Hi Everyone!
It’s workout time again! Today’s workout is focused on toning and sculpting your mid-section. The abdominals need to be worked from every angle to recruit all of the superficial and deep ab muscles. This workout is low impact, but very efficient. Don’t let the words low impact fool you into thinking you aren’t going to get in a good workout. You can repeat today’s workout 1-3X or pair it with another workout if you are looking for something more intense.
Yesterday we did a Full Body 30-Minute HIIT Fat Burning Workout. If you didn’t try it yet, I definitely recommend it. It’s a workout Jesse and I filmed together. Usually one of us is behind the camera, and the other one is on camera, so it was a special occasion to have both of us filming together.
I am still not 100% after my fight with the flu. I am finally seeing some improvements though! This is a nasty little bug, that I just can’t seem to kick out. I have a Half Marathon coming up the first weekend of May, and I am getting nervous about missing so much training. I haven’t been able to do anything.
I have been reminding myself that exercise is supposed to make you healthier. When you do it at the wrong times (when you are very sick or injured) it is not helping to make you healthier. That reminder allows me to step back and take the time to rest, instead of pushing myself before my body is ready. Pushing myself now would not lead to any improvements in my Half Marathon time, or my overall wellness.
Your body is the one place you are guaranteed to live for the rest of your life. The choices you make with food, exercise, rest…they impact your health now and in the future. Please try to make healthy choices for yourself. Even when it’s hard to stick to the healthy choices (like skipping a workout when you want to jump back in).
Today I am going to do some gentle stretching and foam rolling. I am teaching my jogging class this afternoon. Normally, Wednesday is reserved for a group HIIT cross training, or else I run with my students, but today I am going to continue to rest.
I hope that you enjoy today’s workout! Let me know what you think of the workout! See you soon!
Melissa
PS You can find me on Social Media: @BenderFitness and on Facebook: @MelissaBenderFitness and Jesse is on Instagram: @BenderCrosby1
PPS If you want to help support BenderFitness so we can get a new camera & new equipment & make our site more sustainable your donation is greatly appreciated: https://www.patreon.com/BenderFitness.
Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps
or
–Buy a Gymboss now. HIIT: 50 seconds max reps, 10 seconds of rest between exercises.
1. Leg Circle (right)
2. Leg Circle (left)
3. Rock the Boat
4. Side Crunch Toe Touch (right)
5. Side Crunch Toe Touch (left)
6. 3 Part Abs
7. Bicycle
8. Boat Scissor Twist
9. Super Swimmer
10. Tick Tock Abs
Repeat 1-3X
Great workout. Did a 3.2 mile run before
Melissa, I am so glad you mentioned the potential danger of exercise when the body is sick or completely run down. I spent two years damaging my body by ignoring it when it was practically SCREAMING for a break from such extreme exercise. I am convinced that I caused myself adrenal fatigue, and the thyroid condition that I will now carry for the rest of my life. I had small children who were very poor sleepers and who were sick all the time. I had insomnia and rarely slept more than two hours a night. I was CONSTANTLY sick with flu-like symptoms – like clock work – every week and a half. It wasn’t until I was forced to take over a month off from working out due to surgery that I made the connection that what I was doing to my body was making me sick, as during that post-op time, I didn’t get sick once. I could never get it straight in my head that when the body is exhausted, you should not further exhaust it. Makes perfect sense, but it’s hard to a very active person to to accept this notion.
HI Melissa:)
Thank you for all your inspiration on self care through a variety of exercises, food, and just reminding us to be kind to ourselves. I was wondering if you had any recommendations for heavy duty support bras for jogging?
– Claudia
Hey There Melissa,
I was wondering if you have a beginner core work out or do you think the core workout low impact that you have up would be good for me. I am 10 weeks post-partum and even before I had my son/ got pregnant I feel that I am pretty week in my core. I have always worked out a lot but sadly I can’t say I focused on my core a whole lot, abs yes but not my whole core…. For example when I do your videos holding a side plank is difficult enough for me, I can hardly do much beyond that, especially if it requires lifting one of the legs haha!! A regular plank I can hold and do additional exercises that you have in your routines just fine. I look forward to your input! Also I love your videos, that have been great as I am trying rebuild my fitness after baby!!!!
Em
Hi Erin!
Side Planks are very challenging. Even if you don’t have an abdominal separation I would recommend incorporating the exercises from my Diastasis Safe Core video, because they work on the deep abdominal core muscles. You can find that here: https://www.benderfitness.com/2016/08/get-rid-of-belly-bulge-safe-core-exercises-for-diastasis-recti.html
For any of the harder variations of side plank, just start with holding the side plank, and build from there. You can start building by doing one-two leg lifts, and holding the side plank. Add on from that point.
This is another Core workout from my postpartum program: https://www.benderfitness.com/2016/09/postpartum-beyond-workout-day-17-core-sculpt.html
My core workouts tend to be very challenging because they utilize your muscles from every angle and range of motion. Don’t worry if it’s hard, that’s completely normal. Let me know if this helps, or if you need any other modifications. 🙂
Melissa