week one: bonus abs
complete 1-2 rounds.
sit ups. complete 15-20 reps.
Lie down on your back. Bend your legs and place feet firmly on the ground to stabilize your lower body. Cross your hands to opposite shoulders or place them behind your ears, without pulling on your neck or hold a dumbbell with both hands for an added challenge and keep it at your chest. Curl your upper body all the way up toward your knees. Exhale as you lift. Slowly, lower yourself down, returning to your starting point. Inhale as you lower.
Toe touches. Complete 15-20 reps.
Lying flat on your back, holding one dumbbell with both hands or a medicine ball, lift your legs to 90 degrees. Reach up using the weight to reach for your toes, lifting your shoulder blades up off the ground and crunching as you move. Return the starting position and repeat.
russian twists. complete 15-20 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.
bicycles. Complete 15-20 reps.
Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground (pull your navel in to also target your deep abs). 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. For an added challenge, add an exercise band around your toes.
knee-ins. Complete 15-20 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.
starfish crunches. complete 15-20 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.
leg lifts. complete 15-20 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).
suitcase sit ups. complete 15-20 reps.
Lie flat on your back on a gym mat with arms stretched out straight behind your head. Simultaneously flex at the hips & curl the abs to raise the legs and torso off the floor. Bring the hands to meet the feet, bringing your knees into your chest. Return slowly to starting position.