The goal of ab exercises

 

Knee Tucks

Rowers aren’t reserved for cardio — though this will get your heart pumping. Hold a solid plank as you use your lower abs to drive both knees into your chest, without dropping or raising your hips.

stabilization challenge to ab exercises

Side Plank with Leg Raise

Foam rollers not only loosen up your fascia, but they also add a stabilization challenge to ab exercises. In this side plank variation, you’ll feel your midsection fighting to keep your body steady.

The Snake 

A chaturanga-inspired exercise often done on a reformer; you’ll take this move to the mat. Your obliques work to bring you upright, as the rest of your core stays tight to move you through the middle.

Photo courtesy of CorePower Yoga

 

Sphinx to Forearm Plank

Photo courtesy of CorePower Yoga

A slight twist on a high-low plank move, you’ll flow from a yoga sphinx pose (similar to a baby cobra) into a forearm plank. Try to minimize movement in your hips as you go.

Reach Around the Clock Planks

A regular plank is tough in itself. But balancing on one arm? Talk about taking this core challenge up a notch.

Army Crawl Side Planks

Take your abs workout to P.E. class and army crawl your way across the mat. Stay low in a strong forearm plank as you slither your arms and legs forward. Then finish with a side plank to target your obliques.

Exercises to Score a Stronger Core

 

Take Your Core Workout Beyond Crunches and Sit-Ups

Planks

When it comes to improving core stability, the plank has your back (and your front!). By working your transverse abdominis — the deep core muscles that wrap around your middle — as well as your back, shoulders, and glutes (yes, you should activate your butt, too), you get a full body burn in one isometric movement. But the best thing about planks: You can continuously switch them up and make your muscles work even more. Check out these creative twists on a typical plank routine and you’ll see what we mean.

1. Spiderman Plank 

Get total body toned with this amped up plank. While performing a triceps push-up, bring your knee to the outside of your elbow, and switch sides on the next rep. Don’t drop or pike your hips through the entire move — your body should stay in a straight line from shoulders to ankles.

How Exercise Changed These 7 People’s Lives

7 Inspiring Stories on How Exercise Can Change a Life 

Exercise has countless benefits. Of course, there’s the weight loss and muscle gains — the aesthetic changes that people tend to notice the most. Then, there’s the physiological advantages of better sleep, more energy, disease prevention and enhanced immunity. Finally comes the mental side — a boost in self-confidence, a new joy for life, and even a drive for stronger social connections. All of these powerful payoffs can come from taking it just one step at a time. And these seven women and men provide living proof.

Let their inspiring stories of struggles and triumph, heartbreak and resilience drive you to sign up for that 5K you’re nervous about, to take that strength class you’ve always wanted to, or even just to take a walk outside this afternoon. All you need is a little reminder about how good it can feel — for your body and mind — to keep moving forward.

Photo Courtesy of PowerBar

1. Stephanie Laska: Small Steps, Big Benefits

“Exercise for me is not about running a marathon, it’s about those daily decisions to just go outside.”

Growing up, Stephanie Laska, 44, never worked out. She chose music class over P.E. and had Kool-Aid and Froot Loops every day. It wasn’t until her 40s, weighing around 300 pounds, that she decided she need a lifestyle reboot. A few simple diet changes, like dropping sugary soda and limiting beer and desserts, helped her lose 50 pounds. But she quickly hit a plateau and knew it was time to start moving.

“The details [of a workout schedule] stressed me out at first,” says the Californian. “When do you exercise? Who takes the kids to school? Who makes dinner?” After a few months of putting, it off, she decided to just walk. Not long after, when she was walking her typical route around a tennis court, she decided to pick it up and run the length of one side. Then, she ran two sides, then three, then a full loop, until she ran her first mile in 2014.

“I was keeping it a secret at this point, and I remember taking my kids to the park one day. They were on the bikes and got far ahead of me, so I decided to run to catch up,” Laska recalls. “The look on my daughter’s face when she saw me running was like she saw Santa Claus.” That’s when Laska started taking her one-mile jogs up to a 5k, 10k, half-marathon and eventually, marathon distance.

Laska ran her first 26.2 in 2015, scoring first place in her age group. She completed her second this past fall in NYC, as a member of the PowerBar Clean Start team, just one year after having major surgery.

“What motivated me to keep going was that it wasn’t as hard as I made it out to be,” says Laska, who lost a total of 140 pounds and has kept it off for four years now. “People tend to make these huge decisions — like joining a gym or signing up for bootcamp — but I just made a tiny choice to take a walk around the block. I always try to remind myself that those little decisions snowball, positive or negative.”

The idea of taking life one step at a time has led Laska to make more time for herself and say no to responsibilities that don’t improve her well-being. This has also improved her relationships with her husband and kids and even brought on a promotion at work, she says. “People always ask the hardest thing about losing weight, and I respond that it was saying no to buttered popcorn at the movies,” Laska says. “Exercise for me is not about running a marathon, it’s about those daily decisions to just go outside.”