7 Floor Exercises To Slim Your Waist in 30 Days

Real talk: There’s nothing more frustrating than slipping into your favorite pair of jeans and they suddenly feel too snug to pull over your hips—ugh. When zipping your pants closed feels like an impossible task, it’s time to take action. In order to shrink, tighten, and firm your midsection, incorporating mat work and regular resistance training into your routine is key. To help out, we chatted with fitness pros who share seven crucial floor exercises to slim down your waistline in less than 30 days.

What Makes Floor Exercises Effective

Your journey toward a sculpted midsection begins with something as simple as floor exercises.

“This form of training engages multiple muscle groups, which creates a greater caloric output,” explains Ronny Garcia, CPT, a certified personal trainer at Blink Fitness. “It also helps the body build lean muscle mass through resistance exercises (like planks and Russian twists).”

Keep in mind that you can’t target fat loss to just one body part. Shedding excess fat comes from full-body exercise and establishing a calorie deficit, notes Amanda Dvorak, certified personal trainer at Garage Gym Reviews.

Floor exercises help build core strength and definition. “They tighten the waistline muscles so when fat does come off, the midsection looks more toned and firm,” Dvorak adds. “[Additionally,] floor moves force the core to stabilize without help from momentum. Your spine is supported, so the focus stays on controlled engagement of the abs, obliques, and lower back. They also allow you to target angles of the core that standing exercises sometimes miss.”

When performing floor work, don’t rush through the reps or “yank” your neck. Another common mistake is holding your breath, which limits core engagement, Dvorak cautions.

“Quality matters far more than speed. Moving with control and keeping tension in the core makes the exercises effective,” she stresses.

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7 Floor Exercises To Slim Down Your Waistline

Perform the following floor exercises three to four times a week to see noticeable progress.

“That gives the muscles time to recover while still providing consistent stimulation,” Dvorak tells us. “Pairing these workouts with a balanced diet and other movement is what makes results show up.”

Flutter Kicks

1. Lie flat on your back on a workout mat.
2. Place your hands under your glutes—palms facing down—for lower back support.
3. Your legs should be extended and heels hovering over the floor.
4. Press your lower back into the ground to activate your core.
5. Begin to kick your legs up and down in a small “fluttering” motion.
6. Perform 3 sets of 30 to 40 seconds.

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Plank Hip Dips

1. Assume a forearm plank with your elbows under your shoulders and body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Activate your core.
3. Slowly dip your hips to the right side, lowering them toward the ground without touching it.
4. Return to the center.
5. Repeat on the other side.
6. Perform 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps per side.

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Bicycle Crunches

1. Lie down flat on the ground with your knees raised and bent to 90 degrees.
2. Place your hands behind your head.
3. Crunch up as you bring your left elbow toward your right knee and extend your left leg.
4. Repeat on the other side, bringing your right elbow toward your left knee and extending your right leg.
5. Continue to alternate.
6. Complete 3 sets of 20 to 25 reps per side.

Russian Twists

1. To set up, sit on the ground, bend your knees, and keep your feet flat.
2. Lean back just a bit, and raise your feet off the floor.
3. Make sure your back remains straight.
4. Twist your torso to the left, then to the right, and touch your hands to the ground once you reach each side.
5. Continue to alternate.
6. Perform 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps per side.

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Reverse Crunches

1. Lie down flat on your back.
2. Keep your arms at your sides or place your hands under your glutes for added support.
3. Bend both knees and raise them to your chest.
4. Curl your hips off the ground before gradually lowering them back to the start position.
5. Complete 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.

Side Planks

1. Begin by lying on your side and placing your elbow below your shoulder.
2. Your feet should be stacked.
3. Lift your hips off the floor so that your body forms a straight line from your head to your feet.
4. Hold this position and complete 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds per side.

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Mountain Climbers

1. To begin, assume a high plank with your hands planted on the ground below your shoulders and your legs extended behind you.
2. Quickly bring your left knee up to your chest before extending it back behind you.
3. Then, bring your right knee up to your chest.
4. Continue to alternate. This should be similar to a running-in-place movement.
5. Keep your core activated throughout the exercise.
6. Perform 3 sets of 30 to 60 seconds.

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