Today:
- How toย advanceย theย bestย AB exercise usingย 3 techniques.
- A three-minute routine at the end of the video for you.
- PLUS, I placed the 2-minute AB workout VIDEO from Fix a Belly Pooch at the end for you too.
The 3 techniquesย efficientlyย andย effectivelyย take your lower ab workout to the nextย and nextย level.
TIP
Every time you advance, it’s a great idea to go back to the 2 Minute Belly Pooch Video (at the end of the post for you) as it allows you time to focus all the way through each rep of the ab exercise.
You are in complete control of advancing your ab workout at any time. No fancy equipment is needed.
The AB exercise stands on its own,ย andย it also happens to be a part of: Theย 90 โ๏ธ Days 5 ๐๐ผ SIMPLE Exercisesย series. A series you canย startย orย RE-start atย ANYย time. Click the read to learn more.
Learn more: 90โ๏ธ Days – 5๐๐ผ Exercises
90 Days 5 Simple Exercises
All 3 of Today’s Techniques Are Simple
Your body may find that one or all of the advancing ab techniques are NOT EASY for you.
SIMPLEย does not mean easy,ย so please always,ย alwaysย listen toย your body.
Use todayโs 3 techniques to advance your ab exercise when YOU feel ready to progress.
With 40 years of teaching under my belt-ย I promiseโย it is theย day-inย andย day-outย CONSISTENCY of making the MICRO Decision to take 2 minutes to exercise your abs that creates results,ย NOTย how fast you progress.
You can return here at any time for a refresher on how to advance.
To make it easy for you to jump to what you want to review, theย video section times are listedย below the video.
โฐ Times to easily locate sections.
00:00 Intro
02:36 1st technique
04:39 2nd technique
05:16 3rd technique
07:54 AB ROUTINE: 3 Min AB routine
Self Care Tip:
Take a momentย every 30 Days to do a focused check-in using theย 3 techniquesย so you can stay on top ofย advancing your lower abs. (30-day calendar below)
The 3 Techniques to advance your ABs
1- Lower your head support and/or Change your leg positioning relative to the floor.
2- Vary the tempo and reps
3- Intensify the FOCUSED use of yourย lower absย duringย yourย E for E Breathing.
Technique 1 for Advancing the Best Ab Exercise: Head Position & Leg Movement
The first advancement technique is to:
Incrementally challenge the effort it takes to keep your back on the floor.
This incremental challenge can be achieved by:
1stโ Lowering your head support a bit if you are using one.
2ndโ Lowering your heels closer to the surface WHILE keeping your entire back FLAT.
As your lower abs slowly strengthen,ย you will be able to use less head support.
Then over time, youโll be able to lower your heels closer to the floor while:
- rotating from the hip, maintaining the 90-degree position and
- keeping your entire back flat.
As you rotate from the hip,ย youโll be incrementally increasing the challenge to your lower ab muscles by slowly lowering aย tinyย bit further,ย as in an inch or two.
To find your maximum capability go slow and stop just prior to where it seems impossible to keep your ENTIRE back FLAT on the floor (surface).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Reducing your head support and going lower is simply a TECHNIQUE to incorporate when the exercise does not push you close to your muscleโs maximum capability.
It is finding the sweet spot where you are
- using the maximum effort
- against theย resistance, moving your legs lowerย to keep your back flat.
This continuous challenge to your muscles improves their strength.
REMIND Yourself Often
Theย keyย isย finding YOUR sweet spot,ย which is why I repeatedly ask you to:
Remind yourself that it is NOT how low your head support is or how low your legs go that matters.
It is how well you are working your ab muscles. How close are you using them to their maximum capability WHILE KEEPING your ENTIRE back FLAT.
The original post where we walk through the positioning:
Fixing Our Belly Pooch
How do we focus on the lower third of our abs to strengthen our belly pooch.
Feel, Look, LIVE better…The Simple Self Care Lifestyle
Positioning is Everything
Using your head and leg positioning creates an ongoing weighted challenge for your abs and is what makes this the most efficient and effective lower ab workout.
Technique 2: Vary the Tempo and Reps
Your Current Tempo
Advance by Slowing the Tempo
Vary the tempo and change the reps WORKS!
Theย slower you go,ย theย more work your musclesย will engage in.
You may feel the need to reduce the reps. If that is the case,ย thatโs perfectly fine. Your new challenge will be to increase the reps over the days and weeks.
As ALWAYS: you do you.
Lowering the number of repetitionsย and taking on the challenge of theย slower tempoย continues to provide what you need to progress.
FYI: In the 3-minute ab routine at the end of todayโs post video we:
- start with a nice slow 8 count
- then we increase the tempo to 3 down and 3 up count
- slowing down to the 8 count again for a few more reps as we wrap up the exercise.
Technique 3: Intensify the FOCUSED use of the lower 1/3 of your abs during E for E breathing.
This 3rd advancement technique is to accentuate your lower ab contraction during the effort phase of your exercise.
If you are not sure what intensifying the lower 1/3 using our E for E breathing means, you can learn about The E for Eย technique as well as the reason it works so amazingly in the POST: Train This 1 Muscle First.
Train This 1 Muscle First
To Reduce and Eliminate a Neck Hump Train this 1 Muscle first. This muscle is responsible for your CORE strength and will improve every other muscle’s ability at the same time.
Feel, Look, LIVE better…The Simple Self Care Lifestyle
For understanding exactly WHAT the 1 Muscle does and HOW it Improves so many common conditions PLUS Step by Step HOW to locate it so you can train it- All that is in the post: E for E
E for E
Train this 1 muscle resolve many common conditions. Back Pain, Incontinence, ED, Neck Hump to name a few.
Feel, Look, LIVE better. The Simple Self Care Lifestyle
So technique 3: Intensifying the FOCUSED use of theย lower 1/3 of your absย duringย E for E breathing is amazingly helpful when it comes to advancing your ab work.
This is because it helps youย stabilize your torso,ย which will help you to beย able to lower your legs furtherย while still maintaining your flat back.
When you use theย E for E breathingย in this exercise position, think of it as:
Your belly button trying to meet your spine.
As yourย lower abย gets more practiceย pressing the air up and out of your lower abdominal cavity,ย your diaphragm (your bodyโs most important muscle for low back stability)ย andย pelvic floor musclesย become stronger and stronger as well.
IMPORTANT TECHNIQUE NOTE:ย Pressing your air out by flattening your abs is different from sucking air in.
Take a moment when you are in your position and double-check that you areย flattening your lower absย byย pressingย your air up and out of your belly area. And that your breath is coming up and out of your open mouth due to the use of the lower 1/3 of your abs.
TIP: When you get really good at using Technique 3, The Exercise Gets HARDER!
YUP! After incorporating the focusedย E for E breathing techniqueย for a while and the 2nd or 3rd time you practice advancing, you can expect that theย exercise feelsย more difficultย as the weeks go on.
This is because you are getting better and better at using the exercise to its fullest potential. So congratulate yourself and add an EXTRA plus on your Micro Decision counter for recognizing it is an improvement! Your brain will thank you.
Don’t forget to Celebrateย when it feels more challenging!ย Take that as aย sign of progress!ย Congratulate yourself!
The 30-day pdf and 2 Min Ab Routine for You
The Simple Self Care Lifestyle
MOtivator APP
Learn more: 90โ๏ธ Days – 5๐๐ผ Exercises
90 Days 5 Simple Exercises
๐ 90โ๏ธ Days ๐๐ผ Exercises Week 3 Daily Routine
The Simple Self Care Lifestyle
When you find out how achieving 1 GOAL will make every other health, wellness & fitness GOAL that you have achievable- it SIMPLIFIES everything.
(mo)
THe simple self care lifestyle
Simplify
self care
Post categories
SHOP Products
Personal Products
Quality Supplements
Things to Keep Handy
Quality Food Sources
Simple Self Care Programs
