One of my most FAQ is how I’ve transformed and toned my tummy area. A section loathed by so many women it suffers many monthly changes; water retention, stress and post carb bloating all causing issues. We all have abs, unfortunately for women they tend to hide under layers of fat which is down to diet, stress and lack of sleep and you need to get down to quite a low body fat to actually see them. I don’t have visible abs; I have feminine definition and lines leading down from my waist and the start of upper abs. I need to drop about another 5% body fat to actually start to see a six pack, but you guys seem to like my stomach and I’ve been working hard to tone this problematic area, so I thought I would cover my Top Ten ab exercises that I do regularly both in classes and at home. All you need for these exercises is a mat, and your own body weight and an optional 5-10kg weight for two of the exercises. *DISLCLAIMER* I am not a PT, I am simply sharing some exercises I do that work for me 🙂
I’m going to try my best to explain the above but if you give them a google or YouTube any of the ones you’re unsure of you’ll get a good visual of what I’m talking about. Begin lying on your back making sure your core in engaged and knees are at eye gaze. Leg Lifts are a nice core warm up and involve simply lifting alternate legs up and down making sure to only tip the floor as you come down to keep the core engaged. A Crunch Combo is three sit ups followed by three arm extended pulses. A Bridge combo is great for your core and your bum, so simple slow bridges are great but I like to up my game and rest a 5-10kg weight on my upper thighs as I raise to increase the resistance. Leg Extensions can be done in time to music, for example fast, fast, slow keeping the tension on the final extension. Oblique and Russian Twists are amazing for your love handles and an area I noticed has massively improved. I prefer a Russian Twist with a 5kg weight working from left to right side 50 times (25 each side) breaking for 30 seconds and repeating three times. The Step Out Plank is amazing for building core strength. Make sure your body is forward pushing your weight through your shoulders, keeping your bum down and slowly work one leg out to make half a triangle, then the other to make a full triangle, the first leg back in, followed by the second. Push up the tempo and move faster holding when you bring both legs in together back to the plank and finishing staying in the plank position for as long as you can after your sets are finished. Climbers can be done like a running mountain climb or with one leg in to the left, in straight and back in to the left which also works the obliques and is my personal favourite. Side Crunches are also awesome for your love handles; simply lie on one side resting on your extended arm, put your far arm to temple and crunch in three times feeling the pinch at your waist making sure to square your shoulders back to the floor when you finish to get the full crunch. Finally you can finish off with Back Extensions which are a great to stretch out your core and strengthen your lower back. Lie on your tummy and lift your arms and legs like a parachuter. Pulse your arms and legs upwards as if they’re trying to touch each other for three pulses and rest but not fully lying on the floor to keep tension. Make sure to stretch out afterwords and you’ve completed this mean core workout. I hope you found this week helpful 🙂
