POPSUGAR

This 10-Minute Abs and Butt Workout Will Leave You the Best Kind of Sore

Apr 19 2023 - 1:30pm

If all you have is 10 minutes, and all you want to do is work your core and glutes, then look no further. This quick, 10-minute abs and butt workout has your name all over it.

Created by AFLCA-certified personal trainer Cindy Yu [1], this routine focuses on strengthening your glutes and core in a fast and efficient way. And while these muscles are often targeted for aesthetic reasons, Yu tells POPSUGAR the benefits go way beyond that. "Having strong glutes will help strengthen your entire posterior chain," aka the muscles along the back of your body, she says. Strengthening your core [2], meanwhile, can help with stability, balance, injury prevention, and even pain reduction in everyday activities.

This abs and butt workout contains just five moves, and Yu offers advanced and modified versions for each one, so you can tailor it to your abilities. Ready to get to work? Check out the full core and glutes workout below.

10-Minute Abs and Butt Workout

Directions: Warm up with these dynamic warmup exercises [3] or two to three minutes of light cardio, such as jogging, jumping jacks, marching in place, or skipping. Then begin the workout, doing 30 seconds of each move and completing as many reps as you can with proper form within that time. Once you finish the first exercise, go straight to the second with no rest in between, if possible. (If you're new to this style of training, feel free to rest as needed between moves.) Once you've completed the fifth exercise, rest for 30 seconds. Then begin the circuit again, repeating for four rounds total.

After the fourth round, do a brief cooldown routine [4] or stretch.

Exercise Time
Plank with leg lift 30 seconds
Bear pose glute squeeze 30 seconds
Glute bridge with alternating leg lift and crunch 30 seconds
Crunch hold with leg lift 30 seconds
Hip raise heel lift abduction 30 seconds

Exercise 1: Plank With Leg Lift

If this core and butt exercise is too difficult, skip to the next slide for a modification of Exercise 1.

Exercise 1 Modification: Knees-Down Plank With Leg Lift

To modify Exercise 1, start this move in a knee plank position.

Exercise 2: Bear Pose Glute Squeeze

This core and butt exercise is pretty advanced; keep an eye on your form and if you find it to be too difficult, try the modification. (You can also work on holding a bear plank [7] to get better at this move.)

Exercise 2 Modification: Donkey Kick

To make sure this exercise is targeting both your core and glutes, make sure you're not arching your back to lift up your foot.

Exercise 3: Glute Bridge With Alternating Leg Lift and Crunch

This exercise is a sort of two-for-one, targeting your abs and butt. First, you'll do a single-leg glute bridge, then a crunch.

Exercise 3 Modification: Glute Bridge With Crunch

If single-leg glute bridges are too much for your glutes and hamstrings, do the same move but with both feet on the floor — you'll still get all the same ab and butt exercise benefits, but at a more accessible level.

Exercise 4: Crunch Hold With Leg Lift

You might recognize this core exercise from Pilates, where it's often called a scissor or single-leg stretch [10].

Exercise 4 Modification: Crunch Hold With Bent-Leg Toe Touch

To modify Exercise 4, you'll simply bend your legs to reduce the strain on your abs and hip flexors. Here's how.


Exercise 5: Hip-Raise Heel-Lift Abduction

You'll definitely feel your glutes and hamstrings kick into gear with this butt exercise — but by holding your hips steady, it's secretly working your core, too. There's no modification shown for this final move, but you can make it easier by lowering your heels to the floor.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/quick-core-butt-workout-48134425