It’s summmerrrrr! At least here in good old North Carolina. It’s been hovering in the high 80s for a bit and I’ve been to the pool so yes, summer is here and I couldn’t be more excited. One thing that summer brings with it is swimsuits and with those lots of questions about abs!
It’s really important to remember what all goes in to having ‘flat abs’ or a ‘six pack’ and it’s not just lot of ab work every day. Don’t get me wrong, working those abs a few times a week will help! You just don’t have to hammer them every single day to make progress. In fact, that’s probably going to have the opposite effect. Really, working them twice a week withing a good workout plan is enough. Your abs will work in every exercise that you do (especially if we remember to engage them!).
The other important thing to remember about abs is that consistency with out workouts and nutrition has a hug impact on their visibility. Sticking with real, whole foods and getting our sweat on most days will make a big difference! Since really seeing abs has a lot to do with lowering your body fat percentage.
Ok, so this workout is going to help you with the ab work part of the whole thing 😀 I like the pair HIIT and abs on my Get Fit Guide (which now has follow along circuits, yay!) cardio days so if you want a solid HIIT to go with it, try some from my SugarySixPack YouTube Channel or one of these:
8 Minute Flat Abs Challenge
This workout can be done with or without the added ankle weights! They just take it up a notch, you’ll feel the burn either way!
33 seconds work : 7 seconds transition x 3 rounds
Remember to really engage and actively recruit your abs during these exercises! The more you focus on using them, the more you get out of the workout.
Heel Pops – Lying with legs up in the air, heels to the sky, use your abs to pop your butt off of the ground and slowly control your decent back to the ground.
Russian Twists – Seated with your legs bent and hovering off the ground, twist and reach to the floor side to side with your hands.
Hip Hops – Lying with legs up in the air, heels to the sky, and hips over to one side, use your abs to pop your butt off the ground and across to the other side. Gently lowering back to the mat.
Extended Crunches – Start lying on your back with knees puling to your chest and upper body lifting towards your knees and hands at your knees, extend your arms back like you’re reaching overhead and your legs straight out. Keep your lower back from arching off of the matt here (ab engagement!). If you have a hard time keeping your lower back from arching, allow your legs to extend higher off of the ground.
I hope your enjoy this ab workout! Let me know if you give it a shot!
Happy sweating friends!
Sweat, Smile, Repeat!
xxNiki
