week six: bonus abs
complete 1-2 rounds.
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.
Russian twists. Complete 20 reps.
Lie down on the floor, bending your knees and lifting your feet a few inches off the ground. To modify, you can leave your feet on the ground. Your legs should be bent at the knees. Elevate your upper body so that it creates an imaginary V-shape with your thighs. Hold a dumbbell or medicine ball in your hands at your chest, and twist your torso to the right side until your arms are parallel with the floor while breathing out. Move back to the starting position while breathing out and alternating to the opposite side performing the same techniques you applied to the right side.
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.
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.
scissor kicks. Complete 20 reps.
Lie on your back on an exercise mat with your legs side by side and extended. Place your fingertips on your head just behind your ears to provide a little support for your head. Alternatively, to help maintain a flat back you can position your hands below your glutes. Lift your head and shoulder blades off the mat. Hover your heels a couple inches off the mat. Contract Your Core Muscles. Press your lower back firmly into the mat and slightly tuck your pelvis. Draw your belly button in toward your spine. Maintain this position throughout the exercise. Move your legs in a horizontal plane to create the scissoring action placing one over the other and repeating. Keep your legs as straight as possible. Repeat.
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).
frogger 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. This is the crunch movement. Repeat for the specified number of reps.
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.