Quickfire Challenge #8: Standing Abdominals

Author: Shannon Miller Lifestyle

You don’t have to lay down to get great abs.

No way!

You can keep the body moving, stay upright, get some cardio in there, and work the abs all at once.

Try these standing abdominal workout exercises:

1. Standing knee smash. Pretend that you are breaking something over your knee. Reach up high with your hands, and pull it quickly toward the knee as the knee lifts quickly. This is NOT a standing crunch. Don’t try to crunch your abdominals in. Instead, brace the abdominals, focus the navel in, and give it a big breath outward all at once.

2. Side knee lift. Angle your feet 45 degrees out from your body. Stabilize yourself on one leg. Lift the other knee at an angle (45-90 degrees out from straight) while pulling the elbow of the same side down toward that knee. Lean the body toward the stabilized leg. Are you getting just one side worked here? No, you are getting the surrounding obliques on both sides with movement and stability! (But make sure you train both sides evenly)

3. Toe Touches: They’re not just for gym class anymore! Use those old toe touch techniques and reach to the toes, and then come right back up. Hinge from your hips, not your spine. Try to keep the spine long. If the lever is too long, put your hands on your hips as you hinge. Exhale on the way down, inhale on the way up.

4. Standing leg circles: Borrowed from Pilates, stand with feet turned out. Lift one toe off of the floor. Keeping shoulders and hips still and in alignment, circle your toes in one direction 6-8 times, and then circle in the other direction. Movement should be small and controlled.

Finish your standing abdominal workout exercises with full body stretches: up to the sky, and then unilateral stretches upward. Ah!

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This Quickfire Challenge Workout was designed by Carrie Harper, owner of CarrieFitand ACE CertifiedPersonal 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. Visit Carrie’s website to check out her other fitness routines!