One-legged plank
Doing great lower ab workouts at home is really easy, and I’m going to show you what you need to do right here.
The secret to getting a flat belly, a strong core, or six pack abs lay in the method you go about revealing them.
1. Focus first on nutrition – no amount of exercise or abdominal exercises will give you the mid section you are looking for if you have a crappy diet. Period.
2. Do total body (non-crunch, that is) abdominal exercises focusing on resisting rotation – I’ve been telling you for a year that crunches don’t work. In fact, they probably do more harm to your spine then they do good for your abs.
Your abs were not designed simply to flex the spine, as you do when you perform a crunch.
Your abs were designed to resist the rotation of your body. And so to strengthen or tone them we need to do activities that focus on this concept.
Why do ab workouts at home? Because the amount of equipment you need is minimal (and even unnecessary), you can get them done in only minutes, and you can squeeze ab workouts at home into your day without sacrificing family or work time.
Great lower ab workouts at home should look something like this:
(In fact, these exercises not only work your lower abs but all of the muscles of your core at the same time, even your back!)
1. Stability ball jack knife – Begin in a push up position with your arms extended out straight and your feet resting on a stability ball. Brace your core and balance yourself as you bring both your knees in towards your chest. Roll back out straightening your legs and return to starting position.
2. Stability ball roll out – Begin on the ground on your knees with your legs bent to a 90 degree angle with a stability ball in front of you. Extend both arms out in front of you so that the outsides of your wrists are on the ball. Brace your core and lean forward so that you roll the ball out using your arms. The further you go out, the closer the ball will get to your elbows. Stop and roll back in returning to the starting position.
3. Mountain climbers – Begin on the ground in a push up position. Brace your core and bend your right leg and bring the right knee up towards your chest. Return to push up position and repeat with the left leg. Keep a straight line between your head and feet at all times, no hips up in the air!
4. Stability ball pike (advanced move) – Begin in a push up position with your arms extended out straight and your feet resting on a stability ball. Brace your core and balance yourself as you bring both your feet in towards your chest, keeping your legs as straight as possible. Roll back out and return to starting position.
5. Plank – get down on the floor facing down in a push up position with all of your weight distributed between your toes and your hands. Position your arms so that your hands are directly below your shoulders slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Use your core to hold your body in a straight line between your head and your toes. Do not cheat and put your hips up in the air! Straight line!
6. Cross body mountain climbers – Begin on the ground in a push up position. Brace your core and bend your right leg and bring the right knee up towards your left elbow. Return to push up position and repeat with the left leg to right elbow. Keep a straight line between your head and feet at all times, no hips up in the air!
Perform these exercises in a circuit with no rest in between each one. After the last exercise, rest 1-2 minutes and repeat 2 times.
For more great lower ab workouts at home and other ab workouts at home, including more exercises with full descriptions and pictures, grab a copy of Ultimate Home Workouts right now.
I will be back with more great lower ab workouts at home and other ab workouts you can do at home soon.
Please hit the “like button” if you liked this post. I would be grateful.
Your Friend & Coach,
Susan Campbell, MS, CSCS
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