20-Minute Standing Ab Workout | Hands-Free Core Exercises

There are few better ways to torch your abs than barre, but we can’t always hit the floor. In the Barre to the Core series by Alo Moves barre instructor Emily Sferra, she includes a killer barre ab workout that’s done completely on your feet, can be done totally hands-free, and takes less than 20 minutes. 

Because your entire bodyweight is held up by your legs, this workout is ideal for those with sensitive wrists or hands — you’re completely in the driver’s seat about how much they’re holding up. While Emily uses two five-pound dumbbells for the workout, you’ll get the same benefits with lighter dumbbells or even no weights at all.

This hands-free standing abs workout includes everything you love about barre: It’s upbeat, rhythmic, and incredibly fun. Give it a try on your own, or get the most out of it by practicing Standing Abs on Alo Moves.

Benefits of this hands-free barre workout:

  • Small-space friendly

  • Can be done with or without weights

  • Strengthens your core without putting strain on your hands and wrists, especially dumbbell-free

Class time: About 20 minutes

Equipment: Two five-pound dumbbells (optional)

Standing Barre Warm Up

  1. Neck Rolls: Let your chin sink to your chest. Roll your head to the right shoulder, then the left. Repeat for about 15 seconds.

  2. Side Stretch: Stand up straight with your knees slightly bent and your hips level, then lean to the right, reaching your right arm toward the floor, resting your left hand on your left side body. Come back to center, then do the same on the left side. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

  3. Forward Fold Twist: With your feet underneath you, fold forward over your legs and reach your left hand toward your right foot. Open your right arm upward, opening your chest to the right. Slightly bend your left knee and extend through your right leg. Switch and do the same motion on the other side. Run through this at your own pace for about 30 seconds.

Goddess Pose Side Crunches

 
Emily Sferra doing Goddess Pose Side Crunches
 

  1. Take a wide stance with your toes open, sinking your hips down and bending your knees into a squat. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows out.

  2. Tilt to your upper body to the right, tapping your right elbow toward your right knee. Repeat on the other side.

  3. Add some stretch by extending your opposite arm above your head on each side.

  4. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

Half Woodchopper

 
Emily Sferra doing the Half Woodchopper
 

  1. Grab a single five-pound dumbbell.

  2. On the left edge of your mat, place your feet firmly beneath you and bring the weight to your chest with one end in each hand.

  3. Take a deep bend through your knees, keeping your spine and low back flat.

  4. Twist to the right, swinging your dumbbell toward your right hip, continuing to keep your spine and low back flat.

  5. Bring the dumbbell back to your chest, then repeat for about 30 seconds. You’ll add onto this exercise before repeating on the other side!

Half Woodchopper with Lunge

 
Emily Sferra doing Half Woodchopper with Lunge
 

  1. Go through the motions of the exercise above, but step your right foot out to the right into a side lunge as you twist.

  2. Tap your right toe back in place as you bring your weight to center.

  3. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

Half Woodchopper with Lunge and Knee Lift

 
Emily Sferra doing Half Woodchopper with Lunge and Knee Lift
 

  1. Do the motions of your Woodchopper With Lunge, but instead of tapping your right foot down at center, lift your right knee.

  2. Repeat for about 30 seconds, then repeat the whole Half Woodchopper sequence on the other side.

 

Standing Weight to Knee Lifts

Emily Sferra doing Standing Weight to Knee Lifts

  1. Keep your five-pound weight. 

  2. Come into a slight lunge, with your left leg forward and your right leg back.

  3. Holding the weight with both hands, inhale and extend your arms above your head.

  4. Exhale and raise your right knee in front of you as you lower the weight to your right hip.

  5. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

 

Standing Elbow to Knee Lifts

 
Emily Sferra doing Standing Elbow to Knee Lifts

  1. Do the Standing Weight to Knee Lifts exercise, but instead of bringing the weight straight down, tap your left elbow to your right knee.

  2. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

 

Woodchoppers

 
Emily Sferra doing Woodchoppers
 

  1. Plant your right leg back behind you in a slightly wider lunge.

  2. Hold your weight in both hands above your left upper shoulder.

  3. Twist your shoulders, but not your hips, to the right as you swing the dumbbell to your right hip.

  4. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

  5. Repeat the entire sequence from Standing Weight to Knee Lifts to Woodchoppers on the other side.

Weighted Side Bends

 
Emily Sferra doing Weighted Side Bends
 

  1. Holding two five-pound dumbbells, stand on your mat with your feet wide and a soft bend in your knees and your arms to your side.

  2. Transfer both weights to your right hand if you can — if that’s too much, just the one is fine.

  3. Put your left hand behind your head, then fold laterally to your right, letting the dumbbells lower on your right side. Keep your hips steady.

  4. Come back to standing up straight.

  5. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

Weighted Side Bend Pulses

 
Emily Sferra doing Weighted Side Bend Pulses
 

  1. Go through your Weighted Side Bends, but instead coming back to standing, stay low and pulse up and down.

  2. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

Weighted Side Bends With Crossbody Punch

 
Emily Sferra doing Weighted Side Bends With Crossbody Punch
 

  1. Keeping your knees slightly bent, stand with one weight in each hand and your arms down to your sides.

  2. Lean laterally to the right, letting your right arm drop.

  3. Come back to standing, then bring your right fist to chest level and punch across your body to the left.

  4. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

Weighted Side Bends with Dumbbell Raise

 
Emily Sferra doing Weighted Side Bends with Dumbbell Raise
 

  1. Stay in the same stance with one dumbbell in each hand and your arms to your sides.

  2. Lean laterally to the right, letting your right arm drop.

  3. Come back up and lean laterally to the left, raising your right arm up high.

  4. Repeat for about 30 seconds.

  5. Repeat the entire Weighted Side Bends sequence on the other side.

Cool Down

 
Emily Sferra in a wide forward fold stretch
 

  1. Wide-Legged Forward Fold: Take a wide stance with knees straight or bent, then fold forward at the hips. Place your arms long in front of you and walk your legs away from your toes. Hold for about 15 seconds. Slowly walk your arms over to your right leg and fold over to the right side, then do the same on the left, holding for about 15 seconds each.

  2. Standing Half Moon: At your own pace, toe-heel your feet under your hips, then slowly roll up to standing. Interlace your fingers above you and stretch to the right, then the left.

Get the most out of your barre workouts with Emily Sferra’s Barre to the Core series on Alo Moves, available for free with a 14-day free trial to Alo Moves.

 
Alo Movesworkout, barre, abs, core