Ready to strengthen your core? Join me for this 15-minute abs shred express!
Workouts that target specific body parts – like this one – help you to strengthen muscle tissue in that area, which has great benefits to your overall health. A strong core helps you in so many ways with your posture and almost all of your everyday functions!
And to keep it real, doing ab workouts doesn’t necessarily mean “you’ll get a six pack.” To see our abs, we need to be low enough in body fat. Body fat comes off our bodies “systemically,” meaning all over. And it does this in a particular order when you are losing fat, an order that’s governed by our genetics.
For women, we tend to lose our belly and hip fat last – but they’re on the list if we stay consistent with practices like these:
- Move more throughout the day: a great deal of our fat loss comes from low impact daily activity, including walking. Work on getting more steps in, and not sitting for long periods without movement.
- Focus on developing muscular strength: as we add more muscle, we improve our resting metabolic rate making us more efficient fat burners.
- Focus on systemic fat loss rather than fat loss in one area: this is why I suggest taking full body progress pics and not just focusing on your stomach. This helps you recognize your efforts and see strength gains in other body parts, posture improvement and fat loss in other areas of the body. If you’re seeing progress or feeling progress (better energy, digestion etc) you’re making progress and it will catch up with your abs if you STICK WITH IT.
- Focus on fueling around your workouts: avoid skipping meals and coming into your workouts depleted. This elevates your cortisol and increases muscle breakdown making it harder to lose body fat and gain lean muscle. Eat protein and carbs in the meals around your workouts and eat whole foods throughout the day for stable energy.
- Focus on things other than exercise: to accomplish fat loss we must create an optimal state in the body. The workouts won’t have the desired effect without proper nutrition, proper rest and sleep, and a focus on stress management.
You won’t need much time or any equipment for this super-fun circuit that will target your core from all directions to give you an awesome burn!
Let’s go!
Looking to strengthen your core with 10-15 minute workouts so you get the most out of your training time?
Take the 21 Day Quick Core Challenge in Rock Your Life and have workouts like this formatted into a plan to follow AND all the support and info you need to take your results to the next level!
Start this challenge today!
(Returning to Rock Your Life? Welcome back! Just use the “returning members” button on the same page!)
Abs Express
Click to expand and see all workout move descriptions
Equipment: Optional: Elevated Surface
Format: perform each move for time shown, for 3 rounds
Circuit
Bird Dog Crunch R/L (1:00)
- Begin in a tabletop position on the mat with your shoulders stacked over your hands, knees under your hips, and a flat back with your core braced.
- Extend your right arm and left leg while squeezing the glute of the extended leg, keeping your core braced and hips level.
- Draw your right elbow in to meet your left knee as you crunch your torso and contract your abs.
- Extend your right arm and left leg and repeat sequence for the allotted time before switching sides.
- MOD 1: Keep both hands on the mat and extend just your leg behind you and crunch it in below your body.
- MOD 2: Instead of hovering your extended leg, allow the toes to tap down onto the mat and gently slide them in as you draw your knee towards your elbow.
Mountain Climbers (0:30)
- Begin in a tall plank position with shoulders stacked over your wrists, core braced, neutral gaze (not looking up or down) and a flat back.
- Using your core to drive the movement, alternate running your knees towards your chest for the allotted time.
- MOD 1: Perform this move with your hands placed on an elevated surface.
- MOD 2: Make this low impact by taking the run out of the mountain climber and alternating driving your knees in towards your chest.
Support your workouts with Berry Green Protein!
It combines 15 superfood greens, veggies and fruit with 22grams of protein. It tastes amazing and you can simply mix it with water and go, or add it to a smoothie or baked goods!
Superwoman Lifts (0:45)
- Begin by lying on your stomach on your mat.
- Extend your arms beside your ears, brace your core to lift and reach your arms and legs off of the mat simultaneously (the wider your legs are, the easier the move will be. As you get stronger, bring your feet closer together).
- Hold at the top briefly and then lower yourself back towards the mat with control and repeat the lift and reach for allotted time.
- MOD: Alternate lifting just your legs then just your arms.
Bounders R/L (1:00)
- Begin by standing at the back of your mat, core braced and chest upright.
- Step slightly forward with your right foot and drive into the heel to jump to the other side of the mat, driving your left knee up as you jump.
- Turn around and repeat with the left knee drive for allotted time, then switch sides to drive the right knee for allotted time.
- MOD: Alternate driving right and left knees across the length of your mat instead of bounding across with a single knee drive.
Great job Rockstar! Remember you don’t have to do it ALL to be doing great! Check in with me to let me know how you liked that workout and if you have any questions, drop them below!
One-off workouts are great, but having a PLAN to follow is even better!
Join my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community, Rock Your Life, and get access to over 60 different Challenges, a powerful support network unlike any other, new workout classes added every week you can do from the comfort of your own home – and share the journey while we help you reach your goals!
I love hearing from people in Rock Your Life who find success applying the Betty Rocker principles and workouts! Check out Natalie’s 2 month progress.
“I was getting discouraged by my scale…but I did decide to take the progress pictures – only once a month though…well now it’s 2 months later. Only 2 months! And wanna know how much I weigh? I’ve lost 3.6 lbs..that’s it! Ladies, don’t look at the scale as the only way to judge your progress! I’m completely shocked by this! 
Almost finished my second 30-day challenge, and I’m not gonna stop!”
Anyone can share in this success – no matter where you’re starting out!
Click Here to start your journey today!
(Returning to Rock Your Life? Just use the “returning members” button on the same page!)
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