Never settle for less! Aim high on your fitness goals by strengthening your core and cardio.
Crunches
The crunch is a great base ab exercise.
Lie flat on your back.
Place your hands at the side of your head or flat beside you. Don’t pull on your head or neck.
Tense your abs to bring your torso off the floor, whilst at the same time using your abs to raise your legs into the air to complete the crunch.
Hold for 2-3 seconds before returning to a flat initial position. One crunch is one rep.
Jackknife From Lying Flat
The jackknife is another great exercise for hitting the full length of your ab muscles.
Lie flat on your back with your hands stretched out above your head.
Engage your ab muscles, raising your torso and keeping your arms beside your head until the top of your crunch.
At the same time, use your abs to raise your legs towards you whilst keeping them straight.
When you’re at the top of your crunch, continue to move your arms around to the side of your legs, tensing your abs in this position.
Slowly reverse this movement, lowering your legs and torso until you’re lying flat again. This is one rep.
Bodyweight Pistol Squats
The pistol squat is the king of lower body, bodyweight exercises. It’s very difficult to master, but amazing at building leg strength and size without weights. Plus, it’s a great party trick!
Stand on one leg, getting you balance and making sure your weight is through your heel. Put your arms out straight in front of you, and raising your other leg so your knee is bent. Your raised leg will form a counterbalance to give you stability.
Really squeeze your core and the leg you’re standing on. Slowly bend the leg lowering your torso downwards. Take it slow.
At the lowest, your butt should be an inch or two off the ground and your other leg should be extended out straight in front of you.
Squeeze your leg again, slowly raising your body upwards again. This is one rep (congratulations)!
Repeat on the other leg.
Squat With Lateral Leg Raise
This is a great dynamic movement to hit multiple muscle groups.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, cleaned up to shoulder height. Perform a standard squat, lowering yourself to an inch or two above the ground.
Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to send your torso upwards. As you’re almost standing straight again, lift up one leg to the side, squeezing your glutes, core and hip abductors.
Hold your leg at the top for 1-2 seconds before slowly lowering it down again. This is one rep.
Repeat for the other leg.
Glute Bridge to Leg Raise
This variation of the glute bridge helps remove some stability whilst working your legs.
Perform a standard glute bridge.
At the top of the glute bridge, tense your hip flexors and abs, bringing one knee up until it’s directly above you.
Return your leg slowly back down to the ground. This is one rep.
Repeat with the other leg.
Glute Bridge
An essential move to grow big glutes!
Lie flat on your back with your arms at your side.
Bend your knees and place your heels on the floor.
Squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips and shoulders are all aligned. Hold for 2-3 seconds at the top.
Slowly release back down until your hips are on the floor. This is one rep.
Donkey Kicks
Start on your hands and knees. Have your hands directly below your shoulders.
Squeeze your glute, kicking one leg backwards towards the sky with your knee bent, squeezing at the top for 2-3 seconds.
Slowly return the leg until you’re on both knees. This is one rep.
Repeat for the other leg.
Swimmers
Swimmers are a great way to work your whole body whilst giving your lower back a workout.
Lie on your stomach and squeeze your glutes as hard as you can, raising both legs off the ground.
Reach forwards with your arms, keeping your palms facing downwards a few inches above the ground.
Lift your alternate arm and leg up into the air, squeezing all of the muscles from your shoulders down to your glutes. This is one rep.
Repeat with the other arm rapidly.
Plank Rotations
Start in a high plank / push up position.
Tense your core, shifting your weight over one of your arms. Lift the other arm, rotating it around until it is pointing up in the air. Hold for 2-3 seconds.
Slowly reverse this motion, keeping your core tense until it is under you securely again. This is one rep.