Sunday, February 12, 2012

Top 12 Most Effective Ab Exercises Lv1

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Abs are my favorite muscle group to workout. So this one is for you. LOVE YOU ABS!
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This is part of my Bikini Body 8 Week Program

WARM-UP: Make sure to do your WARM-UP it's a big part of your workout. GO HERE if you haven't done it yet.

TOOLS: exercise band, swiss ball, matt, free weights, chin-up bar and, kicking bag (optional)

Note: Listen to your body at all times and if for some reason you can't keep up try harder next time. You are only trying to beat your best effort not everyone elses. So give it your best.

STRENGTH CIRCUIT 1

Perform one set of each exercise without resting. For example, you’ll do the prescribed number of repetitions of the first exercise, and immediately do the second exercise and so on. Once you have finished going through the first circuit rest 1 minute and move on to the second circuit.

  • Side Plank Raises (20 reps)
  • Plank (hold 1-3 minutes)
  • Knee Pump (1 min.)
STRENGTH CIRCUIT 2

Perform one set of each exercise without resting. For example, you’ll do the prescribed number of repetitions of the first exercise, and immediately do the second exercise and so on. Once you have finished going through the first circuit rest 1 minute and move on to the third circuit.

  • Side Shaper (20 reps)
  • Elevated Leg Crunch (20 reps)
  • Dolphins (20 reps)
  • Swiss Ball Oblique Crunches (20 reps)
  • Swiss-Ball Jackknife (20 reps)

STRENGTH CIRCUIT 3

Perform one set of each exercise without resting. For example, you’ll do the prescribed number of repetitions of the first exercise, and immediately do the second exercise and so on. Once you have finished going through the first circuit rest 1 minute and move on to the first circuit. You will repeat 1 more time all Circuits with brakes in between as written.

  • Pull Up Bar Twists (20 reps)
  • Plank Pike-Up (20 reps)
  • Dumbbell Side Dips (20 reps)
STRENGTH CIRCUIT 1
Side Plank Raises

Either do this exercise with one foot in front of the other or to make it even more difficult, stack one foot on top of the other. You can also increase the difficulty by holding a weight on your hip. Get into the position shown. Raise your hips as high as you can and squeeze those obliques. Lower your hips back to just above the floor. Repeat and then swap sides.

Plank
Lie face down on a mat, push off the floor, keeping forearms on the mat, elbows under shoulders, rising up onto toes. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis so your bum doesn’t stick up in the air! Hold for 2 minutes

Knee Pumps

Hold the kicking bag with both hands - If you don't have a bag then just pretend to hit something. Stand with one leg in front of the other. Using your back leg, knee the bag with as much force as you can. Waste that bag! Do it again and again and again. 1 minute each leg.

STRENGTH CIRCUIT 2
Side Shaper

Lie on ground on right side, propped up on right forearm with shoulder directly over elbow, left hand on hip. (Or place left hand on ground in front of you for balance.) Lift hips off ground until body forms a straight line from head to feet. Pause, then raise left leg about 6 inches higher. Make it easier: Keep legs together. Lower left leg, then lower hips to ground. Do 20 reps; switch sides and repeat.

Elevated Leg Crunch

Make your core workout more challenging by adding this elevated leg crunch. Make sure you use a lightweight ball (not a medicine ball). Assume start position as shown by placing a non-weighted ball between your feet. Bring hands behind head for support, and lift head, neck, and shoulders off floor by contracting your abs. Return to start position. Repeat 20 reps

Dolphins
Begin a pushup position but with your elbows on the ground and resting on your forearms. Your arms should be bent at a 90 degree angle. Arch your back slightly out rather than keeping your back completely straight. Raise your glutes toward the ceiling, squeezing your abs tightly to close the distance between your ribcage and hips. The end result will be that you'll end up in a high bridge position. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Lower back down slowly to your starting position as you breathe in. Don't let your back sag downwards. Repeat for the recommended 20 reps.

Swiss Ball Oblique Crunche

You can get a fantastic oblique workout with just this exercise alone! It hits your obliques hard. Control the difficulty by using more or less weight. Find a wall, or something to jam your feet against. Put the center of your body onto the swiss ball.
Crunch your oblique muscles and lift your upper body to the sky. Squeeze your obliques at the top of the movement. Hold for about 1/2 a second. In a controlled movement, lower yourself. Repeat 20 reps.

Swiss-Ball Jackknife
Start in pushup position, but with your shins on a Swiss ball. Your body should form a straight line from ankles to head. Without rounding your lower back, contract your abs and use your feet to pull the ball toward your chest by bending your knees. Pause, and return to the starting position. Do 20 reps.

STRENGTH CIRCUIT 3
Pull Up Bar Twists
Hang from your pull up bar. Raise your knee's up to chest height. Twist your knee's to the left. Twist your knee's to the right. Keep alternating between left and right for 20 reps.

Plank Pike-Up
Take an exercise ball and lie on top of it with your shins on the ball and your palms on the floor under your shoulders. Now use your abs and legs, rolling the ball to your middle, lifting your hips and keeping your head down between your arms. (Your body should be in an inverted "V" shape.) Hold here for 1 count and then roll back to the start. Be sure to pull your abs in and keep your head even with your spine as you move in and out of the "V". Repeat for 20 reps)

Dumbbell Side Dips
To make this exercise as effective as possible try to get a large range of motion. Exaggerate the height of your movements up and down. Hold a weight in one of your hands.
Bend your body whilst lowering the weight closer to the floor. Go as far as you can.
Now bend the opposite way and lift the weight as high as you can. Do 20 reps and then swap sides and repeat for another 20 reps.

Great job!! Alright don't forget the COOL DOWN! This is an important part of your workout. Click HERE to cool down before hitting the showers.


Rebecca asked me "I know I am not supposed to use y neck muscles but it's like my neck takes over and my abs are never working. What do you suggest!?!"

Well, truthfully I find this "Abdominal Tonner Belt" to do the trick and use it everyday. I really do love it and it is a great way to get an ab workout without over working the legs or neck. You still need to do your ab exercises but this is a nice bonus. Note: the days my abs are really sore I won't use this ab belt, I will give my abs the day to heal.

Here is the link:

67 comments:

  1. I'm planning to build and focus on my abs this time. I would like to try them out and I'm so excited to see whats the result. Hopefully I can do or perform them perfectly. Thank you for sharing this one.

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  2. I can do these! It feels so good, even though I crawled away in agony from a couple of them. Abs have been so hard for me because of a neck injury, but I'm finally to a point that I can trust myself and not get hurt. Hooray! Think I can have a flat stomach by this summer?

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    1. Girl, you did great. Eat right exercise often and drink you water and you can do it.

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  3. I did the first workout last night. I was exhausted but SO glad I did it! I'm excited about the abs workout! My abs and back are def my problem areas.

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  4. These workouts are so challenging, I love them! What's the recommended amount of cardio to do with them? I saw something about a 3 mile run?

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    1. For those who have time 3 miles or 30 minutes cardio would be great.

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  5. I definitely have room for improvement but I did it with some improvising and a few more breaks than listed. For me, this workout was hard on the wrists. Ready for tomorrow's workout.

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  6. Side plank and side shaper much harder than I thought. I hope I improve in these! Thanks for the workouts and support for all of us!

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    1. Cathy, glad you did it. Cant wait to share more ab exercises with you all.

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  7. Done and done...already feeling the burn, tomorrow is going to be rough! Also added 20 minutes on the treadmill!

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  8. Wow!I never new how hard it was to find your balance with the ball!! My abs were on fire along with my shoulders!

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    1. You did great. Lol... I always start off feeling it will be easy and it burns.

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  9. Suggestions for substituting the pull up bar twists? I don't have a bar yet.

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    1. Vertical leg lifts Lie on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.Place your hands behind the head for support, but avoid pulling on the neck.Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet.Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.

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  10. Day 2: I had to make some adjustments (I don't have my swiss ball at the moment...it was a pill shape, which was great because I could abs, dips, push-ups.... I miss it!!!!) Thanks for a great day two! Oh, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like they look silly doing some of the exercises :)

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  11. Wow, this workout was killer! But the circuits were so well built that I always had (just) enough energy to complete the next round. I dislike ab workouts, but this one was just the right mix of challenge and reward to keep me going.

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  12. Wow, an ab workout has never been so tough! My core took more of a beating from pregnancy than I thought! Some of the exercises were hard just because my arms weren't strong enough to hold me up for the whole time! Looking forward to getting stronger!

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  13. I don't have a pull-up bar. Is there an alternative exercise I can do?
    Thanks!

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  14. Hey Michelle! I came across your blog through pinterest and I also have a blog. Mine is mainly my musings on running and marathon training. I started your 8 Week Bikini Body program today. I was wondering if you have tips for ab exercises that dont use the ball. I am having a really hard time staying on! I guess thats the point? Stability! Anyway, Love the blog, I gave you a shout out on my blog and I am telling all my friends! Thanks again! Jackie

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    1. Jackie, I will have to check out your blog. Thank you for the shout out. I am so happy to have you on my team. Keep in touch.

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  15. Day 2 for me, hurt so good! This was super challenging and definitely kicked my butt... er, abs ;)

    Thanks! Looking forward to tomorrow's workout!

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  16. Just did day 5! I can already see improvement from doing the same workout on day 2! Now I just need to work on my eating habits a little better to go with my good new workout!

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    1. When I workout hard my diet gets cleaner because they go hand in hand. Great job today!

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  17. How come when I do the oblique crunches on the ball or the side dips I end up wheezing? It's ONLY when I do those exercises. Craziness.

    And whenever I do tricep extensions, it makes me excited down there...if you know what I mean. (And I'm a female)
    Our bodies are so strange!!!

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    1. Take brakes when u need them. Keep going as long as there is no pain.

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  18. I just started this 8wk program today! Can't wait to tackle this abs workout tomorrow :P

    Q: would you recommend I do my cardio before or after the workout?

    Thanks! Ali

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    1. Congrats on joining. Welcome to the team. Cardio after for now.

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  19. I am doing week 1, day 2 tomorrow. The site does not indicate for side plank raises whether we are to do a certain number of reps or however many we can in a certain time period. Could you tell me which it is, thanks. cg

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  20. Thanks for your response. I saw later where it did tell me how many to do.

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  21. Another great workout today. Thanks, Michelle. The plank for 2 minutes is deceptively challenging!

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  22. I could not for the life of me do the pike on the swiss ball. Everything else was manageable. Even when I started with the ball closer to my knees, even when I used my arms as much as possible, I just couldn't get my butt in the air. This is very frustrating. The dolphin, for example is so easy for me, and this should be the same thing just on a ball. Any suggestions?

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    1. Its ok. Start on your shins and just bend your knees in to yout tummy and straighten your legs out again.

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  23. I was so sore from yesterday's workout but I powered through Abs today! Great exercises!! It feels great to do this and pilates. I'm feeling it for sure!

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  24. I loved this ab workout yesterday!

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  25. Michelle ,
    I am in love with your blog and with this 8 week work out. I have came down with a bad chest cold.:( When I get back to working out will it be best to pick up where I left off or to just pick up were I should be at in the program??

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    1. Where you left off. Some people are starting today so you are ahead already. Get better soon.

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  26. Day 2 completed!! Me and my roommate were feeling the burn today!! Looking forward to tomorrow though.

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  27. My week 2 day 7 (and 6, haha)! I am feeling it big time! Woo, doubling up!

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  28. I am having some trouble with the ball workouts and dont think Im doing them right my abs arnt burning the way they should be and was wondering if theres anyway you could post a video for this workout! I want to do this correct and it would be helpful! Thanks

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  29. I'm finishing up week 3 of your 8 week bikini body workouts and I love how I'm seeing results already! My husband commented on how good my abs looked yesterday i was like , "Thank you Michelle!" :)

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    1. Wow... That is always great when the one you love makes notice of the changes. Congrats. Keep up the good work.

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  30. Week 3 day 6- it's still really hard for me to get through these, but I can tell that I'm getting stronger

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  31. I'm only on day 5, but I can feel such a huge difference in my muscles. They are sore, but in a really good way. Like they are finally being used the way they should've been all along. Thanks for posting this workout Michelle. Its been a life changer!!

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  32. Ive been doing this program and you said before to do 8 to 10 heavy reps to help bulk up my skinny legs. but i have another question! i can feel muscles in my abs, because i love the ab workouts! but i have a small layer of fat in my stomach area. I hate it. i dont really have love handles...i had very tiny ones, now they are pretty much gone. but i just have this little pooch that I dont want. any tips?

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    1. Yes I do. Do cardio intervals of fast, moderate n slow for 30 minutes after abs. If u don't have a lot of time once a week to a long cardio workout by itself that has intervals.

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  33. this was a tough workout. the only exercise i couldn't do was the pike on the ball..any suggestions for an alternative?

    so looking forward to loosing weight and getting stronger.

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    1. For the pike do it with your shins on the ball and just bend your knees into your chest and straighten them out again.

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  34. I've been mixing and matching a bunch of your bikini body workouts for the past two months or more and I just wanted to let you know I love these workouts!! I definitely look more toned - just in time for bikini season. Thanks so much for posting these amazing workouts; so many workout plans in magazines seem too easy, but yours are definitely hard and I feel like I'm burning tons of calories at the same time!

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  35. Just finished my second day of your 8 week bikini program. I thought I was in some kind of shape but after this ab workout I know differently. How many times do you go through these circuits? I was dying after the first one...
    Thanks for your inspiration! Can't wait for week 8 :)

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  36. Great blog.It is really helpful.Thanks for posting it.best ab workouts

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  37. Lov'en your blog!! Just one question, can my 12 year old do this program? What would you suggest for modifications for a tween in the diet/exercise area?

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    1. Diet just well balanced with protien, carbs and fruit and vegetables. Yes, she can workout with this program. When she needs a brake let her take it but there is no reason she cant workout too.

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  38. I have a little pouch left after having my two kids. I don't have love handles or need to lose weight. Would the ab exercises benefit me?

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    1. Yes and adding in cardio to your workouts too.

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  39. This was hard! I couldn't do a singe one of the pikes on the ball or the twists on the bar, which is a little discouraging, but I'll keep it up.

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    1. I think you are doing great. Don't give up. Everyday you will get stronger and all of this will get easier. Keep me posted.

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