15-Minute Core Workout

Hear me out on this one.  I know it's only 15 minutes, but this sequence is intense.  The first time I went through it, I was feeling it after just one round through the moves.  Why is it so difficult?  You're working a combination of core muscles including your lower abs and obliques.  It's a great all encompassing core routine, but it's no joke.  6-months ago, I couldn't do one sit-up let alone a set of them, so do what you can do and push yourself to your limit and then take a break.  As one of the Peloton instructors says, "progress, not perfection."  Anything you do today that you couldn't do yesterday is a step in the right direction.  If you can do the whole routine, that's amazing.  If you can do half, do half and then try again tomorrow and see if you can do more.  Your abs are resilient muscles so you can work them out pretty much every day and don't have to worry about working them too hard.  Now let's get started!

15-Minute Core Routine:

Complete each move 20 times per side.

• Table top taps: left leg, both legs, right leg
• See-Saws: Middle, right, middle, left
• Bicycle Crunch Kicks: alternating
• Runner Sit Ups: alternating
• Russian Twists: alternating

Take 1 minute rest & then repeat!

Table Top Taps:

Lay down on your mat and bring your legs into a table top position.  Slowly lower your left leg while keeping it bent until your toes tap the ground.  Bring your leg back up into table top position and repeat.  Once you've completed 20 reps with your left leg, tap with both legs and then with the right only.  While you're tapping, make sure your lower back stays flat on the ground. 

P.S. Bella loves to be a part of my workouts and I often get face kisses while I'm trying to exercise.

See Saws:

I've always loved traditional see saw crunches, but with these rotating see saws, you get great oblique work in as well.  Complete 20 regular see saw crunches and then rotate so you are sitting only on one butt cheek and continue to see saw crunch.  Come back to the middle and repeat, then switch to the other side. 

Bicycle Crunch Kicks:

What I love about this move is that it slows you down and makes you focus on the movement of the bicycle crunch.  It's an easy move to just flail and kick around and not really get much oblique work in.  By adding a kick at the top of each bicycle crunch, you slow down and really work the oblique muscles by holding each contraction for a second or two.  Believe me, you'll feel these more than a regular bicycle crunch.

Runner Sit Ups:

I'm not going to lie to you, these are absolutely killer.  Lay down on the mat with your legs straight out and about shoulder length apart.  As you come up into a sit up, bring your arm to the opposite leg and bend that leg like you're running.  Keep your other leg planted on the ground.  Slowly lay back down and repeat on the other side.  Take your time with these - they aren't a fast movement and you want to make sure you're using your abs and not your legs to bring you up.

Russian Twists:

This last move is a pretty easy one when you're not using any weight, but you could probably use a break after those sit ups.  Sit on the mat with your legs bent in front of you.  Place your bent arms in front of you and twist side-to-side.  Try to keep your legs and lower body still while doing this so it's only your core doing the work.  You should really feel this in your obliques.