New Abs for Chinese New Year!

This Chinese New year,

Don’t forget to burn off all that BBQ Pork, Sweet Nian Gao and Peanuts… with, these crazy ab workouts!!

Bicycle

Lie face up on your mat and place your hands behind your head, lightly supporting it with your fingers.
Bring the knees in to the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor without pulling on the neck.
Rotate to the left, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee as you straighten the other leg.
Switch sides, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.
Continue alternating sides in a ‘pedaling’ motion for 1-3 sets of 30 reps.

Vertical Leg Crunch

Lie on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.
Place your hands behind the head for support, but avoid pulling on the neck.
Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet.
Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.
Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 20 reps.

Captain’s Chair

Stand on the chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.
Press your back against the pad and keep the shoulders relaxed.
Bend the knees and contract the abs to lift the knees to hip level.
Try not to arch the back or swing the legs up.
Slowly lower back down and repeat for 1-3 sets of 20 reps.

Ball Crunch

Lie on the ball, positioning it under the lower back.
Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head.
Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips.
As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., the ball shouldn’t roll).
Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 1-3 sets of 20 reps.

Reverse Crunch

Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head.
Bring the knees in towards the chest until they’re bent to 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed.
Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.
Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 20 reps.
It’s a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.