5 Repetitions, 5 pulses, 5 times through – this is our signature structure that you have grown to love and hate. How can something that makes your muscles burn so badly be something that you look forward to?

In this Fitness Blender 5x5x5 Abs Workout, we really zone in and exhaust those muscles of the core.

For those new to this kind of Fitness Blender workout, here’s how it breaks down:

5 Repetitions – Full range of motion reps that are focused on good form
5 Pulses – At the hardest point of the regular range of motion in an exercise, do 5 slow, smooth, and controlled pulses.
5 Times – Repeat the entire above sequence five times through.

Exercises in this video:

Side Hip Raises – You will feel this in your obliques; the area between the bottom of your ribcage and the top of your hipbone. The pulsing motion will take place at the top of the raised position. Often times people find that they slip while they are doing this exercise; you can get better traction if you do the exercise on a mat. It’s also okay to readjust as you need to during the exercise. You can make this even harder by doing the full version, going up in a full plank and balancing with legs completely straight and bodyweight in forearms and sides of your stacked feet. Be sure to repeat this on each side.

Toe Touch Crunch – This basic exercise burns more than usual with the pulses at the top of the reaching motion. Make sure that you do not use momentum or jerking motions to complete the movement as this allows the muscles to “cheat” and can actually cause injuries.

Flutter Kicks – You will feel these in your entire abdominal panel, especially the lower region. You will also feel it in your thighs. For the pulsing motion, do a smaller range of kicks – the lower to the ground that you do the mini kicks, the more that it will burn!

Butterfly Crunches – This is a great lower abs exercise, but it also targets the thighs. Place the soles of your feet together and bow knees out. As you crunch up, lift your legs as well. Do the pulses at the top of the motion, not allowing your legs to drop until you are done with all 5.

Oblique Crunches – An oblique workout that burns so good, you will do the pulsing at the top of the range of movement. This may feel like a relatively small ROM, but you will still feel it in those muscles. Focus on feeling it in your sides as you pull your elbow down towards that hip.


How to get rid of love handles – it’s not as easy as just one abs workout

There is no one single workout to get rid of love handles and/or belly fat. In fact, you could crunch yourself silly and still not even begin to see any definition on your midsection.

To lose belly fat you have to focus on overall body fat reduction. That means regular cardio (a blend of endurance and HIIT is best), total body strength training workouts, and a healthy, clean diet. With the combination of all three of these things, you will effectively get rid of extra body fat, which in turn eradicates any bulge you aren’t fond of.

How many calories does this burn?
We estimate that this 10 minute abs workout burns between 4-8 calories a minute, or 40-80 total. It’s not a huge calorie burner, which is why the aforementioned cardio is so important if you are serious about losing body fat & getting a flat or toned stomach.