It isn’t just ‘Motivation Monday’, we are sharing today Lower Body Exercises that ALSO target the absโand hey you may already be doing them. Kudos!
The key is to tighten your abs during these movements to fire up your core. This about what you would do if you were going to get punched in the stomach and do that. Keeping the abs tight in these movements is absolutely crucial to performing them properly anyway, so it is a double bang for your buck or butt! It will also give you the freedom to not feel like you need to do 500 crunches at the end of this workout. You’re welcome!
And if you aren’t quite feeling your abs get fatigued in these exercises, try squeezing your butt. You may be amazed as to how much squeezing your butt engages your abs as well.
Goblet Squat
In both hands, hold the weight at your chest and stand with your feet hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Keep your shoulders back and down, chest lifted and your absย engaged. Drop your butt back and down as you keep your chest up, sitting back onto your heels without letting your knees go past your toes. Press through your heels, come back up to standing. Squeeze your glutes at the top.
Dumbbell Deadlift
Standing up straight with your feet hip distance a part, hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your body with palms facing your thighs.
Keeping a slight bend in the knees, push your hips back to lower weights down the front of your legs. Keep the weights close to your legs as possible as the weights lower down. Make sure you keep your chest still lifted, your shoulders back and your gaze out in front of you. Slowly reverse the movement to stand.
Skater Lunges
Starting at the left of your space, squat slightly then jump to the right as far as you can, leading with and landing on your right foot. Swing your arms across your body to help you jump further. Land on your right foot and try not to touch your left foot down as you bend your knee (almost into a mini squat). Aim your left foot behind your right leg and reach it as right as possible. Jump back across left to land on your left foot.
Perform each exercise, for 20 repetitions each for 5 sets.