Strengthen your core with standing ab workout in just 12 minutes! You might think this requires some sort of weight, like kettlebells or dumbbells, but all you need is your body weight and full core engagement in each exercise.
There are a number of advantages to doing standing crunches when it comes to working your core. For example, basic standing ab workout can be done in small spaces or in areas where you would prefer not to lie down, such as your office or a cold tile floor in a hotel room.
It only takes 12 minutes to complete, so it’s perfect for those days when you’re dying to exercise but can’t find an hour or half hour to do it. Or you can add it to the end of your regular workout for an efficient ab blast that helps tone and define your core.
The 12-Minute Standing Ab Workout
1. Make circles with your hands on your head
An option for those looking for a low-impact cardio workout that still engages the core muscles. Simply stand up straight, raise your arms, and draw circles over your head, alternating clockwise and counterclockwise.
2. Standing Side Crunches
In addition to working your abdominal muscles, side crunches are  said to help improve balance, increase  strength and stability, and may even burn more calories than typical lying crunches. Here one of them:
Starting position:Â standing with knees slightly bent, feet hip-width apart, hands above head.
Second step: Keeping your weight on your left leg, bring your right knee toward your left elbow. Then lower your right leg and return to the starting position.
Finally:Â repeat the movement with the leg and elbow on the other side.
3. Bicycle pedal crunches
Another standing ab workout that can be incorporated into routines consists of performing series for both sides of the body:
Starting with the right side: place your hands behind your head and turn your body, twisting to the right side. The right knee and the left elbow should be brought simultaneously, as if trying to touch each other.
Left side:Â perform the previous movement, but turning to the other side, so that the right elbow goes towards the left knee.
4. Cross touch your feet
This alternating-touch abdominal is aimed at the oblique muscles, but is also beneficial for working shoulders, lower back and glutes. It involves body weight, which helps strengthen the upper and lower body. For it:
Starting position:Â with your legs spread outside shoulder width, feet slightly outward and hands extended to the sides, tilt your body down, while simultaneously turning your upper body to the right side while trying to touch with your left hand right foot.
Second step:Â with your back as straight as possible, return to the starting position.
Finally:Â repeat the same movement to the opposite position and alternate sides in the same series.
5. Front kicks
For this exercise, the movements to one side are performed first, and once a series is completed, the movements to the other side are executed. You start standing with your hands raised:
Starting with the right side: raise your straight right leg in front of you to approximately hip height. Simultaneously lower both arms, trying to keep them straight and shoulder-width apart.
Left side:Â repeat the previous movement with the left leg.
6. Bend forward from the abdomen
This standing ab workout can be friendlier to the neck and lower back than floor crunches, as tension is decreased.
Starting position:Â with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms behind your head (elbows pointing to the sides).
Step two: Tilt your upper body down as you completely exhale the air. Keep your upper back arched, avoiding any movement in your lower back.
Finally: While keeping your abs tight, return to the standing position. Perform the following movement without releasing your abdominal muscles.
7. Lateral tilts
In  this exercise, repetitions of the movement are also performed first on one side, and after a series they are performed on the other:
Starting with the right side: with your left hand on your head and your right arm at your side, tilt your body from the  waist to the right side. The trunk should be kept straight and aligned with the head. Then bring your body to the starting position and repeat the movement leaning towards the same side.
Left side:Â repeat the previous movement, but towards the opposite side, that is, with the right hand on the head while leaning the trunk towards the left side.
8. Side-to-side tilts
Another standing ab workout is to lean from side to side. To do this you have to stand straight, then lean back and to the side until you feel your abs contract. Finally repeat the movement, but with a double inclination. After that, the first swing begins again.
9. Single-leg side crunches
This exercise helps tighten the lateral wall of the abdomen, increases heart rate and muscle strength. Consists in:
Starting with the right side: standing with your feet hip-width apart and with your hands at your sides, bring your body weight to your left leg. Raise your right arm and leg a few inches off the ground. Then perform abdominal exercises, bringing the right knee towards the elbow. Finally extend your right leg and arm.
Left side:Â Switch legs and repeat the exercise on the opposite side.
10. Rotate the body towards the front
Another alternative to standing ab workout would be:
Starting with the right side: in the starting position, keep your left foot forward, your knees slightly bent, and your hands behind your head. Rotate from the hips forward, trying to naturally keep the spine straight, until the chest is parallel to the floor. Then return to the upright position (keeping your back flat), while twisting your torso to the left side.
Left side:Â after a series, start with the same movement, but on the other side.
Bonus: about sets and reps
In general, an exercise session is organized into series that involve a certain number of repetitions. For example, a session can group 6 different exercises, in 4 series consisting of 15 repetitions of each.
In the case of sit-ups, a type of resistance exercise, it is advised that the last few repetitions be difficult to complete. Done correctly, they can be done from 10 to 25 and from one to three sets. Additionally, you must consider that if you perform more than 25 repetitions per set, you are most likely doing them too quickly or incorrectly.
Consider consulting a health expert to find out an exercise routine according to the objectives pursued and your particular physical conditions.
