For day two of Sweat's Two Weeks to Strong Workout Plan [1], NASM-certified personal trainer and barre instructor Britany Williams [2] will lead you through an abs and glutes barre workout. It lasts a bit over 15 minutes and is inspired by Williams's Barre with Britany workout program found on the Sweat app [3] that fuses traditional elements of ballet and Pilates with high-intensity, strength-building movements. Follow along with the full workout above, listen to Williams for modifications, and keep reading for a breakdown of what's in store for your booty and core!
15-Minute Abs and Glutes Barre Workout
Equipment: yoga mat (recommended) and a high-backed chair or countertop
Directions: Williams suggests doing three to five minutes of cardio such as jogging or skipping in place beforehand. She said you can also pair that with leg swings, arm circles, and torso twists. You'll complete a warmup and cooldown in the workout itself, too, but the bulk of it consists of a standing series followed by a floor series. You will repeat each series two times through, once on each side. Williams also suggests following up your workout with three to five minutes of walking and some static stretches [4].
Warmup
| Exercise Name | Time |
|---|---|
| Squat | 20 seconds |
| Squat With Heel Kick | 20 seconds |
| Good Morning | 20 seconds |
| Slow Crossing Mountain Climber | 20 seconds |
| Alternating Leg Extension | 40 seconds |
Squat:
- Stand with your feet wider than hip-width distance apart.
- Slowly bend your knees as if you were going to sit in a chair, keeping all the weight in your heels. Don't let your knees move beyond your toes, and don't let your knees roll out or in.
- Squat down as low as you can, keeping your head and chest lifted, your spine long, and your shoulders relaxed.
- To stand up, press through your heels and slowly straighten your legs. Make sure to keep your spine neutral. Do not round your back.
- This completes one rep. Repeat for 20 seconds.
Squat With Heel Kick:
- Stand with your feet wider than hip-width distance apart.
- Slowly bend your knees as if you were going to sit in a chair, keeping all the weight in your heels. Don't let your knees move beyond your toes, and don't let your knees roll out or in.
- Squat down as low as you can, keeping your head and chest lifted, your spine long, and your shoulders relaxed.
- To stand up, press through your heels and slowly straighten your legs. Bend your left knee, driving the heel of your foot into your left glute (this is kind of like butt kicks [5]).
- Return to your starting position, and when you stand up from your next squat, bend your right knee and kick your right glute.
- Continue alternating for 20 seconds.
Good Morning:
- Bring your feet slightly wider than hip-width distance apart and your hands either behind your head or on your hips with your elbows opened wide.
- Pull your abs to your spine and keep your back neutral while pressing your butt backward, hinging at your hips, until your torso is almost parallel to the floor. Keep a slight bend in your knees.
- Come back to standing with your chest up, and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement.
- This completes one rep. Repeat for 20 seconds.
Slow Crossing Mountain Climber:
- Start in a traditional plank with your shoulders over your hands. Keep your back flat and core engaged.
- With control, slowly bring your right knee forward under your chest and toward your left elbow.
- Set your foot back into your plank, and repeat this movement on the other side.
- Keep alternating with control for 20 seconds.
Alternating Leg Extension:
- Start on all fours with your shoulders over your hands and your knees under your hips.
- Keeping your back flat and core engaged, extend your right leg out straight behind you and parallel to the ground.
- Hold for a moment, and squeeze your right glute before coming back to all fours.
- Repeat this on the other side.
- Continue alternating for 40 seconds.
Standing Series: 1 Round Each Side
| Exercise Name | Time |
|---|---|
| Donkey-Kick Extension | 30 seconds |
| Donkey-Kick Extension With Fire Hydrant | 30 seconds |
| Fire-Hydrant Pressback | 30 seconds |
| Straight-Leg Pulse With Reach | 30 seconds |
| Squat With Twist | 30 seconds |
| Squat Pulse | 30 seconds |
Donkey-Kick Extension:
- Stand about two feet away from — and facing — the surface you're using as your support (your chair, for example). Hold onto the surface with both hands. Start with your left leg in front and your right leg in back with your toes pointed and hovering a few inches off of the ground.
- Keeping a slight bend in your left standing leg, extend your right leg straight behind you until you feel a contraction in your right glute.
- Bring your right leg back to meet your left leg, this time with your right leg bent at 90 degrees.
- Extend your right leg back out long, and squeeze your glute, then tap your right foot to the ground.
- End the move by lifting your right leg back up behind you and squeezing your glute again. This completes one rep.
- Repeat this movement — bend, kickback and squeeze, lower and tap, extension and squeeze — for 30 seconds. You'll do another 30 seconds in the second round on your other side. Move on to donkey-kick extension with fire hydrant next.
Donkey-Kick Extension With Fire Hydrant:
- Stay standing and holding your support surface.
- Transitioning from the donkey-kick extension and with your right knee at a 90-degree angle, slowly raise your leg to the right, until your thigh is parallel to the ground. This is your fire hydrant [6].
- Lower your right leg back next to your standing leg before extending your leg straight to the starting position and squeezing your right glute.
- Repeat this movement — bend, open, close, extend — for 30 seconds. You'll do another 30 seconds in the second round on your other side. Move on to fire-hydrant pressback next.
Fire-Hydrant Pressback:
- Stay standing and holding your support surface.
- Hold your right leg out in a hydrant, and kick your leg out behind you diagonally, squeezing your glute. Your knee should be bent the entire time.
- Release the muscle to return your leg back to your hydrant position. This movement is small, and you should feel your glute contracting each time you drive your leg behind you.
- Repeat for 30 seconds. You'll do another 30 seconds in the second round on your other side. Move on to straight-leg pulse with reach.
Straight-Leg Pulse With Reach:
- Holding the support surface with your left hand, extend your right leg straight out behind you, and point your toe.
- Open through your torso and hip; you should not be completely facing the surface you're using for support. Reach your right arm toward your right leg to open up through your chest even more.
- With your right leg still behind you, pulse up, squeezing your glutes. Try to lift higher with each pulse.
- Repeat for 30 seconds. You'll do another 30 seconds in the second round on your other side. Move on to squat with twist.
Squat With Twist:
- Move away from your support surface, and stand with your feet wider than hip-width distance apart. Bring your hands by your ears, and bring your elbows out wide.
- Slowly bend your knees as if you were going to sit in a chair, keeping all the weight in your heels. Don't let your knees move beyond your toes, and don't let your knees roll out or in.
- Squat down as low as you can, keeping your head and chest lifted, your spine long, and your shoulders relaxed.
- As you press through your heels to stand up, drive your right knee to meet your opposite elbow, twisting through your core.
- Set your foot down, and return to your starting position before continuing on that same side.
- Repeat for 30 seconds. You'll do another 30 seconds in the second round on your other side. Move on to squat pulse.
Squat Pulse:
- Stay in a low squat position with your feet wider than hip-width distance apart.
- Bring your hands up by your ears or to a prayer position.
- Keeping the weight in your heels and your chest lifted, come up out of your squat a few inches, then lower back down. This is your pulse.
- Repeat for 30 seconds. You'll do these for another 30 seconds in the second round.
Repeat this entire standing circuit, doing the unilateral moves on your left leg instead of your right, before moving to the floor series.
Floor Series: 1 Round Each Side
| Exercise Name | Time |
|---|---|
| Glute Bridge to Crunch | 20 seconds |
| Modified Bicycle | 20 seconds |
| Single-Leg Bridge | 20 seconds |
| Single-Leg Bridge Hold | 20 seconds |
| Single-Leg Roll-Up | 20 seconds |
| Isometric Crunch Hold | 20 seconds |
Glute Bridge to Crunch:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Be sure to keep your feet underneath your knees, not in front. Bring your hands behind your head with your elbows wide.
- Press through your heels to raise your hips up to the ceiling, tensing your abs and squeezing your butt as you do. You should be making a long diagonal line with your body from shoulders to knees.
- With control, lower down to the ground.
- Draw your knees into your chest as you lift your head and shoulders up to crunch your upper body. Picture yourself folding your body in half.
- Repeat this movement — bridge, then crunch — for about 20 seconds. Move on to modified bicycle.
Modified Bicycle:
- Lying on your back, keep your left knee bent at 90 degrees, and extend your right leg straight out long.
- With your hands behind your head, raise your shoulders and neck off the ground. Drive your right knee in toward your left elbow, twisting across your torso.
- Repeat for about 20 seconds on the same side. You'll do another 20 seconds in the second round on your other side. Move on to single-leg bridge.
Single-Leg Bridge:
- From your modified bike, place your hands on the floor for stability, and keep your right leg bent in the air with your shin parallel to the ground.
- Pressing your left heel into the floor, lift your pelvis up, keeping your body in a stiff bridge position. Hold for two seconds, squeezing your glute at the top.
- With control, lower back down, keeping your one leg bent in the air.
- Repeat for about 20 seconds on the same side. You'll do another 20 seconds in the second round on your other side. Move on to single-leg bridge hold.
Single-Leg Bridge Hold:
- Hold your body up in the bridge position with the same leg bent, shin parallel to the ground.
- Engage your glute and hamstring on your left side. Your left knee and torso should form one line.
- Hold for about 20 seconds. You'll do another 20 seconds in the second round on your other side. Move on to single-leg roll-up.
Single-Leg Roll-Up:
- Extend your arms overhead, and keep your right leg bent in the air (in tabletop position).
- Crunch up toward your knees, circling your arms forward and reaching in front of you.
- As you lower back down to the floor, return your arms overhead.
- Repeat for about 20 seconds. You'll do another 20 seconds in the second round on your other side. Move on to isometric crunch hold.
Isometric Crunch Hold:
- Bring both legs to tabletop with your shins parallel to the ground.
- Lift your shoulders and head off the ground, and hold this crunch position as you engage your core.
- Hold for about 20 seconds.
Repeat this entire floor circuit, doing the unilateral moves on your other side, before moving to the cooldown.
Cooldown
| Exercise Name | Time |
|---|---|
| Figure Four | 40 to 60 seconds |
| Spinal Twist | 40 to 60 seconds |
Figure Four:
- Come to your back with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent.
- Cross one ankle over the opposite leg's thigh just above your knee. This is your figure-four position.
- Interlace your hands behind your lower leg's thigh. Slowly pull your thigh toward your chest to deepen the stretch in your hip and glutes.
- Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch to the other side.
Spinal Twist:
- Keeping both legs bent and in the figure-four position, let your legs fall toward the ground in the direction of your bottom leg to find a twist through your body.
- Turn your head to face in the opposite direction, and extend your arms long in a T position.
- Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch to the other side.