This 20-Minute Workout Will Burn Out Your Abs and Legs Without Any Weights

By Sep 18, 2020
Grab your sliders and a resistance band for the hardest 20-minute workout you'll ever do!
Image Credit: microgen/iStock/GettyImages

Sick of doing the same squats, lunges and planks? We have just the workout for you! Take 20 minutes and sweat through this abs and legs burnout from trainers Tracy Carlinsky and Lucy Sexton, co-creators of Bonded by the Burn.

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The high-intensity plyometric moves are designed to spike your heart rate and sculpt your legs while the slow, controlled ab exercises allow for active recovery — keeping you constantly moving throughout the entire workout.

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All you'll need is a mini resistance band and set of gliders (you can swap for paper plates, hand towels, furniture sliders or even a piece of paper if you're working out on hardwood floors). Don't have any of those options? No problem! This routine is still challenging even as a body-weight workout.

Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here — we’ve got something for everyone.

Move 1: Gliding Mountain Climber

Time 30 Sec
Body Part Abs
  1. Start in a high plank with your shoulders directly over your wrists and each foot on a glider.
  2. Keeping your hips in line with your chest and your shoulders over your wrists, pull one leg in at a time as you build friction between the glider and the floor.
  3. Continue for 30 seconds as you build speed.

Move 2: Squat With Oblique Twist (Right Side)

Time 30 Sec
Body Part Legs, Abs and Butt
  1. Stand with your legs slightly wider than hip-width apart. Lift your arms and place both of your hands behind your head.
  2. Pull your elbows back, opening your chest, and sit your hips back and down into a squat, anchoring your heels into the floor.
  3. Press through your heels and drive back up to stand, and as you do, pull your right knee up toward your chest as you rotate your left elbow toward your knee and twist your torso to the right.
  4. Rotate back to center as you set your foot back down and sit back into a squat.
  5. Repeat on the right side only for 30 seconds.

Move 3: Jump Squat With Oblique Twist and Heel Click (Right Side)

Time 30 Sec
Body Part Abs, Butt and Legs
  1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
  2. Bend your knees, keep your weight in your heels and sit back and down into a squat.
  3. Jump up, rotate your lower body to the left and your upper body to the right, as you bring your feet together to touch mid-air.
  4. Rotate back to center and land softly back down into a squat, bringing your arms in front of your chest and shifting your weight back into your heels.
  5. Repeat on one side for 30 seconds.

Tip

You can also try this lower-impact alternative:

  1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, feet neutral. Bend your knees, keep your weight in your heels and sit back and down into a squat.
  2. Press through your heels and drive up to stand. Once standing, hop and rotate your lower body to the left and your upper body to the right. Then hop your lower body and torso back to neutral.
  3. Repeat on the right side only for 30 seconds.

Repeat Moves 1 through 3 but stick to the left side for Moves 2 and 3.

Move 4: Chair Lunge With Band (Right Side)

Time 2 Min
Body Part Butt and Legs
  1. Get set up with a chair, bench or couch (a sturdy surface to elevate and rest your back foot on).
  2. Stand roughly two feet in front of your chair with your feet hip-width apart. Step the arch of your right foot into your heaviest tension loop band, holding the band with your opposite (left) hand.
  3. Keeping your right foot on the floor and your weight in your heel, pick up your left foot and place the top of your foot (your shoelaces) on the chair behind you, aligning your ankle with the edge of the chair.
  4. Straighten your back leg and lower your right thigh until it's parallel to the floor. Hinge from your hips and align your torso over your right thigh. Pull your left arm back to build tension into the band and hold.
  5. Ensure your right knee is aligned over your ankle — you can step your foot further forward to adjust and find balance. Maintain your weight in your right heel.
  6. Straighten your legs to slowly stand back up.
  7. Continue moving up and down with control for 2 minutes.

Move 5: Banded Reverse Lunge With Band (Right Side)

Time 30 Sec
Body Part Butt and Legs
  1. Step your left foot to the floor and bring your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Step your right foot into the band, loop the band around the front of your right ankle and place the arch of your left foot into the band.
  3. Assume a split-squat position with your right foot forward and left foot back. Align your left knee below your hip and lower your hips to bring your right thigh about parallel to the floor.
  4. Pulse up and down for 30 seconds.

Move 6: Banded Split Jump With Band (Right Side)

Time 30 Sec
Body Part Butt and Legs
  1. Keeping the band around your right ankle and the arch of your left foot, hold a split squat position with your right foot forward and left knee below your hip. Anchor your right heel into the floor.
  2. Hinge from your hips and align your torso over your right thigh, bring your arms in front of your chest to maintain balance.
  3. Drive through your right heel, swing your arms back and hold tension into the band as you jump up, pressing the arch of your left foot back into the band.
  4. Land softly back into a split squat, bringing your arms in front of your chest, torso over your right thigh, left knee below your hip and weight into your right heel.
  5. Continue jumping, landing with the same leg in front, for 30 seconds.

Tip

Need a low-impact alternative? Eliminate the hop and focus on a split squat.

Move 7: Banded Crossover Lunge With Band (Right Side)

Time 30 Sec
Body Part Butt and Legs
  1. Keeping the band around your right ankle and the arch of your left foot, cross your left foot back behind your right shoulder and lower into a split squat position with your left knee below your hip, hovering off the floor, and your right thigh about parallel to the floor.
  2. Shift your weight into your right heel and anchor your heel into the floor.
  3. Pulse your back knee up and down for 30 seconds as you hold your right thigh parallel to the floor and at hips height.

Repeat Move 6: Banded Split Jump With Band (Right Side).

Move 8: Criss-Cross Pike (Right Side)

Time 1 Min
Body Part Abs
  1. Grab two gliders. Place your hands on a mat, criss-cross your right leg in front of your left, and place each foot on a glider.
  2. Space out your feet so that your knees don't touch. Roll to the inner edge of your right foot and press your left heel down into the glider.
  3. Rotate your left hip open toward the ceiling and right hip toward the floor. Evenly press through your palms, squeeze your inner thighs together and pull your tailbone down towards your back heel.
  4. Press into your back heel and press your palms away from the floor as you slowly pike your right hip up and bring your chest toward your thighs.
  5. Slowly lower your hips back down, bringing them in line with your shoulders.

Tip

Need an easier variation? Stack your knees and swing your heels back toward your glutes, bending at the knees.

Move 9: Side Plank Bear (Right Side)

Time 1 Min
Body Part Abs
  1. Using just one glider, stack your left foot on top of your right.
  2. Align your hips with your shoulders, press evenly through your palms, hold a twisted position with your hips and keep your shoulders square to the floor.
  3. Keeping the inner edge of your right foot on the glider and your hips in line with your chest, bend your knees and slowly pull your thighs toward the outside of your left arm.
  4. Stop your knees once they're below your hips and begin to slowly press the glider back to straighten your legs.
  5. Continue on the right side for 1 minute.

Move 10: Forearm Side Plank With Knee Drive (Right Side)

Time 30 Sec
Body Part Abs
  1. Roll to your right side with your right forearm flat on the mat and elbow directly under your shoulder.
  2. Straighten your legs and stagger your feet, keeping your right foot on the glider and stepping your left foot to the floor behind the other.
  3. Bring your left hand behind your ear.
  4. Keeping your right foot on the glider, slowly bend your right knee and pull your right thigh toward your chest as you rotate your torso toward the floor and connect your left elbow and right knee.
  5. As you rotate back toward center, slowly straighten your right leg and lift your right hip to keep tension in your right side waist.
  6. Continue on the right side for 30 seconds.

Tip

For a slightly easier variation, stack your knees and swing your heels back toward your glutes, bending at the knees. Focus on the rotation of your torso.

Move 11: Oblique V-Up (Right Side)

Time 1 Min
Body Part Abs
  1. Lie down on your left side and reach your left arm out, resting it on the ground.
  2. Straighten your legs and swing them out in front of you about 30 degrees (from ankle to shoulder, your body is in a V shape).
  3. Press into your right forearm and simultaneously lift your legs and torso off the ground.
  4. As you lift, pull your right elbow to your knees.
  5. As you lower your legs and torso, open your chest up to the sky⁣.

Move 12: Oblique V-Up Crunch (Right Side)

Time 30 Sec
Body Part Abs
  1. Sitting on your tailbone, lean your torso back at a 45-degree angle and straighten out your legs in front of you.
  2. Roll onto your left hip so that your right glute is off the ground.
  3. Bend your knees and pull them to the left as you twist your torso to the right side of the room.
  4. Straighten back out and repeat for 30 seconds.

Move 13: Fast-Paced Running Man

Time 45 Sec
Body Part Abs
  1. Start in a high plank with your left foot on a glider.⁣ Pull your right thigh up and into your chest. ⁣
  2. Stack your shoulders over your wrists and ⁣keep your hips level with your shoulders.⁣
  3. Bend your left leg and pull your left thigh forward, as you simultaneously extend your right leg back. ⁣
  4. Fit in as many reps as you can in 45 seconds.

Once you've completed everything on the right side, move to the left side, repeating all moves starting with Move 4: Chair Lunge.