Build a stronger core and improve your balance with this six-move workout

Develop your abs, improve your balance, and promote circulation with this no-equipment core workout

A woman completing a core workout on a yoga mat in her living room
(Image credit: Getty)

If you can't make it to the gym, there are still ways to squeeze a bit of exercise into your day. Take this quick core workout, for example.

The session has been designed by YouTube and Instagram fitness duo Tiff x Dan to "get the core burning in all the right places", with six bodyweight movements sure to work a wide range of midsection muscles. 

As an added bonus, it doesn't require any equipment, so you don't need to make a pilgrimage to the gym to try it for yourself. If you're doing it at home, we find a yoga mat provides some welcome cushioning on unforgiving floors, but this is purely our personal preference.

To try this workout, perform each exercise (demonstrated in Tiff x Dan's video below) back to back as a six-move circuit, resting as little as possible between exercises. Complete three rounds in total for a comprehensive core workout, then you can call it a day. 

Watch TiffxDan's abs workout

We like this workout for several reasons, the first and foremost among them being its accessibility. It should take you about 15 minutes, and doesn't need any specialist gear, making it a cheap and easy way to get moving, wherever you are. 

We're also big fans of how it bridges the gap between abs and core training. The two have much in common, but there are differences which are worth noting. 

When people speak about abs workouts, they tend to mean exercises that target the rectus abdominis (the muscles responsible for the six-pack shape). However, good core workouts will hit a range of muscles in your midsection. 

This session from TiffxDan does both. Exercises like bicycle crunches and oblique v-ups will work your rectus abdominis alongside the internal and external obliques, which power twisting and lateral bending movements. 

Meanwhile, spider climbers challenge muscles like the multifidus and transverse abdominis to provide stability to the spine so you can hold a straight-back position. 

If you feel ready to take this core workout for a spin, you can perform it as a standalone session to add some extra exercise into your day. Or, if you have a bit more time to fill, try pairing it with this 20-minute bodyweight workout to build full-body muscle. 

Harry Bullmore
Fitness Writer

Harry Bullmore is a Fitness Writer for Fit&Well and its sister site Coach, covering accessible home workouts, strength training session, and yoga routines. He joined the team from Hearst, where he reviewed products for Men's Health, Women's Health, and Runner's World. He is passionate about the physical and mental benefits of exercise, and splits his time between weightlifting, CrossFit, and gymnastics, which he does to build strength, boost his wellbeing, and have fun.


Harry is a NCTJ-qualified journalist, and has written for Vice, Learning Disability Today, and The Argus, where he was a crime, politics, and sports reporter for several UK regional and national newspapers.