15-Min
BARRE ABS ROUTINE
The Fit Over 40 community rocks! When I was scrolling through Facebook, the burst of motivation from the group was inspiring and encouraging. I couldn’t help but notice a buzz about the Barre workout…
“Barre abs! Feeling it in the lower and upper abdomen. It’s been several hours since workout and I can still feel the work that was accomplished.” – Debbie
“I really enjoyed the Barre ab workout and how accessible it is. I don’t need fancy equipment or space and I can feel the progression.” – Heather
“Barre abs is my greatest workout challenge. Whew. I moved my mat next to my door and I had a great view every time I collapsed though! 😂 ” – Holly
if you haven’t tried Fit Over 40 yet, it’s a free program where for 14 days, I’ll send you a new workout every day in your email. From cardio to strength training, from walking to barre body lift, your at-home workouts will be delivered straight to your email bright and early every morning. You can join Fit Over 40 for free here!
A toned midsection never goes out of style, and core strength is important for your overall health. Barre ab workouts are surprisingly challenging, because they focus on finding the muscle, then flattening it.
FIND AND FLATTEN!
Here are 3 techniques to help you improve any abdominal routine…
1. Lower slower.
We work really hard on the way up, then relax and drop on the way down, this means you’re missing out on half of the exercise. The fix is to make sure you’re lowering yourself at a controlled speed on the way down. By maintaining the activation in your abdominals throughout the lifting and lowering, you’re increasing time-under-tension, which means better results.
2. Exhaaaaaale
One of the jobs of your core muscles is to help your body exhale. To maximize the contraction of your abs, try completely exhaling through the “concentric” or “up” portion of the movement.
3. Roll, don’t fold
During many abdominal movements, it’s easy to fold your body. For example, in a sit-up, it’s a common mistake to use the hip flexors instead of the core muscles. This causes your body to move in a folding motion, where all your abs are doing is maintaining stability while your hips do all the work.
Instead, focus on a rolling motion, imagining you’re trying to let your rib cage touch your pelvis. Ab roll instead of hip hinge!
