4 Secret Moves For Lighter & Tighter Abs

I get a lot of questions from people about the secret to flat abs without endless stomach crunches and sit-ups. Many find it relatively easy to lose weight in general, tone their upper body, arms and legs, but still be left unsatisfied with their belly. If you’ve been committed to an exercise and core strength training routine and aren’t seeing the sexy, flat belly you desire, these 4 moves may be your secret for lighter, tighter abs this season. 

1. Plank With Swivel Under

1. Starting in plank position, lift your right leg off the floor, keeping the hips square and squeezing the right glute as you extend the leg.
2. Next, engage your obliques as you bend the right leg and bring the right knee just outside the right elbow.
3. Then, swivel the right leg underneath your torso and toward the left elbow, still keeping the hips square, shoulders back and down and neck long.
4. Do 5 full repetitions like this, and then push back into child’s pose, and repeat on the other leg.

BEGINNERS:

• Try performing the movement on your knees instead of in full-plank position. You won’t have full range of motion, of course, but this will give you some good practice as you build your core strength.

ADVANCED:

• Experiment with different levels and heights as you bring the knee towards the elbow. Start by aiming to bring the knee just above the wrist, and then the elbow, and then the tricep.

2. Charlie’s Angels

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Sit upright with knees bent, feet on the floor, chest lifted. Lift your feet off the floor, tucking your knees into your chest. Interlace your fingers and point them forward.
2. Using your obliques, swivel your knees side to side.

BEGINNERS:

• Keep your chest lifted and your spine straight, making sure not to slump.
• You can start by placing your hands on the floor for support. If the side-to-side movement is too challenging, start by just balancing with your feet off the floor before adding the swivel.

ADVANCED:

• Move your hands in opposition to your legs. As the knees and legs drop to the right, your hands and elbows will aim at your left hip.

3. V-Sit

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Start lying flat on your back. Engage your core, and keeping your lower back pressed to the floor, use your abdominals to bring your upper body off the floor as you bring one leg up toward the midline. Be sure not to arch your back.
2. Repeat on the other side.

BEGINNERS:

• If extending your leg straight is too much for your lower back, try extending the leg at a 45-degree angle.
• Keep the resting leg on the floor for support, and use your arms for a bit of momentum to help lift your torso off the floor.

ADVANCED:

• Lift both arms and both legs off the floor simultaneously, focusing on ˙V” formation as you continue to plant the hips into the floor with your core strength.
• It’s extremely important that when you’re fully extended, you never release your abdominal contraction, and your lower back stays pressed into the floor so that you don’t arch the lower back.

4. Sumo Sides

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Take a wide stance with your toes turned slightly out, holding dumbbells pressed together at chest level.
2. Lower down into a sumo squat, making sure those abs are engaged, weights hanging straight down in front of you.
3. As you push back up to standing, feel the inner thighs, glutes and core muscles working together to control the movement.
4. At the same time, bring the weights toward your chest with a bicep curl.
5. Rotate to your right: Keeping your wide stance and core engaged, feel your weight planted in the right foot and let the left foot pivot as your torso rotates to the right. You should feel as if this entire movement is driven by obliques.
6. Bring the weights down toward the ground in a controlled chopping motion, just behind your right hip. Squeeze your left glute as you chop.
7. Curl the weights back toward the chest as you rotate the torso back to your starting position.

BEGINNERS:

• Practice the form before you add dumbbells. Check in with yourself as you do this: Feel your core and inner thighs engaged as you squat. Your obliques should be doing the work as you rotate the torso.

ADVANCED:

• Challenge yourself by increasing the speed of your movements. Just take extra care to never release that core engagement. This ensures that you’re protecting the back, by using your core strength – rather than momentum – to drive the movement.

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30 Days To Your Best Abs Ever Includes:

• 30-Day Workout Calendar
  By using the workout calendar, you eliminate confusion about which workout to do that day. Each workout is specified, so there’s no guesswork on your part. And, it’s designed to sculpt and define your abs in record time!
• Tummy Trimmers:
  Five 10-minute segments to tone, trim, and tighten your abs like never before! Includes a variety of movements from dance-style standing abs, functional moves to target the deepest abdominal muscles, boot camp circuits to rediscover the power of your abs, and pilates moves to strengthen and lengthen your torso to perfect posture and trim inches. (50 minute DVD)
• Fat Burning Pilates For Abs:
  Flatten your abs by applying basic Pilates movements designed to focus on your core muscles while lengthening and stabilizing your spine. Improve your strength and posture to develop the tall, graceful bearing of a dancer. Also includes two BONUS workouts — Pilates for Lower Body and my top-selling cardio workout, Fat Burning Breakthrough, for ultimate-fat burning. (115 minute DVD)
• Ultimate Sculpt:
  Super-shrink fat with interval training that alternates between total-body moves and core-conditioning exercises. This incredibly powerful method of conditioning is one of the most effective ways to tone your body. Ultimate Sculpt is based on functional training, where you work your entire body as a unit for faster results. (60 minute DVD)
• Total Body Turnaround:
  Reset your body with three 20-minute balance, circuit and energy workouts. The circuit segment trims and firms, ramping up your calorie burn and attacking your trouble spots. Next, you’ll hone your balance to help you continue doing the activities you love. Finally, refresh and recharge with the total-energy segment to wake up you body and de-stress your life. (60 minute DVD)