I tried this ab workout with 420 million views — here’s what happened

If you’re looking to get in shape for the new year, this ab workout is a good place to start. I recently tried the Chloe Ting ab workout challenge with more than 420 million views on YouTube, and, let me warn you now, my core still hasn’t forgiven me. 

I’m no stranger to trending workouts and will try just about anything in my bid to get a toned tummy. I’ve tried the Pamela Reif six-pack ab workout, the Bretman Rock ‘ab-solutely not’ workout, and the Lily Sabri 7-day ab challenge, and have written about them all for Tom’s Guide to help you work out which is the best ab workout for you. But why have so many people tried the Chloe Ting abs workout? I set out to find out more.

The ab workout is part of Ting’s two-week shred challenge, which involves following four of her workouts a week, for two weeks, to see results. The shred challenge includes a 13-minute HIIT workout, the abs workout I tried, another abs and core workout, and a lower body workout.

I tried adding this abs workout to my schedule a couple of times a week and I’m not sure my core has forgiven me yet (if you don’t believe me, just scroll down the comments section on the video). 

What is the Chloe Ting abs workout? 

The Chloe Ting abs workout is a series of 21 exercises, which come in supersets of two exercises back to back for 30 seconds, with a 10-second rest in between. If you’d rather read through the exercises before you get started, here’s all 21: 

Leg raise clap: For this exercise, you’ll start by lying on your back with your lower back pressed into the floor. Starting with your legs towards the ceiling with your thighs pressed together, lower your legs down until they are a few inches off the floor, then raise them back up to your starting position. Then, crunch your torso up towards your legs and clap your hands behind your thighs. Repeat. 

Reverse crunch: To do a reverse crunch, lie on your back and put your legs in a tabletop position. Engage your core and breathe in to lift your hips off the floor and your legs back up over your chest. Breathe out as you lower back into your starting position. That’s one rep. 

10 seconds rest 

Spiderman plank: Starting from a plank position, bring one knee out to your side to touch the elbow on the same side, then take it back to your starting position. Repeat on the other side. 

Crossbody mountain climbers: Also known as X mountain climbers. This time, starting from a plank position, bend one knee underneath your body to tap the elbow on the opposite side. Move as quickly as possible as you switch from side to side. 

10 seconds rest 

Russian twist: To do a Russian twist, get into a V-hold position, sitting on your seat bones and leaning back slightly to engage your core. Twist your torso side to side, almost tapping your clasped hands to the side of your body each time. Ting keeps her heels on the floor for this move, but you can raise your legs to make the exercise harder. 

In and out: To do an in-and-out crunch, start sitting up in a V position with your arms behind you and your palms flat on the floor. As you extend your legs out straight, lean your torso back. As you bring your knees back into your chest, lean back in. To make it more challenging, lift your hands from the floor. 

10 seconds rest 

Plank with hip dips: Assume the plank position on your forearms. Once you’re in the plank position, drop the right hip down to the floor, then the left hip. Keep dipping to each side for the full 30 seconds.

Plank jacks: From a plank position, jump both legs out to the side of your mat, then jump them back in so that you are back in your starting position. Keep jumping your legs in and out for the full 30 seconds. 

10 seconds rest 

100s: From a V position, with your legs raised off the floor and your knees bent, hold the pose, engaging your core and pump your arms up and down. 

Crunch: To do a crunch, start lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Engage your core, with your hands behind your head. Contract your abs, and lift your torso off the floor. Slowly lower back down. That’s one rep. 

10 seconds rest 

Up and down planks: Start in a plank position with your palms flat on the floor and your arms straight. Bend your left elbow, then your right elbow, lowering yourself down into a forearm plank, then reverse the movement, so you are back in your starting position. 

Plank: Immediately after the up and down planks, go into a regular plank position, with your body weight on your elbows, sucking your belly button in to keep your core engaged. Think about keeping a straight line from the crown of your head to your heels.

10 seconds rest 

Heeltap: For this exercise, lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat against the floor. Pull your stomach muscles in tight as you reach from side to side, touching your ankle each time. 

Bicycle crunches: To do a bicycle crunch, lie on the floor with your back flat against the ground. Place your hands next to your head and raise your shoulders off the ground. Bend your knees and draw your legs up off the ground. Bring the right knee towards your chest as you straighten your left leg, as your right knee comes up, twist your body so your left elbow touches your right knee. Repeat on the other side and make sure your legs and shoulders remain off the ground for the entire exercise. 

10 seconds rest 

Reverse crunch leg extension: To do a reverse crunch, lie on your back and put your legs up to the ceiling. Engage your core and breathe in to lift your hips off the floor and your legs back up over your chest. Breathe out as you lower back into your starting position, then straighten the legs and extend them out and down to the floor. That’s one rep. 

Straight leg crunch: Lying on your back with your legs up to the ceiling, crunch upwards, with your arms outstretched as if you’re trying to touch your toes. Keep crunching upwards for the full 30 seconds. 

10 seconds rest 

Up and down plank: Back to this killer exercise! Repeat up and down planks again for 30 seconds and you’re done! 

I tried the Chloe Ting abs workout — here’s what happened 

First things first: I loved that I didn’t need any equipment to really feel the burn with this workout. (If you are looking for home workout equipment, we’ve rounded up the best adjustable dumbbells for weight lifting at home, and the best exercise bikes for upping your cardio indoors here).

I also loved Ting’s playlist and found her really motivating as a trainer. The entire workout only lasts 10-minutes, which makes this one super easy to fit in after a run or training session, or even between meetings at work. 

The first thing I noticed as I went through this workout was how short the 10 seconds of rest felt. In fact, 10 seconds has never gone so fast. I also noticed how Ting has paired each of the two exercises in the superset to really burn into the core — the up and down plank followed immediately by a static plank was a particularly gruesome segment of the workout. 

It’s no walk in the park. Despite only being 10 minutes long, I really felt the effects in my core straight away, and for a good few hours after getting up off my mat (we’ve found the best yoga mats for home workouts here). While I’ve yet to try the two-week shred, I can see how you’d get results by adding fast, effective workouts like this into your weekly fitness routine.

Chloe Ting’s ab workout reminded me that sometimes, you don’t need to spend hours faffing around in the gym to see results, you just need to work hard, and curse your way through those up and down planks.