This Could Be Hardest 5-Minute Abs Workout You'll Ever Do

Brace yourself for the longest 5 min. of your day.

In the time that it takes to craft the perfect IG caption, you can fit in a crazy hard abs workout. (Ugh. Feeling lazy, yet?) The key is to power through a series of moves with little to no rest in between, and this workout from Charlee Atkins, C.S.C.S., founder of Le Sweat, offers that prescription. Atkins created this set of abs exercises to totally burn out your core in five minutes flat and not a second is wasted. She's the master of quick bodyweight abs workouts (see: here and here), and this circuit is exactly what you'd expect from her—challenging but efficient. (

Besides the fact that it's super quick, this abs workout requires no equipment and is suited to cramped spaces, so you can pull it off when you've got limited resources. Just don't assume it's easy; By move three you'll be questioning what you got yourself into.

How it works: Perform each exercise for 45 seconds with 15 seconds of rest in between each move.

You will need: No equipment.

5-Minute Abs Workout

Plank Jack

A. Start in a high plank position with feet together.

B. Jump feet out, then back together. Repeat.

Plank Walk

A. Start in a high plank position.

B. Lower onto left forearm, then right forearm.

C. Place left hand under left shoulder, then right hand under right shoulder, and press weight into hands to return to high plank.

Butterfly Sit-Up

A. Start lying face-up with knees bent our to the sides, bottoms of feet together, and arms overhead.

B. Without moving legs, sit up and reach to touch the ground in front of feet.

C. Lower back down to the ground and reach arms overhead to return to start.

Triple-Triple

A. Lie face-up with legs in tabletop position (knees bent with shins parallel to the floor) and hands behind head.

B. Engage core to lift shoulder blades off the ground. Lower shoulder blades back onto the ground with control. Repeat twice more.

C. Lower arms to rest on the ground on either side of body and straighten knees so that legs are perpendicular to the ground. Engage abs and lift hips off the ground. Repeat twice more.

Plank Mountain Climbers

A. Start in a forearm plank.

B. Draw right knee toward right elbow. Bring right foot back to left to return to plank.

C. Draw left knee toward left elbow, then return to plank.

Updated by Renee Cherry
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