Five minutes doesn’t sound like much, but it’s more than enough to light up your core.
This quick 5 min ab workout gives you 5 simple exercises that hit your abs from every angle, and because it’s an easy ab workout for beginners, there’s no equipment and nothing complicated to learn.
So just grab a mat, press play, and let each move do its thing.
Here’s the full 5 min ab workout:
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Single-Leg Double Crunch
For this easy ab workout for beginners, you’ll kick things off with a two-part crunch that works one side at a time.
You’ll drive your elbow to the opposite knee and then follow it up by reaching for your toes with a straight leg.
Since you’re sticking to one side before switching, you’ll really feel that deep burn build up, which is what makes this one of the most effective ab workouts you can do in a short session.
How to perform:
- Lie on your back with your left hand behind your head and your right arm down by your side.
- Engage your core to bring your left elbow to your right knee for a standard crunch.
- Lower back down and extend your right leg so it hovers just above the floor.
- Crunch up again, keeping your right leg straight, and reach your left hand toward your right toes.
- Lower your leg and upper body back down to the starting position and repeat the sequence.
- After the first interval is complete, switch sides (place your right hand behind your head and perform the crunches using your left leg and right arm).
Modified Jackknives
Think of this as a full-body crunch with a twist, since you’ll be folding your upper and lower body together at the same time.
It takes a bit of coordination to get the hang of, though.
If straight legs feel too intense, just keep your knees bent because you’ll still get solid core engagement while protecting your lower back.
How to perform:
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet lifted (you can keep your legs straight for more of a challenge).
- Slowly lower your legs to tap your heels gently on the floor while extending your arms straight back behind your head.
- Crunch your upper body forward, bringing your knees back up while sweeping your arms to reach toward your feet.
- Lower yourself back down, bringing your arms behind your head and tapping your heels again, and repeat the crunch.
Seated Side-to-Side Knee Tucks
Now you’ll sit up and shift things to the side, where you’ll extend your legs out and sweep them from one side to the other while pulling your knees back into your chest each time.
It looks simple enough, but your obliques will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting here.
So just make sure you keep your chest open and avoid arching your back as you go.
How to perform:
- Sit on the mat, leaning your upper body back slightly with your hands flat on the floor behind you for support.
- Lift your feet off the floor and pull your knees in toward your chest.
- Extend both legs out straight, dropping your feet over to the right side.
- Pull your knees back into your chest, lifting them up and over to the center.
- Extend your legs out straight to the left side, then pull them back into the center.
- Continue alternating sides, keeping your chest open and your core tight to protect your lower back.
Cross-Body Mountain Climbers
To close out this quick 5 min ab workout, you’ll hop into a high plank where you’ll drive one knee forward, then cross it over to the opposite elbow before stepping it back.
That cross-body motion fires up your obliques on top of the standard core work, which is what makes this such an intense 5 min ab workout finisher.
So just keep your hips level and avoid piking up as you go.
How to perform:
- Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line.
- Bring your right knee straight forward into the center of your chest.
- Push that right knee across your body toward your left elbow.
- Bring the knee back to the center of your chest, then step it back to the starting plank position.
- Repeat the movement with your left leg, bringing it to your chest, across to your right elbow, back to your chest, and then returning to the plank.
- Continue alternating legs at a steady, controlled pace while keeping your hips down.
Article Medically reviewed by
I’m fitness coach Ashley Castleberry, an NASM-certified personal trainer and nutritionist, as well as a coach on an established YouTube Channel with over 1 million followers. With certifications from major fitness brands, I specialize in athletic, HIIT, and strength training. Leveraging my experience coaching clients on lifestyle changes, I provide customized exercise and nutrition guidance to help people reach their fitness goals, whether that be weight loss, muscle gain or overall health improvement.
