Workouts are great to keep your body in your desired optimal shape. They tone your muscles and keep them healthy in the long run. By adding an optimized nutritious diet to your training regime, you will immediately get results. It is great to add carbs as well as proteins that provide you with thrusts of energy.

1. Effectiveness of a 5-Minute Ab Workout

A 5-minute ab workout is a highly effective ab workout if you have incorporated an efficient and optimized variety of exercises. These exercises work on your upper and lower abs and obliques simultaneously and build endurance as well as muscle mass. These exercises help muscles to appear in proper shape.

The most important quality of a 5-minute workout is that it can be performed at home. It does not require hard-to-get, heavy, and area consuming equipment. You just need an exercise mat and the right motivation to perform the workout.

2. Abdominal Muscles

There are 5 main muscles that are responsible for different major functions in your body. These muscles line the walls of your trunk. They are present between your ribs and pelvis. These muscles are responsible for the proper function of overall day-to-day activities. They are also responsible for protecting your internal organs against any blunt force.

A good body posture is also one of the perks of great abs. Following are the 5 abdominal muscles:

Internal Obliques: They help in respiration by lowering your lower ribs. They also aid in defecation and childbirth.

External Obliques: They help in the elimination of luminal content and support the internal organs.

Pyramidalis: It is a vertical muscle that maintains internal pressure in your abdomen.

Transverse Abdominis: It stabilizes your spine and hips. It is one of the flat muscles in your abdomen. It also maintains internal abdominal pressure.

Rectus Abdominis: It is also a vertical muscle just like the pyramidalis.

3. 5-Minute Ab Workout Plan 1

There is no rest between the 5-minute workout routine. You need to keep the intensity going in order to have perfect abs. This workout consists of tabletop crunches, Russian twists, boat poses, eagle crunches, frog crunches, and standing side crunches. This workout provides you with a complete ab workout.

3.1. Frog Crunches (1 min)

To perform frog crunches:

• Lie on your back on a flat surface or mat.
• Bring your feet closer and your knees must be wide apart when stretched.
• Place your hands behind your head with elbows bent.
• Now go for the crunch in a way that your elbows touch your knees when you bring them closer.
• Make sure that your feet do not touch the ground.
• Repeat the crunches for 1 minute or perform 3 sets of 12 reps with no rest.

3.2. Tabletop Crunches (30 sec)

Tabletop crunches seem pretty easy but their effects are long-lasting. You need to focus on your breathing frequency and intensity while performing them or there is a high chance that you are not performing them correctly. You must support your neck with your hands or you will suffer from neck pain.

To perform tabletop crunches:

• Lie on your back on a flat surface or mat and support your neck with both hands.
• Place your elbows pointing at the sides and hands behind the head close to the neck.
• Lift your feet off the floor knee placed at a 90° angle.
• Move the lower part closer to the head and try to push the upper part behind the neck and bring it closer to the lower part.
• Hold your breath while going forward and release it while coming back to the initial position.
• You can also stack your feet one above the other if you are comfortable with it.
• Perform 3 sets of 12 reps without taking the rest period.

3.3. Standing Side Crunch (1 min)

Standing side crunches are great for obtaining core strength. They are responsible for the activation of abdominal and oblique muscles. Adding these crunches to your training arsenal enhances your overall fitness.

To perform standing side crunches:

• Grab a dumbbell in your right hand and place your left hand behind your head feet shoulder width apart spine in a straight position.
• Bend to your right side and lower towards your knee with a dumbbell in your hand.
• Your shoulders must be stretched back. Engage your abs while going down.
• Repeat the same process on your left side and complete the exercise.
• Perform 3 sets of 13 reps of standing side crunches with 10 sec rest.

3.4. Russian Twists

To perform Russian twists:

• Sit flat on a floor with legs hanging above the ground, keep bent, all body weight on the hips and upper body slightly tilted backwards.
• Now tilt back and lift your feet off the ground or mat.
• Your feet must be at a 45° angle.
• You can take a medicine ball or a dumbbell and move it on your side. You can even hold nothing and complete the exercise.
• Your neck must be in a neutral position while moving with the weight on either side.
• Perform the 3 sets of 13 reps with no rest period.

3.5. Boat Pose

If you are a beginner, you can go for simple planks before the boat poses. For a 5-minute ab workout, performing the boat pose is recommended after Russian Twists. There is no rest necessary for a 5-minute workout. It is because we aim to increase the intensity of the workout.

To perform the boat pose:

• Sit on a mat, upper body tilted backwards, weight on hips and lift your feet up above the ground while keeping the knees straight.
• Keep your arms at a 90° angle, elbows straight parallel to the ground.
• Keep your back straight and core muscles engaged.
• Hold the position for 30 seconds or more.
• Increase the time with the passage of time.

3.6. Eagle Crunches

Eagle crunches help in spinal flexion. It will improve your body posture and relieve back pain. They also aid in removing unwanted belly fat.

To perform eagle crunches:

• Lie on the ground while your hands must be flat.
• Bend your knees while your feet are on the ground.
• Cross one leg over the other and squeeze your knees and inner thighs.
• Cross one arm over the other and then squeeze the palms together.
• If this eagle position is difficult for you then you can keep your hands behind your head. And later get accustomed to the eagle pose.
• Now, exhale and bring your elbows and your knees close to the chest.
• When you go back to the initial position, inhale your breath.
• While lowering down make sure that your back is flat.
• Make sure that no pressure is applied to your neck.
• Keep your legs crossed, straighten your feet, and place your hands behind your head.
• Now, move your head back and forth while supporting your head with your hands.
• Perform 2 sets of 10 reps with no rest.

And in this way you are done with your 5-minute ab workout schedule. The reason there is no rest included in it is to keep your breathing rate high. It will increase your cardio and the effects are seen in less time. You can easily perform this workout at home or any place of your choice with minimal to no equipment.

4. 5-Minute Ab Workout Plan 2

This workout consists of sit-ups, spiderman planks, knee tucks, bicycle crunches, McGill curl up, and scissor kicks. These exercises are responsible for working out your abdominal muscles.

4.1. Sit-Ups

To perform sit-ups:

• Lie flat on the mat with your knees at a 90° angle.
• Cross your arms at the back of your head and support your neck.
• Push your lower back to the floor so that when you are doing the exercise, you will not arch your back up the ground.
• Bring your knees towards the head and move your head towards the knees.
• Breathe in as you go back to the initial position.
• Try to keep your feet flat on the ground.
• Make sure that you are not using your back to appear in the sitting position.
• Perform 2 sets of 12 reps and then transition towards McGill curl-ups.

4.2. McGill Curl-Up

McGill curl-ups remove the stress from your spine and enhance strength in your muscles. This exercise brings your spine into an elongated position that also stretches your lower back muscle.

To perform McGill curl-ups:

• Lie flat on a mat with one knee bent, foot straight on the ground and the other leg in a straight position.
• Place your hands under your lower back.
• Slowly come up, and calmly go back to the initial position.
• You have to use only your chest to rise. Do not use your elbows or shoulders and keep your neck as neutral as possible.
• And as you drift back to the starting position, breathe out.
• Perform 2 sets of 12 reps with no rest in between.

4.3. Spiderman Planks

This plank is responsible for engaging your abdominal muscles to maintain stability. Along with your abs.

To perform a spiderman plank:

• Appear in a traditional plank position with your forearms on the ground.
• Engage your core muscles and maintain a flat back throughout the exercise.
• Bring your left knee towards your left elbow while keeping the other foot on the ground.
• Hold the position for a second and then repeat the process on the right side.
• Aim to keep your hips level high and avoid twisting your body.
• Perform 3 sets of 13 reps with no rest in between.

4.4. Scissor Kicks

• Lie on a flat surface or on a mat with your legs straight and arms resting at your sides.
• Lift your legs off the ground and begin moving them in a scissoring motion, with one leg moving up toward the ceiling and the other moving down as shown in the above image or you can also twist your legs in and out.
• Keep your abs tight and your lower back pressed to the ground.
• For support, you can place your hands right underneath your lower back.
• Repeat the exercise for 1 min before switching to knee tucks.

4.5. Knee Tucks

It is an intense cardio exercise that targets your abs. Knee tucks target the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques. The calorie burn is greater in knee tucks as compared to other abs exercises.

To perform Knee Tucks:

• Appear in a plank position.
• Your body must form a straight line from head to heels.
• Contract your abs and glutes and quickly jump your feet in and land on your toes.
• Land softly with your knees close to your chest.
• Repeat the exercise for 1 minute with no rest and then go for the bicycle crunches.

4.6. Bicycle Crunch (1 min)

To perform bicycle crunches:

• Lie on a mat with your knee up on the floor.
• Pull your abdominal muscles and engage the transverse abdominis.
• Place your hands behind your head for support.
• Bring your right elbow towards your left knee, while simultaneously bending the left knee towards your right elbow.
• Return to the starting position and repeat the same process with your left elbow and right knee.
• Continue alternating sides in a cycling motion.
• Fully extend your legs and twist your torso to engage your obliques.
• Repeat the exercise for 1 to 2 minutes with no rest period.

And hence you have completed your 5-minute ab workout at home.

5. FAQs

5.1. Can Abs Be Toned in a 5-Minute Workout?

A 5-minute workout is great for toning your abs. As you engage your abs by contracting and pulling, the force builds pressure on them. It leads to the abs getting toned.

5.2. Are Push-ups Great For Abs?

Push-ups are really great for your lower abs. They provide your abs with your desired shape and also strengthen them.

6. Conclusion

A 5-Minute workout works wonders for your abs. Frog crunches and tabletop crunches help you to pull your abs which leads to a great body posture. Scissor kicks and McGill curl-ups keep your hips in position. Standing side crunches not only build your abs but also are great for weight training. You can try these exercises and feel the change in your lower abs.