There are a few health habits that I’m proud to have. I’m pretty good at drinking enough water. I meditate. A few years ago, I incorporated sunscreen into my daily skincare routine and never looked back. But one thing I don’t do consistently (besides resist pressing the snooze button) is choose to do core workouts.
TBH, I don’t really have a good reason for why I skimp on ab work. I suppose I just enjoy other types of exercise more (and maybe I got sick of core exercise during my years of competitive gymnastics). But when my editor suggested that I try this abs workout every day for a month, it seemed like a good opportunity to change my ways. And I have zero regrets.
One quick note before we dive into the details of my month-long journey: I took this challenge just as a fun experiment. In other words, I’m not saying that a month of doing the same abs workout every single day is the gold standard of strengthening your core. Before you decide to take on a new training regimen, chat with a health care and/or fitness pro to make sure it’s a wise move for you.
The Regimen
In a nutshell, here’s the workout I did:
1. 50 seconds of plank up-downs, 10 seconds of rest
2. 50 seconds of supermans, 10 seconds of rest
3. 25 seconds of side planks on each side, 10 seconds of rest
4. Two rounds of 20-second hollow body holds with five to 10 seconds of rest in between, rest for the remainder of the minute
5. One minute of bear crawls
I’m not the biggest morning person, so I typically did the routine in the evening or at night. Sometimes I did it as a standalone activity, but it also came after many runs, Peloton cycling sessions, and hikes.
The Journey
Day 1
The first time I tried the workout, I made sure to do it as a standalone activity. I wanted to get a good sense of when the movements started to feel difficult without wondering whether I was just tired out from another exercise.
As anticipated, that first session definitely had my abs fired up — especially plank up-downs and hollow body holds. I made it about 35 seconds before the up-downs really started to burn, and 10 seconds into the first hollow hold. The supermans and side planks, on the other hand, weren’t too bad. While I felt my muscles working during those exercises, for me it was just a consistent, low-grade burn for the duration of both movements.
As for bear crawls, I must be honest: They’re never my favorite. It’s not that I find them especially challenging so much as I feel a bit awkward doing them. (In fact, I usually swap them for another movement when I encounter them in other workouts.) Since swaps weren’t an option this time, I embraced the bear crawls every day — but at the outset, I definitely noticed some rhythm struggles to work on for the rest of the month.
Day 8
One week later, I found myself doing my daily ab workout post-Peloton ride. (BTW: Whether it’s better to do cardio before or after strength training depends on your goals, WH has reported. If you want to get stronger, you should strength train first. I’m chasing better endurance right now, so I went with cardio first.) I figured all the movements would be tougher when I got off the bike feeling satisfyingly exhausted (thanks, Ben Alldis!), and for the most part, I was right: Plank up-downs started to get challenging around 20 seconds in, and even my side planks were shakier than usual.
But, on the bright side, I also experienced an unexpected improvement in hollow body holds. For the first time, I was able to shorten my break between holds to five seconds, and I even tacked that foregone break time onto the second hold as an extra challenge.
Day 14
Nearly a week after that #smallvictory, I had my first breakthrough. I was doing the workout at night, several hours after going for a run, and I found that I could easily keep up a conversation during my plank up-downs. Time flew during my supermans — no pun intended. And hollow holds didn’t feel too bad either, although I did take a 10-second break between them. Basically, the whole workout felt a little bit easier.
Day 21
My next and biggest breakthrough occurred exactly three weeks into the journey. Allow me to set the stage: It was evening, and the workout ambiance was an episode of Emily in Paris. As usual, I began with plank up-downs, and they didn’t start to feel tough until about 40 seconds in. Next up were supermans, and those felt simple. Side planks? A breeze. Even the hollow holds—the most consistently difficult part of this workout, IMO—were easier. This time, I only took a five-second break between them, and my abs didn’t burn after the first hold.
Perhaps the good vibes from my newly discovered Netflix obsession helped me out. More likely, I was really starting to reap the benefits of consistent core work. Either way, it felt great to sail through this workout and head into the homestretch.
Day 31
On the last day of the journey, I felt like I’d made good progress with this workout. A few notable observations: Plank up-downs only started to get tough towards the end of the 50-second interval, and I easily kept my break to five seconds between hollow body holds. Even my bear crawls had gotten smoother! I can confidently say that I’m feeling ready to level up my core work.
The Takeaways
I don’t quite have a six-pack now, but I feel stronger.
That’s a win in my book! The workout got noticeably easier over the course of 31 days. And there were moments throughout the month when I felt especially grateful to have been giving my abs that extra attention. For instance, I went on a tough hike on day 19 that required plenty of good balance, and you can bet I was happy to have been working on my core strength in the moments that felt more perilous. After all, core exercises are important for improving your stability, according to Mayo Clinic.
Workout combos kept me going.
Of course, knowing I’d be writing this piece provided a certain amount of inspiration to keep my streak intact. But I found motivation elsewhere, too. While adding this workout onto other forms of exercise made it more challenging, I also found that doing it in combination helped me approach it with more positivity and focus.
I first noticed this on day 15: That day, I woke up early to go for an easy hike, and when I got home, I figured I’d get my ab workout out of the way. During that session, I found myself more engaged and attentive to form (even during bear crawls).
Bottom line: I feel like I was happier to do the ab workout—and I put in more effort—on the days it followed runs, hikes, and cycling sessions. And FYI, if you’re wondering how to best combine different kinds of exercise, check out this WH article.
I still don’t love bear crawls…but I appreciate them.
Especially since over the course of the month I focused on my form and worked on performing them with intention (rather than just getting through them and praying for time to pass quickly). Plus, I’ve learned that they come with plenty of benefits. For instance, bear crawls work your serratus anterior muscle on the side of your chest, which helps you breathe, WH previously reported. As a marathoner, that’s good to know!
Now, I’m feeling inspired to better understand and tackle other movements that I traditionally avoid (lookin’ at you, plank jacks)—and I’d encourage you to do the same.
I’ll keep doing abs workouts, but not every day.
Consider this 31-day journey more of a core work kick-starter for me than a long-term training plan. After all, “Your abs are like any other muscle you train, so giving time for the muscles to grow and heal is crucial,” trainer Astrid Swan previously told WH. I def don’t want to overdo it, so I’ll likely just focus on incorporating ab work into a balanced regimen.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least two days of muscle-strengthening activities alongside at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. My goal going forward? Fit core exercise into that framework.
Erin Warwood is a San Francisco-based writer, runner, and sparkling water enthusiast. She holds a B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.S. in journalism from Northwestern University. In her free time, you can find her watching Survivor, trying new Peloton workouts, and reading Emily Giffin novels. Her ultimate goal: become a morning person.
