I'm not sure why... but ab workouts are always satisfying. I love feeling sore abs. It makes you feel good.
This week's 5 Minute Fit Finisher is a hardcore ab burner that hits your shoulders hard too.
Equipment You'll Need
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Ab wheel or barbell with at least 10 pound plates on each side for ab wheels.
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A "heavish" dumbbell that will challenge you for renegade rows.
Don't Hold Your Breath Workout Routine
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10 ab wheels
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10 hollow rocks
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6 pushup plank openers (alternate weak and strong wide each round)
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10 renegade rows (alternate weak and strong side each round)
Complete as many rounds as you can in the 5 minute time period. See if you can get more rounds on your weak side compared to your strong side.
big idea
Don't worry about unbalanced training as long the imbalance favors your weak side.
You hear a lot of trainers talk about making sure you get the same amount of reps on both sides. This is okay... but in reality... you have a weak side of your body for a reason.
So work on your weak side by overloading it with:
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More reps
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Heavier weight
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Workout that focus solely on the weak side
We design a lot of workout in Fit Women's Weekly that only use our weak sides. I've had dozens of clients who have made their weak side their new strong side. Now their body is in balance compared to the average woman.
Don't Hold Your Breath Exercises
1. Ab Wheel
I love the ab wheel. Dan calls this the six pack maker.
Ab wheels are easy to find. You don't need one of the complex wheels either... a simple wheel from Ebay will set you back $10 to $12.
One of my favorite (personal) challenges is to do 100 ab wheels a day for one month.
form tip
Don't go far out at all. Just a little until you feel your abs engage and then bring it back in.
Beginners tend to go too far out... disengage their abs... and end up arching their low back. This can cause low back pain. Nothing serious... but stay short and work your way into this exercise gently.
The ab wheel is great because it forces you to use your abs obviously... but the same way you would with a hollow hold. You need to flatten your back and hollow your stomach to keep good form.
Learn more by going through my beginner ab workout . It will teach you the fundamentals of the hollow hold and some other key exercises.
Plus the ab wheel will work your shoulders and chest... which we'll hit in just a minute.
2. Hollow Rocks
Going from ab wheels to hollow rocks is why this workout is called Don't Hold Your Breath... you'll have to learn to breath because your abs are going to be on fire.
Step 1
Get into a good hollow hold. For this version you can rest your hips on the ground.
Step 2
Lift your legs a couple inches in the air and push them down to start a rock. You'll need a little momentum to get started.
The hollow rock is as if you were the bottom of a rocking chair.
Your abs stay tight as your upper body comes off the ground
Round your low back a little so when you rock back... it's smooth
And keep your legs straight
Your body is hollowed out and stays firm the entire time.
Step 3
Stop your rock forward right before your heels hit the ground. Just so we're on the same page... DO NOT let your heels hit the ground.
Step 4
Rock back nice a smooth so your hips come just off the ground. Keep your head and shoulders off the ground... sustain that ab crunch.
Rock forward again and repeat.
form tip
As your rocking, if your low back starts to come off the ground...
Bend your knees!
With bent knees you'll be able to crunch harder and keep your low back on the floor.
If this exercise is still is too hard... hold a hollow hold while I finish my reps.
3. Push Up Plank Openers
I want you to focus more on the plank opener part of the exercise.
This is where you'll not only get great core work... but you'll get great shoulder stability work too.
As you go into your side plank... BTW, I did not do this... try to stack your feet. It forces you to brace harder and use more arm strength... even grip strength.
As an added challenge... when you come back down for the pushup... try to fall immediately into the pushup. Make this exercise look almost graceful if you can keep your balance that is!
Modification
If you struggle... don't do the pushup. Keep up with me and the cadance I use. This may mean you'll have to hold your side plank a little longer.
Also do what I did during the workkout... keep your feet NOT stacked. You'll have more balance and you'll be able to go a little faster.
4. Dumbbell Renegade Rows
Yes, this is a row (pull) exercise. But when you're going heavier... you'll feel your core tighten up like crazy. It's the perfect way to indirectly finish off your abs during this workout.
Not to mention... you're shoulders are going to get blasted again.
Keep your legs straight and body tight during each row.
How Many Rounds Of Don't Hold Your Breath Can You Do?
This is a fun workout. It's an ab burner... but bringing in the plank openers and renegade rows gives you a little relief.
Focus on keep your abs pulled in hard. Don't let them disengage. It's going to be hard to do... but this is how you'll push yourself during this workout.
If you have any questions or need further modifications... hit me up on my YouTube Channel ... or my Instagram . I'll be happy to help you.
If you enjoyed this workout and you want more full length workouts like:
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Interval Monday
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Strong (Dumbbell) Tuesday
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Arms and Core Wednesday
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Legs Thursday
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Kettlebell Friday
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And Stretch Saturday
You have to go learn about Fit Women's Weekly LIVE. It's my online personal training program . And if spots are not all gone... you can try it for free by joining a free 14 day trail if there are spot open.
Come workout with me LIVE for the workout of the day.
I hope you try FWW LIVE. There's nothing like it.
No go do this workout and let me know how you did!