If planks are not your thing or you are one of those individuals who just want to shake things up in your 4 fast core exercises, there is a fast core workout method that you can check out now. This workout is very simple and easy to execute, created by trainer Courteney Fisher. This ab circuit is 4-move and fits very well as a filler after a strength training or on an active recovery day when all you need is a quick workout to activate your midsection without depleting your energy. It is done to help you get gains from the workout and at the same time not to make you feel overworked. Less than 15 minutes time is required to for the workout to be accomplished perfectly.
First of all, no ab workout will actually make the abs visible unless you also make an effort to decrease your body fat through the right food and a consistent exercise routine. But that doesn’t mean that core exercises are not necessary. Core training can have numerous advantages. More importantly, doing so can help in preventing back pain, and being more balanced, and improve overall performance, not to mention that them being easy and simple they can be a task of life. So, even if the goal is not the look of a flat stomach, one should still stick to the core workout.
In this exercise program, you have to do four different exercises three times. Between each round, you can relax for a minute. Each exercise is aimed at a different part of your core and involves multiple muscles including rectus abdominis, obliques, and lower abs – no equipment or planks needed.
Exercise 1: Tabletop Crunch – 15 reps
Lay down on the ground with your feet flat, knees bent, and hands resting gently behind your head. Breathe in to engage your muscles, after that exhale as you bend from the waist, lifting your chest and your knees to the top. The stay abs strongly braced and the lower back should be on the floor. The movement should be of high confidence and no knocking of the neck should occur.
Move 2: Elbow-to-Knee Crunch with Support – 12 reps per side
About sit on the floor in a v-sit position, put one hand on the floor to steady yourself, and extend both legs in front of you. Put your free hand behind your head. Bend the knee of your other leg and move your elbow towards it as you slowly twist. At the same time ensure to move the top side and pull in your oblique muscles. When done with one side(12 reps), then change and do the other.
Move 3: Roll-Back to Sit-Up Hold – 12 reps
Start off while you are sitting, place your hands behind your head. Lift your feet and let your body roll backward slowly until you are in a tucked position with your legs and then make a final straight stretch of the legs from front to the ground and then and then roll back up to the start. What we need here is to have control – do not let momentum take over. Keep your body straight and keep your tummy in while you are on the top position and during the whole movement.
Move 4: Hand-to-Ankle Tap – 45 seconds
With your hands under your shoulders and stabilized in the core, get into a high plank position. Meanwhile, cross the opposite hand, you, and tap the other hand to the waist of your leg that is in the air. Get back to high plank and then switch sides. The total area around the core was trained to be 45 seconds the entire time, focusing on the stability and the core.
Now, this workout has its roots in the Pilates exercise system and it brings in classic strength training together with the slow and controlled movements that are Pilates’ trademarks. By doing the exercises fast and still maintaining good form, you will notice you will get an increase in heart rate, which will engage your whole body in calorie burning mode.
Taking a workout similar to this one has gained people’s interest because they are easy to fit in a tight schedule and they are low-impact workouts, which is also less stressful for the joints. Such activities are very convenient especially when you are on your rest days but, once in a while, you may want to keep moving, but going through another heavy workout is not what you want. Moreover, like an added advantage to this, core training like this, also helps in keeping your body posture correct as it eases back discomforts of prolonged sitting at a desk. The author’s approach really concentrates on the deeper sets of the abdomen which are the core layers and pelvic floor, and often they are neglected but in reality they are the essential parts of the body that help in activities such as walking, standing and moving around.
So, if you are wrapping up with these moves after working out or you just need a fast one to make your core muscles fire, using this 4-exercise circuit surely will give you an intense feeling without being fed up with planks or crunches. Have this as a part of your weekly program and see the difference — your stomach muscles shall be grateful to you.