There are several different exercises to target the entire abdominals, and also a few planks are thrown in there for fun.
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t hold the plank – especially as it gets near the end of the workout. If you can’t hold it, drop your knees to the floor, take a quick break and raise back up. Aim to keep any rests minimal.
What You’ll Need
- Exercise Mat
- Gymboss Interval Timer
The Workout
Set your gymboss to the stopwatch setting to be prepared for your planks.
Complete the following exercises in the exact order below.
There is no resting between each exercise, keep moving and get your sweat on.
- 30 second Elbow Plank
- 20 Windshield Wipers
- 30 Knee Hugs
- 60 second Elbow Plank
- 15 Side Plank Lifts (right)
- 15 Side Plank Lifts (left)
- 90 second Elbow Plank
- 40 Bicycle Crunches
- 20 Superman Planks
The Exercises Explained
ELBOW PLANK: Lay flat on your stomach on the floor. Place your palms beside each shoulder and raise your upper body up off the floor. Bend your elbows using your forearms to support your body while keeping your back and legs straight. Hold this position.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS: Begin laying flat on your back. You can either bring your arms out to the side, or lay them down by your side – whatever is more comfortable for you. Bring both legs up together, keeping them straight at all times. Drop your legs to one side (using your obliques to perform the movement) as far down as you can, then return them back to starting position and drop them down to the opposite side. When performing continuous repetitions, do not pause at the starting position. Each time your legs go to the side, counts as one rep. Complete a total of 20 reps.
KNEE HUGS: Lying flat, lift your feet slightly up off the floor and place arms over your head. Keep arms straight at all times and keep legs together. Bend your knees into your chest as you swing your arms over your head and bring your hands to your ankles. Slowly release back into starting position. Really squeeze your lower abdominal muscles to pull your legs into your chest. Each time you bend your knees counts as one rep. Complete a total of 30 reps.
SIDE PLANK LIFTS: Lie on your side with your upper body supported by your bent arm. Raise your hips into the air so your body is in a straight line. This is the starting position. Lower your hips to the ground, still using your elbow to support your weight and raise your hips as high into the air as you can. Lower your hips back to starting position and repeat. Each time you push your hips to the ceiling, counts as one rep. Complete a total of 15 reps per side.
BICYCLE CRUNCHES: Lay flat on your back, place both hands behind your ears. Bend one knee into your chest and lift your shoulders off the ground to bring your opposite side elbow to touch your knee. Lower your leg, bend your opposite knee and lift the opposite shoulder to bring elbow to the knee. Each elbow to knee counts as one rep; complete a total of 40 reps
SUPERMAN PLANK: From the high plank position, lift your right arm up & point it directly in front of you as you lift your left leg up off the ground to align with your body. Release & complete on opposite side. Each time you bring your limbs off the ground together, counts as one rep. Complete a total of 20 reps.
