Our very own YOLKED in-house personal training expert, Angela Salveo, has created the best tips for training your abs that any level can start today! Whether you’re stuck at home or traveling with limited equipment, this at home workout for your core can be done just about anywhere.
Stay tuned for daily workouts and tips on YOLKED Instagram and Facebook, too!
Who Can Benefit from an at Home Workout for Your Core
A strong core helps to set the foundation for all areas of fitness. Whether your goal is functional (being able to lift your baby out of the crib without hurting your back), aesthetic (hello, six pack!), or performance (holding a massive amount of weight over your head), a core strengthening program can help.
Not only that, but strong abs can also help to prevent injury!
Ab Workouts: So Much More than Sit Ups
Your core training can be viewed in two different ways: stability and strength. Many exercises will incorporate both, but it’s important to understand the difference. Stability exercises for the core will help your body stabilize your spine and pelvis. So, when you move an object (like lifting a child from the floor), it’s your core stability that kicks in first to prevent your spine and pelvis from going into a compromised position that could cause an injury.
Naturally, we should be working core stability daily. But this doesn’t have to be done at the gym. Your posture plays a big role. So simply becoming more conscious of proper body positions when going about your day (sitting, walking, texting) can make a huge difference. Think: shoulders down and back (superhero chest), chin tucked and maintain a neutral pelvis parallel with the floor.
On the other hand, core strength is the ability to transmit force while the body is stabilizing the spine. Ah-Ha! This proves that you need a solid level of core stability before you can properly build core strength. Core strength includes all the movements you might typically think of when you hear “ab exercises.” And then some.
Core strength also includes any other exercise that relies on the core such as the deadlift, overhead press, squat and snatch.
Sprinkle in specific core strength exercises a few times a week in addition to other functional exercises that work your core in conjunction with other muscles (like that deadlift).
But, if you really want to know the secret to getting faster results for the time you’re putting in the gym… read on.
Abs Are Made in the Kitchen
A sexy six pack entails so much more than exercise. Anyone who has a washboard will share that most of the work is actually done outside of the gym… in the kitchen.
When it comes to sculpting the abs of your dreams, it means eating healthily. Diet is the most important factor. For example, according to a meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Obesity, green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate, a natural chemical compound that causes the body to use fat as fuel. And some research has also shown eating eggs for breakfast can make it easier to lose weight and shred those cherished abs.
Check out “Upgrade Your Post Workout Nutrition Regimen” and “Get a Shredded Six Pack for Summer” to find out more!
Try this Home Workout for Your Abs
Ready to feel the burn and fire up those abs? Let’s get started with a quick and effective home workout!
Perform the following exercises as an EOMOM (Every Other Minute On the Minute) for 16 minutes.
Set your timer and start your first set of the first exercise at the zero (even minutes). Once you finish your reps, you have the rest of that minute to rest. At the start of the minute 1 (odd minutes), you’ll do your first set of the second exercise. Continue alternating until the 16 minutes are up.
- Even Minutes: 15-20 Butterfly Sit Ups (soles of feet together, knees out to the side)
- Odd Minutes: :45 seconds of Plank Variation (variations include: forearm plank, side planks, hand planks, walking planks – going from forearms to hands)
Crush Your Post Workout Nutrition with YOLKED
Whether you’re a serious athlete or a recreational fitness fanatic, you still need a strong core, the nutrients in YOLKED can help you boost your strength. Read “Protein’s Perfect Partner: A Breakthrough in Sports Nutrition” to find out more.