you maintain a high pace and don’t rest for too long, you’ll be through the three rounds in under 10 minutes, and along with working your abs, the session will get your heart pumping for additional cardio benefits.
Here are the four moves you’ll be doing:
Standing crunch with band
Reverse woodchop with band
Crunch with knee to chest
Mountain climber with band
Boley demonstrates each of the exercises on her Instagram post, so it’s worth watching them all so you know what you’re doing before you start, especially if you’re aiming to push through the workout at a fast pace.
Even if you are doing that, make sure your form is spot on and slow down if needed to make sure you’re engaging your core properly. You’ll get more from the workout in terms of strength benefits if you focus on using the right muscles rather than rushing.
Aim to do the workout once or twice a week, and you’ll start to notice your core getting stronger in no time, as long as you’re backing up your efforts with a healthy lifestyle in general.
Using the right workouts and exercises, you really can accomplish your fitness goals using just one band, or ideally a set of them, and resistance bands are also highly portable, so you can take them with you to train during trips.
If you have some bands at home already and are looking to make more use of them, this five-move workout is also worth trying, and this 20-minute session strengthens the whole body using just one band.
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