My son likes to make up jokes, and recently he came at me with, "Where do pencils like to live? In Pennsylvania! Get it? Pencil-vania?" He was cracking up, and although the joke was as funny as a 6-year-old's made-up joke can be, just his giggles made me laugh, until I had to grab my stomach, realising my abs were so unbelievably sore. I recalled yesterday morning's CrossFit workout [1], and these are the six bodyweight ab moves [2] we did.
These six bodyweight moves we've been doing regularly in my CrossFit classes always wreck me. Without fail, my abs will be sore for days afterward, which I love, but not for the definition I've been getting in my belly. I love them because I've noticed that doing them regularly has also strengthened my core, making other CrossFit exercises like toes to bar [3], box jumps [4], and pull-ups [5] easier. Keep reading to see how to do each move.
V-Up
- Lie on your back, with the legs and arms extended a few inches above the floor.
- Lift your upper back off the floor, reaching your hands toward your feet with straight legs, creating a V-shape with your body.
- Lower your arms and legs back down to starting position.
- This completes one rep.
Superman to Hollow Hold
- Begin on the floor on your belly, and raise your arms and legs into the Superman Hold [7]. Hold here for a solid three seconds, actively engageing the glutes and hamstrings.
- Without using your hands or feet for help, roll to the right side and onto your back, coming into a Hollow Hold. Make sure you're actively pressing your lower back into the floor and drawing your belly button into your spine. Keep your arms and legs as low to the ground as possible while still keeping your lower back pressed into the mat. Hold for three seconds.
- Roll to the right, coming back into Superman Hold for three seconds.
- Roll to the left, holding Hollow Hold for three seconds.
- This counts as one rep.
Plank With Shoulder Tap
- Begin in a plank variation [8] with your feet slightly wider than your hips for added stability.
- Keeping your torso stable, bring your right hand to your left shoulder, then return your right hand back to the mat.
- Bring your left hand to your right shoulder and return it to the mat. This counts as one rep.
Side Plank Dip
- Begin in a side elbow plank on your right side with straight legs and your feet stacked.
- Inhale and lower your pelvis to the floor, so your right hip hovers just off the floor.
- Exhale and press up through your right waist to lift your pelvis and return to side plank.
- This completes one rep. Complete the same number of reps on both sides.
AbMat Sit-Up (Diamond Sit-Up)
- Lie on your back, and open your legs into a diamond shape (aka butterfly legs) with the soles of your feet pressed together and knees out wide. Extend your arms overhead. If you have an AbMat [9], place it under your lower back for support.
- Inhale to curl your torso up, and tap the floor in front of your feet to stretch your glutes a bit.
- Slowly lower back to the starting position.
- This counts as one rep.
Burpee
- Lower into a crouching squat with your hands on the floor.
- Do a squat thrust by jumping your feet back into a plank position.
- Do one basic push-up, bending the elbows and then straightening back to a plank.
- Jump the feet forward to the hands, and come into a squat.
- Do an explosive jump straight up, getting as much height as you can.
- This counts as one rep.