Get into the pushup position. Now bend your elbows 90 degrees and rest your weight on your forearms. Your elbows should be directly beneath your shoulders, and your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet. Aim for 1-2 minutes. Your first time will probably be around 30 seconds, don't put any pressure on yourself to last longer than that in the beginning!
How to improve your plank time:
The longer you can hold the plank, the more resilient your lower back will be to injury, and the better your abs will look.
Practice: Do planks a few times a day, and try to hold the position a little longer each time!
Use body-weight exercises: Push ups will improve your plank time (and abs!)
Hold it!
If you don't have the core strength yet to do a regular plank you can build up to it by doing the "bent knee" plank. Once you've conquered the plank and can last for 2+ minutes you can move on to these
tougher variations!
1. Lift one leg up. By raising one let in the air you'll increase the demand on your core to fight your body's natural udder to rotate.
2. Lift one arm up. Yep, same thing here! Your body will want to fall to one side. Don't let it! Stay strong girl.
3. Use a swiss ball. Rest your forearms on the ball and you'll have to stabilize your body and stop the ball from rolling out under you.
Lie face up on your mat and place your hands behind you head, supporting it with your fingers. Bring your knees in to the chest and life the shoulder bladed off the floor without pulling on the neck. Rotate to the left, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee as your straighten the other leg. Switch sides, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee. Continue alternating sides in a pedaling motion.
How to improve your bicycle: Keep your lower back on the floor at all times to keep tension in your core
Practice: Do this everyday, 1-3 sets of 15 reps
Hold it! Go slow until you build the strength to move to an upbeat pace and exhale as your "pedal" changes with each leg
Lie on the floor and extend your legs straight up with your knees crossed. Place your hands behind the head for support, but avoid pulling on your neck. Contract the abs to lift your shoulder blades off the floor, as thought you're reaching your chest towards your feet. Keep your legs in a fixed position and "crunch." Lower and repeat!
How to improve your leg crunch: Focus on keeping your legs still and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.
Practice: Do this with your ab routine, 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps
Hold it! Make sure you don't strain your neck, mentally remind yourself to relax your neck muscles and focus on lifting with your abs and not with your neck.
Lie on a mat facing up and extend your arms straight out behind your head with hands clasped, and keep your arms next to your ears. Contract your abs and lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Keep the arms straight and avoid straining your neck! Lift all the way up until you've done a proper "crunch." Lower and repeat!
How to improve: If you feel neck pain, put one hand behind your head while keeping your other arm extended.
Practice: Repeat for 3 sets of 15 reps
Hold it! Once you're able to do 3 sets without taking breaks, challenge yourself by holding a dumbbell to add intensity.
Lie on the floor and place your hands on the floor of behind your head. Bring your knees in towards your chest until they're bent to 90degrees, with your feet together OR crossed :). Contract the abs to curl the hips up off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.
How to improve: It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to life your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.
Practice: Repeat for 2-3 sets of 20 reps
Hold it! You'll feel this in the lower abs, and because thats primarily the muscle that you're working, this is a small and subtle move. You only need to lift your hips a few inches off the floor. Once you've mastered this move try this variation to make the reverse crunch harder!
1. Add ankle weights to challenge your balance
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your hands gently cradling your head. Keep your feet on the flow. Now flex your feet and keep them flexed as you contract your abs, lifting the shoulder blades off the floor. Try not to pull on your neck with your hands, but lightly support your head. At the top of your crunch, press your heels down into the floor while keeping your lower back in contact with the floor.
How to improve: Focus on lifting from your chest and not your neck. This will help you avoid injury!
Practice: Repeat for 3 sets of 15 reps
Hold it! This heel push crunch looks like a regular crunch, but in this version you'll be engaging the rectus abdominis muscles more. When you're ready for a challenge you can put a weight-plate on your chest so work your abs even more.
Sit on a ball or chair and hold a medium weight. Begin the movement with the weight at chest level, and keep your shoulders relaxed. Keeping your hips and knees facing forward, rotate the torso to the right as far as you comfortably can. Focus on squeezing the muscles around your waist. Rotate back to centre and then to the left, keeping the movement slow and controlled.
How to improve: Make sure you do this slowly so that your body is working form your core and not from momentum.
Practice: Repeat for 2 sets of 20 reps
Hold it! This workout really challenges your obliques, if you're new to oblique work take it easy on yourself the first couple times you do this. When you're ready to make it more difficult, up your weight that you hold. This will also work your shoulders and arms!
Lie down on your right side, resting your forearm. Your legs should be straight with your hips stacked. Press into your forearm to lift the hips off the mat.
How to improve: If you can't rest on your forearm yet, you can start by resting/pressing into your hand. This is still a challenge but will be easier than if you were using your forearm.
Practice: Do this for 30-120 seconds repeating 2-3 times on each side
Hold it! Hold your body in a straight line, and rest your free arms behind your head to give you extra balance. When you're ready to make this harder you can choose from the foot variations below!
1. Harder: Feet stacked
2. Easier: Feet staggered
3. Easiest: Knees down
Being in the plank position, on your hands and toes. Make sure your hips are down and the back is flat while bracing your abs. Life your left leg, bend your knee and bring it in towards your left elbow without moving the rest of your body. Take your left leg back and then bring your right knee in towards the right elbow, making sure you keep the rest of your body in the same position.
How to improve: This one sounds easier than it really is. In the beginning, it's normal to shake and wobble, but focus on keeping still and eventually you'll get stronger.
Practice: Do this for 30-60 seconds and repeat 3 times.
With your exercise ball, start in a plank position with your feet resting on the ball (looks like an elevated push-up.) Roll the ball towards you with your feet, tightening the abs into a crunch.
How to improve: You can rest your shins/ankles on the ball in the beginning until you're ready to roll from your feet.
Practice: Do this for 3 sets of 15 reps
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