Quickfire Challenge #1: Your 5 Minute Ab Workout
Author: Shannon Miller Lifestyle
In any abdominal workout, you are looking for leanness, not bulk.
Keep the following TIPs in mind throughout the Workout:
- inhale on the rest phase of the exercise, and exhale on the exertion.
- Press the abdominal wall inward during the exhale
- If you notice the abdomen pushing outward rather than inward during the work phase, stop what you are doing and rest for a few seconds. If it continues to move in the wrong direction, it is better to stop than to keep going. The muscles will grow out rather than in if the wall is pushing out.
- Sometimes keeping a hand on the center of the abdomen serves as a guide to make sure the muscles are moving the right way.
- Make sure to do exercise that specifically targets the lower back, as well. These muscles work in conjunction with the abdominals. Without working these muscles, too, your posture will not show off your pretty muscles.
- Stretch. Long and lean is pretty, so make sure to stretch the abdominals and lower back after working them. Cat-cow, like in our Yoga-Pilates series is great for that.
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This Quickfire Workout was designed by Carrie Harper, owner of CarrieFit and ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Lifestyle/Weight Management Coach. She is is passionate about wellness education and believes education is power! She tries to give people the best information, and therefore the strongest programs, possible in the fields of health: fitness, wellness, nutrition, energy, and vitality. Check our her other fitness routines!