I Tried Mal Pugh's 10-Minute Olympic Ab Routine — and Yup, My Abs Are Still Trembling

Updated on May 6, 2020 at 8:04 AM

I never know what to tell people when they ask me what my hobbies are, but I've finally come up with a suitable answer: I love learning how professional athletes train to be the best in their sport. It's definitely not painting or dance classes, but in my opinion, it's still cool in its own right.

I recently had the opportunity to watch Mal Pugh, one of the standout players on the US women's national soccer team, in action during the SheBelieves Cup on a press trip with Secret deodorant. During that trip, I learned more about how she's training for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, her pregame routine, her favorite Secret deodorant (she's a gel type of gal), and the ab routine she does before every single match.

After she told me her routine, the first word that came out of my mouth was, "Damn." So of course, being an athlete myself, I had to give it a shot. After the first minute of planking, I could feel my core shaking. I wanted to drop to my knees for a quick second, but then I remembered Mal's rule: you can't drop. The three rounds of planks were hard, but I felt good. Then came the double leg lifts. Those were manageable, but the boat pose, my arch nemesis in every yoga class, was next to humble my ego and abs. Just in case you were wondering, the shaking went from every now and then to every single second.

This routine was a little harder for me since I've been focusing a lot more on core stability and spending less time holding exercises, whereas this workout was all about strength endurance. It was challenging, but I'll definitely be sprinkling this routine into my workouts.

Mal's 10-Minute Ab Workout

If you want to try this workout but it seems too advanced, simply cut down the time you hold each move. For beginners, try holding a 10- to 30-second front plank and a 15-second side plank or side bridge. Warning: your abs will shake profusely.

Front plank: one minute
Left side plank: 30 seconds
Right side plank: 30 seconds

Repeat three times.

Double leg raise: one minute
Boat pose: one minute
Crunch: one minute (note: I did hip raises instead of crunches, because crunches put too much force on my back)
Seated knee tuck: one minute (Mal said this is a wild card move, so you can do whatever you want. Here's a list of my favorite ab exercises.)

Elbow Plank

Start on the floor, resting on your forearms and knees.
Step your feet out one at a time, coming back into plank position.
Contract your abs to prevent your booty from sticking up or sinking. Your spine should be parallel to the floor, with your abs pulling toward the ceiling.
Hold for one minute.

Elbow Side Plank

Come into an elbow plank position, and roll to your right side, allowing your feet to roll, too, so you're balancing on the outside of your right foot, stacking your left foot on your right.
Place your left hand gently behind your head. Press your left inner thigh up into your right inner thigh; this helps stabilize you even more.
Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

Repeat the front plank, right side plank, and left side plank for a total of three rounds or six minutes. Then advance to the rest of the exercises.

Double Leg Lift

Lay flat on the ground with your legs extended straight up toward the ceiling. Place your hands underneath the back of your head. For added stability, Austin recommends laying your arms out to your side, allowing the palms to grip the floor, much like you would in a push-up position.
Pressing your lower back into the ground, slowly lower both legs down toward the floor, then slowly raise them back up. If this is too difficult, lower them as much as you can, or lower one leg at a time.
Repeat for one minute.

Boat Pose

From Butterfly, inhale to lift the legs into the air, and bring your feet to touch. Balance on your tush with the knees bent, or if you can, straighten the legs. Keep the spine long without rounding the back.
Hold for one minute.

Crunch

Lie on your back. Bend your knees, and place your feet about a foot from your glutes.
Place your hands on the back of your head so that your thumbs are behind your ears. Drop your chin down toward your chest, but don't touch it.
Pull with your core muscles while simultaneously lifting your head, neck, and shoulder blades off the floor. Pause for a one count.
Slowly lower back down to complete one repetition.
Repeat for one minute.

Seated Knee Tuck

Start seated on the ground or on a weight bench. Place your hands about an inch behind your back with your fingers facing forward. Your feet should be on the ground.
Lift both feet up off of the ground and extend both legs as you simultaneously lower your upper body. Be sure to get full extension at your hips and legs.
With control, bring your legs back to your chest without touching the ground with your feet, and return to the starting position.
Repeat for one minute.