Most of us have busy lives and sometimes we just don’t have time to go to the gym. A few years ago, my family discovered an outline for a core workout that we have used over and over again: for cross country practices, ab classes, and simply at home. It is short and effective and the variety within makes it fun (yes, a core workout can be fun: listen to music while you do it, and it will be over within five songs!). Plus, it requires nothing except your own body! We call it “10 to 100 abs.”
Since variety is the spice of life and is essential to eluding muscle memory and building stronger muscles (by challenging your brain to move your body in new ways), we often switch up the exercises to include what we feel our muscles need most. The only exercise that stays consistent is the planks at the beginning; planks are lauded as the #1 core exercise for toning your entire body. Below is a sample workout; as long as you keep the numbers the same, you can interchange the exercises for variety and personalization. “Single count” means to count each movement as one, while “double count” means to count only on one side (so, in the case of flutter kicks, count one each time you kick your right leg). 10 tabata planks (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, repeated ten times) 20 sit-ups 30 penguins (can be standing with weights or on ground) 40 V-ups 50 Russian twists (with or without weight) 60 hip bridges 70 side crunches (35 on each side) 80 leg lifts 90 scissor kicks (lateral movement), single count 100 flutter kicks (vertical movement), double count A strong core can magnify your ability to do everyday tasks, diminish back pain, improve your posture, and cultivate your balance and stability. There was a period of time when my family would all gather in my parents’ room every night and do these core exercises together. That time has since passed, but maybe it is time to bring it back!
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