Is your lower back often sore and stiff from sitting all day in the office? Are you limited by core strength or stability during training, preventing you from progressing? Is your gym program lacking spice?
If the answer is yes, then add this circuit on to the end of your workout or use it as a kickstart into your fitness journey by making it a part of your new daily routine and conquer those deep core weaknesses right out the gate.
Pack some heat into your day with a short but spicy ab workout that anyone can do, anywhere and anytime!
Why is this workout so spicy you ask?
Because by the end of it, you will be feeling that ab burn that we all secretly love! Do this ab workout regularly to reap not only the aesthetic benefits but to gain improvements in your functional core strength.
In this workout you will not only be working your “abs” but all the muscles that make up your core including your obliques, transverse abdominis, erector spinae and pelvic floor. Core strength is important to help protect your lower back from injury, help improve your posture and overall well-being. Before starting any abdominal exercise, it is important to firstly activate your core. Click on the link to learn more about how to properly engage your core muscles.
All you need are your bodyweight, a stopwatch, and an exercise mat.
The Exercises
Plank
Lay down on your stomach and rest on your forearms. Push up from the floor onto your forearms and toes and hold this position. Elbows should be directly under your shoulders making sure your forearms are parallel to one another. Tuck in your chin, draw your elbows back towards your toes and maintain a neutral pelvis.
Modification: The plank can be modified by dropping down to your knees while still maintaining a neutral spine.