Building muscle improves your metabolism, bolsters the bones, and helps prevent injury. In this excerpt from Lifted, trainer Holly Rilinger shares an abs routine
BIRD DOGS (DO 10)
Get Set! Get on the floor on your hands and knees, with your hands positioned directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Keep your neck straight, your head in line with your spine, facing down toward the floor, and your core muscles tight.
Go! Maintaining your balance, extend your right arm straight out in front of you as you simultaneously extend your left leg straight back. Resist the urge to look upward—your head should stay in line with your spine. Pause for one second at the top, return to the Get Set position, and repeat the exercise, this time by extending your left arm straight out in front and extending your right leg straight back. Continue to alternate for the duration of the exercise.
Just Starting Out? Instead of extending one arm and one leg simultaneously, try doing one at a time.
REACH BACKS
Get Set! Begin by sitting on the floor with your legs bent in front of you, your toes raised and heels on the floor. Straighten arms in front of you, aiming your fingers toward your feet.
Go! With your core muscles braced for stability, keep your right arm pointing forward as you lean back and reach behind yourself as far as possible with your left hand. Try to stay focused on staying balanced on your butt as you go. Touch the floor with your left hand, then bring yourself back to the Get Set position. Repeat the exercise again, only this time keep your left arm pointed forward as you reach back with your right hand.
Just Starting Out? If you’re having a hard time balancing, try bending your legs more so your feet remain flat on the floor.
10 GODDESS SIT-UPS
Get Set! Lie flat on your back with arms straight down at your sides, palms down. Place the soles of your feet together so your knees point out to the sides—this helps release your psoas, the deep muscles that connect your spine to your legs.
Go! Keeping soles of feet together, contract core muscles, then slowly curl your head, shoulders, and back off the floor as you extend your arms forward toward your feet. Stop when your back is at about a 45-degree angle from the floor; lower yourself down into the Get Set position.
Just Starting Out? Perform a normal crunch. Start with knees bent, feet flat on floor, and hands lightly touching behind your ears. Crunch up by raising head and shoulders off floor; lower yourself back down.
PLANKS (HOLD FOR 30 SECONDS)
Get Set! Get into position as if you were about to do a push-up, with your legs extended straight behind you, your weight resting on your toes and the balls of your feet. But instead of placing your hands on the floor, bend your arms and rest on your forearms. Your elbows should be directly below your shoulders, with your head facing down. Finally, pull in your stomach and tighten your core muscles.
Go! Actually, STAY! You’ll hold position for 30 seconds. Your body should stay straight. If your hips drop, you’ll place too much stress on your lower back. If your butt rises up too far, the move will be less effective.
Just Starting Out? Try a modified plank by starting with your knees on the floor
RUSSIAN TWISTS (30 SECONDS)
Get Set! Sit on the floor with your knees bent, your feet crossed, and your heels raised off the floor. Straighten your arms out in front of you and clasp your hands, then slowly lean back until your torso is at a 45-degree angle. You should be balancing on just your butt.
Go! Keeping your arms straight and feet raised on the floor, slowly rotate to the right as far as you can without losing your balance. Return to the Get Set position, then repeat the move by slowly rotating to the left. Keep alternating back and forth throughout the exercise for the required amount of time.
Just Starting Out? If you can’t keep your balance, place your feet flat on the floor about shoulder-width apart.
HIGH PLANK WITH SHOULDER TAPS (30 SECONDS)
Get Set! Get down on the floor in a push-up position, with your hands shoulderwidth apart and your legs extended behind you, feet also shoulder-width apart.
Go! Maintaining your balance, shift your weight onto your right arm, then reach up with your left hand and touch your right shoulder. Place your hand back on the floor and repeat, this time shifting your weight onto your left arm and reaching up with your right hand to touch your left shoulder. Continue alternating back and forth for the duration of the exercise. As you go, don’t allow your body to twist—your hips should remain square to the floor at all times.
Just Starting Out? If you find it hard to maintain your balance, try the exercise with your knees on the ground. After you complete this routine, rest for 60 seconds, then start at the beginning and run through it again.
FAST FEET (30 SECONDS)
Get Set! Stand with your feet a few inches apart and up on the balls of your feet, heels raised. Your arms should be bent at 90 degrees, elbows tucked into your sides, with your palms facing down.
Go! Keeping your heels raised and arms up, step your feet up and down as quickly as you can—left foot, right foot. Don’t raise your feet any higher than an inch from the floor—this move is about moving as quickly as possible, not lifting yourself any higher than you need to.
Just Starting Out? Try the exercise at a slower pace.
V-UPS (DO 10)
Get Set! Lie flat on your back with your legs straight and your arms down by your sides.
Go! Keeping your back flat, simultaneously raise your knees and torso up so they are both at a 45-degree angle (your thighs and torso from the side should look like the letter V). As you rise, extend your arms forward, pointing your hands toward your feet. Reverse the motion by lowering yourself back down to the floor to return to the Get Set position.
Just Starting Out? If you find it hard to balance or lack the core strength to come all the way up, just raise your legs and torso as high as you comfortably can.
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