I had a few minutes while dinner was cooking, so I thought I'd do a little self-care and throw on a quick exercise video. To strengthen my handstand practice, I wanted to work on some core exercises, and I came upon this little gem. It satisfies my love of double leg lifts [1] and reverse crunches [2], and combining them into this intense hip raise variation is automatically my new favourite.

Hip Raise With Leg Extension

• Lie on your back. Rest your hands by your sides, palms facing down, or place your hands underneath your butt for a little leverage.
• Extend both legs out so they are a few inches above the ground. Draw your lower abs in, pressing your lower back into the floor.
• In one fluid motion, bend the knees into the chest, press the hips up as high as you can, lower your hips to the floor, and extend the legs straight out.
• This completes one rep.

In the video I was following along to, we did this for 45 seconds, then rested for 15 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. Or you can do three sets of 12 to 15 reps. Enjoy your sore abs [3]!