20 moves in 20 minutes to build core strength without weights

Your core—a section of mid-body muscle that includes your abs—plays a crucial role in your balance, circulation, and workout performance. But you don't need to lift heavy weights to see ab-defining results—just this 20-minute equipment-free workout.

The high-intensity routine includes many of the best workouts for abs to help train your core. This area includes your rectus abdominis (abs), the muscle best known as a six-pack. 

But a stronger core also enhances your posture, reduces the risk of injury when working out, and can help improve your form in other exercises. All you need is Tiff x Dan's 20-minute abs workout if you want to get started. 

The session is led by Dan and includes 20 equipment-free core strengthening moves. To fit all of that into just 20 minutes, you'll do each exercise for 45 seconds, take a 15-second rest, then progress to the next move. 

This fast-paced workout style is known as HIIT—High Intensity Interval Training. The aim is to keep the intensity up throughout the routine to raise your heart rate for long-lasting effects.

Watch Tiff x Dan's 20-minute abs workout

This boosts your metabolism so that you burn energy during the session and for hours after. That's why a HIIT workout for fat loss is such an effective and sustainable way to hit your weight loss goals.

Reducing your overall body fat is also essential to developing visible abs. There's a common belief that you can spot-target specific body parts to reduce fat in that area, but research says otherwise.

According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, "abdominal exercise did not result in [any] change in measures of abdominal fat." However, it did "improve abdominal muscular endurance."

That's what makes Tiff x Dan's short routine so effective; the ab workout builds muscle and improves core strength, while the fast, intense pace helps increase your heart rate and burn fat.

It's also worth investing in one of the best ab rollers if you're after a quick way to work your abs. These portable wheels are a great way to build core strength without breaking the bank.