Day 2 Week 1 Core Basics

This is another great core workout you can do at home or at the office. All you need is a Swiss Ball 🙂 most gyms carry them and they aren’t expensive to purchase on your own. You can either order them online or find one cheap sometimes at Tj Maxx or at Dick’s.

Reps: 15

Sets: 3 per exercise

Load: Body Weight

60 second break between sets

1. Crunch / Abs

Lay flat on your back and lift your chest up through your core, do not pull on your neck, rest your hands behind your head

2. Hip Raise

Place a Swiss ball in between your ankles and squeeze to hold in place, slowly lift your butt and hips off the ground, engage and lift through your core, this exercise works your lower belly. You might feel sick when starting abs, this is normal just go at your own pace, breathe but don’t quit.  You will be surprised how stronger and how much you will improve each day, just because you can’t get it right today doesn’t mean you won’t tomorrow or the next.

3. Reverse Crunch

Squeeze a Swiss Ball between your calves and lay flat on your back, slowly draw your knees into your chest and roll up off of your butt and hips, lifting through your core. Do not jerk your legs up to your chest.

4. Roll Out

Start like figure A and slowly push out the ball with your forearms, and slowly roll it back in, like a giant ab roller, if your knees hurt place a mat under them or a rolled up towel at home  🙂

5. Kneeling Oblique Crunch

Get into the position above and slowly side crunch over the ball, try and touch your elbow to the ball before releasing back up.

6. Mountain Climber

Put your self into the push up position while stabilizing through the Swiss Ball, if your shaky don’t worry, this is good and is working your entire core. Slowly draw your knees up to touch the ball and release back, then do the same with the opposite leg. Make your switches quick but remember to use control, the longer we can hold a difficult position the better for our muscles.

7. Bench Tuck

I couldn’t find a beginners example of a tuck, which is a bench tuck. Tucks are not very hard, it’s the mount and dismount that is tricky, don’t worry you’ll get it real quick. I usually just start with one foot stabilized on the ball while in the push up position and once I’m stable I throw my second foot up.  However, the learning pose will have you with your hands on a bench. If this pose is too difficult then go back to ending your core workout with a bridge like Day 1.

Tips: If your self-conscious to learn new moves in front of a full gym then schedule a night you can go later or earlier to learn new things. No one cares though, promise 🙂