By Praveen & Maheek Nair
Target three common trouble zones at once with this new circuit plan by our celebrity trainers. This flat belly, round booty workout can help you slim down and shape up in as little as 22 minutes a day!
Core Hold
The hollow hold is an isometric bodyweight exercise with variations that are used in every aspect of training; from rehabilitation up through power and athleticism. This motion develops a tight and stable core in which power and energy can be transferred throughout the entire body without interruption.
- To perform the basic hollow hold, you will begin by lying flat on your back.
- Squeeze your ankles together, initiating your glutes, while simultaneously squeezing your arms next to your ears. This will tighten your upper body. Make sure you press your lower back into the floor as your arms and feet leave the ground. You will come into a hollow-body, crescent moon shape.
- Imagine you are pulling your navel into your spine and your body feels as if every muscle is tightened. Begin your hollow holds in this fashion. Once you have strengthened this movement, you can begin rocking from head to feet and back, maintaining this position.
- For the advanced Spartan, practice this movement while hanging from your monkey bars or pull up bars. This will lead to swing generation, ultimately opening up your shoulder mobility and allowing you to move throughout the monkey bars, the multi-rig, and the twister with ease.
Tuck Crunch
The Tuck and Crunch is remarkable for its ability to work the entire core and the lower back. It’s a great, low impact exercise that doesn’t put too much stress on the lower back. That makes it a perfect exercise for beginners.
The Tuck and Crunch is a tried and true variation on the traditional crunch exercise. For beginners who want to mix up their workout or for experienced fitness fanatics who need to hone their entire core, this exercise is just right.
- Start by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that they are hip-width apart and your spine is in a neutral position.
- Imprint your spine into the mat and bring your legs into tabletop position, ensuring that your knees are stacked over your hips, your toes are pointed, and your shins are parallel to (in line with) the floor.
- Place your hands behind your head and interlace your fingers, ensuring that you relax your head into your hands and you draw your shoulder blades down and back. This is your starting position.
- Inhale. Set your T-zone. Exhale. Tuck your chin into your chest and draw your ribs to your hips to elevate your head, shoulder blades and upper back off the mat one vertebra at a time, ensuring that your T-zone remains set to prevent the ‘doming’ of your abdominals.
- Inhale. Lower your head and shoulders to return to the starting position. Repeat for the specified number of repetitions.
Plank Kick Through
The perfect kick through will work your core, glutes, and shoulders, working every inch you want to tone.
In addition to toning muscles, kick throughs also boost your balance and coordination. You need to really focus on your movement to kick your legs around and rotate your body at the right times.
The speed is up to you: A faster movement results in a better cardio workout, but a slower speed will lengthen the time your muscles are under tension, which can help build strength. (A slower movement is also recommended if you’re struggling with balance during the kick through.)
- Begin in a high plank position. Your hands should be placed about shoulder-width apart.
- In one sweeping motion, rotate your body to the left and kick your right leg through. Using your left arm, touch your hand to your toe. (If you can’t touch your toes, reach out as close to your toe as possible. Form is more important than flexibility!) Bring your hand and foot back to high plank position, and repeat on the opposite side, touching your right hand to your left foot.
- While doing the kick through, keep your legs as straight as possible. Remember to reach for your leg with the opposite hand (right hand to left leg, and left hand to right leg).
- For stability, activate your core muscles and use the arm that is on the ground. Keeping your hips level (don’t stick it up high or let it drop too low to the ground) will also help you stay balanced between each kick through.
Bridge (Hip Raise)
Your glutes are one of your body’s largest and most powerful muscles. Yet sitting for hours a day at your job can cause these muscles to forget how to fire. That makes you weaker in nearly every lower body exercise. What’s more, weak glutes can cause your pelvis to tilt forward. This not only puts more stress on your lower spine, it pushes your lower abdomen outward, making your belly stick out–even if you don’t have an ounce of fat.
However, by using the hip raise, you can activate your glutes once again, and build more muscle all over. Plus, because your glutes are such a big muscle group, they’re also one of your body’s top calorie burners. The upshot: The hip raise can ultimately help you burn more fat, too.
- Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Place your arms out to your sides at a 45-degree angle. Brace your core–imagine you’re about to be punched in the guts–squeeze your glutes tightly.
- Then raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Pause for five seconds–as you keep your core braced and continue to squeeze your glutes–then lower body back to the starting position.
Donkey Kick/ Kick Back
- Bracing your core with knees and hips slightly bent, use your glute to kick your working leg directly back as high as it will go without compromising your hip position. Donkey kicks target the glutes in a way many other compound exercise can’t. This move can be completed without equipment and can be modified for all fitness levels.
- Squeeze at the top. Resist the weight and slowly lower your foot back to the starting position. Complete 10-12 reps for 2-4 sets on each leg. Assume the starting position on all fours: knees hip-width apart, hands under your shoulders, neck and spine neutral.
- Bracing your core, begin to lift your right leg, knee staying bent, foot staying flat, and hinging at the hip.
- Use your glute to press your foot directly toward the ceiling and squeeze at the top. Ensure your pelvis and working hip stay pointed toward the ground.
- Return to the starting position.
- Complete 20 reps on each leg for 4-5 sets.
With correct form, the donkey kick is a highly effective isolation exercise for your glutes. Incorporating multiple variations will ensure that you target your glutes in different ways, allowing maximum benefit.
Side Plank Hip Abduction
The side plank hip abduction is a very effective exercise for building muscle and strength in the hip abductors. Now, the hip abductors move the legs away from the body and rotate them at the hip joint so this is a very beneficial and functional exercise for this purpose especially.
These muscles also contribute to the effectiveness of several weight training movements/lifts which involve hip flexion and rotation. So, it’s very important to train the associated muscles which assist the body in functional movements.
- Lie on your left side and place your forearm under you to support your body weight. Place your right hand on your hips.
- Then, place your right fist on your stomach to on your hips for balance.
- Now, raise your torso and hips up until your body is in a straight line and then raise your right leg in the air. Exhale during this portion of the exercise.
- Hold for 2 seconds.
- Then, lower your right leg until it’s on top of your left and lower your hips back down until your butt makes contact with the floor. Inhale during this portion of the exercise.
- Complete the desired number of reps.
- Then, switch to your right and do the same for the desired number of reps.
- Alternate both sides for reps.
Try to incorporate more similar exercises in your weekly workout routine for increased performance.