week five: bonus abs
complete 1-2 rounds.
weighted suitcase situps. complete 20 reps.
Lie flat on your back on a gym mat with arms stretched out straight behind your head holding a dumbbell. Simultaneously flex at the hips & curl the abs to raise the legs and torso off the floor. Bring the hands holding the dumbbell to meet the feet, bringing your knees into your chest. Return slowly to starting position.
alternating v-ups . Complete 20 reps.
Lie flat on your back with your legs out straight in front of you and your arms up above your shoulders on the ground. Lift one leg up toward the ceiling squeezing your glute. Press your low back into the ground and engage your abs as you lift your leg up. Then crunch your upper body up as you reach your opposite arm up toward the toes of your raised leg, rotating toward that raised leg. Then lower the raised leg as you lift the other leg up toward the ceiling and crunch up to reach up toward that opposite foot. Keep alternating sides.
leg lifts. complete 20 reps.
Lie on your back. Place your hands, palms down, on the floor beside you or beneath your glutes to help maintain a flat back. Raise your legs off the ground, exhale as you go, bringing them to a 90 degree angle and lifting your hips up off the ground keeping your legs straight. Keep your knees locked throughout the exercise. Return to starting position (inhale as you go down).
Side plank hip dips. Complete 20 reps.
Lie on your left side propped up on your left elbow and forearm, shoulders stacked over your elbow, legs stacked on top of each other. Raise your hips so that your body forms a straight line from head to heels. This is the starting position. Keeping your core braced and your glutes engaged, slowly lower your left hip toward the floor. Reverse the move, returning to side plank position. Repeat for reps, then switch sides, performing equal reps on each.
Spider crunches. Complete 20 reps.
To get started, get into the same position as you would to do push-ups – lying down and supporting your weight with your hands. Lift your right foot and bring your knee toward your right elbow, crunching at your side and replace your foot back on the ground. Repeat on the left side.
knee-ins. complete 20 reps.
Sitting on an exercise mat with your legs fully extended in front of you, raise your legs a few inches off the ground. Place your palms directly underneath your shoulders with fingers facing your feet or for an added challenge hold your hands out in front of you at shoulder width. Bend your knees in toward your chest and return to starting position.
banded bicycles. complete 20 reps.
Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground (pull your navel in to also target your deep abs). Place an exercise band around your toes. Put your hands behind your head, then bring your knees in towards your chest and lift your shoulder blades off the ground, but be sure not to pull on your neck. Straighten your right leg out to about a 45-degree angle to the ground while turning your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow towards the left knee. Make sure your rib cage is moving and not just your elbows. Now switch sides and do the same motion on the other side to complete one rep.
starfish crunches. complete 20 reps
Start lying on your back with your hands behind your head and the soles of your feet flat together in a starfish position. Perform crunches by lifting your shoulders off the floor while also lifting your feet off the floor and crunching as you bring your knees and elbows toward each other. Repeat for the specified number of reps.