Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Best Picks Entertainment Technology Magazines Why subscribe? The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviews Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From$12.99View MacBook Air M4 iPad Air M3 Nintendo Switch 2 Best mattress Wordle Today Forget the gym — this Pilates abs workout strengthens your deep core muscles in just 8 minutes By Nick Harris-Fry published 12 March 2025 Fire up your core with this quick workout When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Shutterstock) When it comes to strengthening your deep core muscles, you’d be amazed at how much you can achieve with short workouts where you actually don’t move very much at all. This eight-minute abs workout from Pilates instructor Lilly Sabri is a great example of this. Throughout the workout, you do moves where you either hold a fixed position or do small movements like pulses, which quickly exhaust the deep core muscles. Pilates in general is great for working the core like this and if you can do this workout or ones like it regularly you’ll see the benefits in terms of stronger abs in just a few weeks, as long as you’re backing up your efforts with a healthy diet. You may like I tried this 7-minute abs workout from a Pilates instructor to strengthen my core — here’s what happened Ditch the weights — 20 minutes and this Pilates workout is all you need to build strong abs You don’t need any equipment for this workout beyond one of the best yoga mats, which will provide better grip for moves like planks and side planks and make the exercises more comfortable if you’re training on a hard floor. Watch Lilly Sabri’s 8-minutes Pilates abs workout 8 Min Intense Pilates Abs Workout | Slow & Controlled Core Burn | At Home - YouTube There are eight moves in the workout, and you do each of them for 50 seconds before resting for 10 seconds. Most of that rest period will be spent getting in position for the next exercise though, so keep your attention on Sabri to see and hear her instructions. Sabri does the workout with you and provides pointers on form and breathing throughout, which are helpful to ensure you’re engaging the right muscles with each exercise. I often find with Pilates-style workouts that focusing on my breath not only helps me engage more muscles but also distracts me from my burning abs during long sets. Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. There is a short kicker at the end of the session, where you do one more 10-second hold as a finisher, so it does extend slightly past eight minutes but you’ll still be done and dusted in no time at all. The workout is suitable for all fitness levels but some of the exercises might be too difficult to do for the full 50 seconds if you are a beginner, so don’t be afraid to adjust the session to have longer rest periods if required. While the workout stands alone as a great quick session in its own right, if you do have more time then it would work well as an abs-focused finisher for a full-body workout, or you could brave a second round of the moves for a harder core session. If you enjoyed the Pilates-style approach to the workout then you could give this 35-minute legs and core workout a go for a well-rounded lower-body session, and if you prefer to stay standing during core workouts then try these five standing abs exercises recommended by a personal trainer. More from Tom's Guide I did side planks every day for a week — here's what happened No gym needed — instead use this 30-minute dumbbell workout to build full-body strength at home Build upper body strength and torch your core with just a pair of dumbbells and 25 minutes Today's best Yoga Mats deals 76 Amazon customer reviews $10.39View $13.80View $16.99View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Nick Harris-Fry Social Links Navigation Senior Writer Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear. Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 after six weeks of training for a magazine feature and subsequently became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 27min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K, and has run 13 marathons in total, as well as a 50-mile ultramarathon. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK. Nick is an established expert in the health and fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. I tried this 7-minute abs workout from a Pilates instructor to strengthen my core — here’s what happened Ditch the weights — 20 minutes and this Pilates workout is all you need to build strong abs I tried this 7-minute intense core workout — here’s what happened to my abs Strengthen your core and improve your posture in just 10 moves with this 10-minute bodyweight ab workout You don’t need crunches to build a strong core — here are 6 exercises to try instead This 8-minute ab workout will give you a stronger core in 14 days Latest in Fitness Forget weights and sit-ups — this 10-minute standing ab workout will blast your core Forget crunches — I did side plank hip dips for a week and here's what happened to my abs Forget stretches — mobility coach shares 'squat like a baby' routine to boost hip flexibility and build lower-body strength I tried the 75 'soft' challenge for a week — here's why I'm going to stick with it Forget the gym — this Pilates abs workout strengthens your deep core muscles in just 8 minutes I tried this 7-minute intense core workout — here’s what happened to my abs Latest in Features 5 reasons the Meta Orion AR glasses are either the missing link in spatial computing — or a total gimmick I tried the viral toothpaste and warm iron DIY mattress cleaning hack for brown stains — these are my results My anxiety is worse at night — I asked a neuropsychologist why and how to cope Fall asleep fast and sleep through the night by changing these 5 things in your bedroom I ditched to-do lists for ChatGPT Tasks — here's 5 ways it's changed everything Forget weights and sit-ups — this 10-minute standing ab workout will blast your core More about fitness Forget weights and sit-ups — this 10-minute standing ab workout will blast your core How to clean sports headphones after a workout: a step-by-step guide iOS 18.4 has dropped — 5 new iPhone features to try first See more latest Most Popular 5 reasons the Meta Orion AR glasses are either the missing link in spatial computing — or a total gimmick My anxiety is worse at night — I asked a neuropsychologist why and how to cope I tried the viral toothpaste and warm iron DIY mattress cleaning hack for brown stains — these are my results What is Surfshark's Dynamic Multi-hop? Forget weights and sit-ups — this 10-minute standing ab workout will blast your core I ditched to-do lists for ChatGPT Tasks — here's 5 ways it's changed everything Forget crunches — I did side plank hip dips for a week and here's what happened to my abs Fall asleep fast and sleep through the night by changing these 5 things in your bedroom I'm running the London Marathon — sleeping well is the most important part of my training I’ve seen the future of film photography — 3 next-gen gadgets I'm excited about LATEST ARTICLES 7 new to Prime Video movies with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes Apple just released an emergency security update for a flaw used in an ‘extremely sophisticated attack’ — update your devices right now My anxiety is worse at night— I asked a neuropsychologist why and how to cope NYT Connections today hints and answers — Wednesday, March 12 (#640) NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #374 (Wednesday, March 12 2025) Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Terms and conditions Contact Future's experts Privacy policy Cookies policy Accessibility Statement Advertise with us Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Please login or signup to comment Please wait...