If you're looking for a free abdominal workout to add to your routine this week, I found it - Daisy Keach's Hourglass Workout Like Daisy Keach's other workouts (see how I tried Daisy Keach's quarantine abs workout here), her hourglass workout is designed to tighten your waist and give you an hourglass figure

It's a 10-minute workout that can be done anywhere, with no equipment What happened when I actually tried it? Read on to find out [First of all, this abdominal workout follows the format of many of Keech's other free YouTube workouts

As Keech states in her other videos, she does not do exercises that target the obliques The obliques are important muscles for people who play sports that involve twisting from side to side, which helps strengthen the core

Another thing, the music for this workout is very loud I had to stop and start the workout over several times, thinking it was a problem with my internet connection or my outdated laptop It wasn't My recommendation would be to follow the instructions below or watch the video on mute and put on your own music for motivation

If you want to continue the workout without YouTube playing, here are the exercises Keech does in the Hourglass Workout:

Basic Crunches - 1 minute

First, crunches To do a crunch, first lie on your back and place your lower back on the floor In Keech's workout, raise your legs to the tabletop for the crunch and cross your legs Place your hands on either side of your head, engage your abdominal muscles, and crunch your torso toward your knees Return to starting position and repeat

Bicycle Kicks - 1 minute

To perform a bicycle kick, lie on the floor with your back to the ground Place your hands next to your head and lift your shoulders off the ground Bend your knees and pull your legs up off the ground While straightening the left leg, bring the right knee close to the chest and twist the body so that the left elbow touches the right knee when the right knee rises Do the same on the other side, making sure the leg and shoulder are off the ground

Jackknife - 1 minute, 15 per side

Begin lying on your back This exercise is similar to the toe touch, but lower your torso and extend your arms behind your head, making sure your neck is off the ground First lie on your back With your arms extended behind your head and your legs a few inches off the floor, engage your abdominal muscles and lift your arms and legs to touch your toes Keeping the same position, lower to the starting position

Russian Twist - 1 minute

To perform this exercise, sit on the floor with knees bent Lean back against the backrest with your back straight and pull both legs up off the ground Twist to one side (as far as you can without touching the ground), then twist to the other side

Toestand - 1 minute

A classic Pilates exercise that works the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis muscles Begin in a position with both legs on a table Engage the core, lower the right leg with the knee bent and the toes on the floor Leave the left leg on the table Do the reverse in the same manner

Bicycle Crunches - 1 minute, 15 per side

Similar to the Bicycle Kicks, lie on your back, bend one leg, place the opposite leg on your knee, and make sure your leg angle is 90 degrees Insert opposite elbow to touch bent knee Perform 15 repetitions on each side or 30 seconds on each side

Scissor Kicks - 1 minute

To perform scissor kicks, raise both legs to a 45-degree angle, hips flat on the floor While working on your core, kick your legs out to the side and swap which leg is on top

Reverse Crunch - 1 minute

To perform a reverse crunch, lie on your back and place both legs on a table Engage your core and, while inhaling, lift your hips off the floor and bring your legs back up to your chest Exhale and return to the original position This is one rep

Butterfly Kicks - 1 minute

To perform butterfly kicks, press your back to the floor and lay your arms out to the side Raise both legs to the ceiling and lower them to a 45-degree angle from the ground Kick your legs up and down as if swimming

Like all of Daisy Keach's workouts, this one worked my inner core I also liked the versatility of this workout You can literally do this workout from anywhere, and Keach doesn't use an exercise mat, just a blanket on the grass

The exercise itself is also relatively easy on the spine As I've mentioned in other workout reviews, I suffer from sciatica from a horseback riding accident as a teenager, so I have to be careful not to strain my spine during abdominal exercises With the exception of the butterfly kicks and scissors, which I do with my feet elevated high to the ceiling so that my lower back is not pressed against the floor, I had no problems with this workout

Keach says in his workout description that you will get better results if you do this exercise every day, and he is not wrong Since I have made this simple 9-minute workout a routine a couple of times a week, my abs have certainly become more prominent, and my core is on fire for an hour or so after the workout

While abdominal visibility is dependent on body fat percentage, and no workout can completely "target" belly fat, there are many other benefits to core training besides cosmetic Adding regular abdominal training to my routine allows me to focus on my abs during my cardio workouts I am also mindful of my core strength while running and riding my spin bike