Starting an exercise program in time for swimsuit season is sort of like getting a jumbo jet off the ground. It takes an enormous amount of energy to get that lumbering beast down the runway and up into the air, but once you’re moving forward with real speed, the actual flying isn’t nearly as difficult. But as with an airliner, once you stop, it’s difficult to get going again. And that’s why so many exercise programs fail. You get a couple of weeks or months of solid working out under your belt, and suddenly the kids get sick, or a work deadline looms, or the zombie apocalypse hits, and bam—you’ve missed two or four or six workouts in a row, and what’s the point? You’re back on the couch with Ben & Jerry. And far away from the beach.
That’s where these workouts, from my bestselling book Zero Belly Diet, come in. In between workout days or when you’re on vacation, or when you simply can’t raise enough bail money to get back to your routine, you can still get in a workout that will move you closer toward your Zero Belly goals. Most of these workouts require zero equipment, so you can do them almost anywhere, excuses be darned. And by adding strength to your core, you’ll have even more impressive abs to show when your belly fat melts away.
1. Beginner Abs Workout
ShutterstockPerform the plank until you’ve held it for 90 seconds total—take as many sets as you need to get there. Between sets, rest the amount of time you held the plank for. So if you held it for 30 seconds in your first set, rest 30 seconds after that set. Go on to do the same with the side plank on both sides. As you get stronger, extend the length of time you hold each position.
Plank
Reps: Hold for 90 sec
Rest: As long as you held the plank
Get into push-up position and then bend your elbows 90 degrees so your forearms lie flat on the floor. Brace your abs and hold your body in a straight line for as long as you can.
Side Plank (left)
Reps: Hold for 60 sec total
Rest: As long as you held the side plank
Lie on your left side, resting your left forearm on the floor for support. Raise your hips up so that your body forms a straight line and brace your abs—your weight should be on your left forearm and the edge of your left foot.
Side Plank (right)
Reps: Hold for 60 sec total
Rest: As long as you held the side plank
Perform the side plank as described above, but on your right side.
2. The 360
ShutterstockIn this routine you’re going to rotate yourself 360 degrees on a lateral plane, starting with your back on the floor and ending in the same position. Along the way you will move clockwise through quarter turns, performing seven exercises total in a seven-minute span. You’ll want to use an interval timer to alert you to each time you need to switch positions. By the end of minute seven you should be feeling the burn throughout your entire midsection, and will have set the stage for killer abs to come.
Exercises are to be performed in sequence with no rest between them. Do each for 60 seconds.
Reverse Crunch
Lie on your back with your hands placed palms down beside you and your legs held up perpendicular to the floor. Pulling with your abdominals, thrust your pelvis toward the ceiling and return to the start position in a controlled manner to complete one rep.
Alternating Crunch
Lie on your back with your fingers clasped behind your head or your hands cupping your ears, and with your knees bent so that the soles of your feet are placed firmly on the floor. Curl your torso upward and rotate at the waist, trying to touch your right knee with your left elbow followed by your left knee with your right elbow. Continue alternating for the prescribed time.
Plank (right side)
Lie on the floor on your right side, then prop yourself up on your right elbow, making sure that your body is in a perfectly straight line. If the move is too difficult at first, lower the right knee to the floor for support.
Plank
Lie facedown on the floor, then prop yourself up on both elbows so that your arms form a 90-degree angle with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Keep your body straight from shoulders to feet. If the move is too difficult at first, take breaks in which you lower your knees to the floor for support.
Plank (left side)
Lie on the floor on your left side, then prop yourself up on your left elbow, making sure that your body is in a perfectly straight line. If the move is too difficult at first, lower the left knee to the floor for support.
Reaching Crunch
Lie on your back with your knees bent so that the soles of your feet are placed firmly on the floor. Hold your arms straight above you, so that they are perpendicular to the floor. Now reach as high as you can, imagining you’re trying to touch the sky, then let your torso retract back into a supine position. Remember to roll up and back, rather than keeping a straight back.
Bicycle Kicks
Lie on your back with your fingers clasped behind your head or your hands cupping your ears, and with your hips and knees bent 90 degrees so your calves are parallel to the floor. Now pedal your feet in the air as if you were pedaling a bicycle, making small alternating circles.
3. The Dynamic Duo
ShutterstockBecause it anchors your torso to your legs, your midsection receives a ton of work whenever you’re moving dynamically. That’s why track athletes and NFL running backs have such awesome abs. They didn’t develop them by doing crunches and leg raises. It’s the action of running itself that causes the abdominal muscles to contract forcefully as the legs and arms are pumped aggressively.
The following workout employs movements similar to those done by track athletes, resulting in a ballistic abs routine that will stealthily strengthen and develop your midsection as it burns calories, helping to further reveal the fruits of your labor. It consists of two active exercises—running in place with high knees for thirty seconds, then burpees for thirty seconds—followed by 30 seconds of active rest in the form of a plank.
Do four rounds of the following circuit.
Exercise Time
Run in Place (high knees) 30 sec
Burpee 30 sec
Plank 30 sec
Rest 20 sec
Run in Place (high knees)
When running in place, bring your knees at least up to hip level. To ensure they are high enough, you can start by holding your hands out in front of you at hip level. Aim to slap each knee against its corresponding hand.
Burpee
Stand with feet shoulder width apart. In one fluid motion, first squat down and place your hands on the floor in front of you, then thrust your feet straight back until you’re in push-up position. Bring your feet back to their original position, then leap straight up, reaching high toward the ceiling to complete one rep.
Plank
Lie facedown on the floor, then prop yourself up on both elbows so that your arms form a 90-degree angle with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Keep your body straight from shoulders to feet. If the move is too difficult at first, take breaks in which you lower your knees to the floor for support.
4. The Time Warp
ShutterstockSet a timer for seven minutes. Perform as many reps as you can for the first exercise, and then rest as needed. Go on to the next exercise and repeat. In the case of the plank, hold it as long as possible (instead of doing reps). Repeat the exercises in order until seven minutes are up. Count the reps you complete on each move and note your total at the end. Each time you repeat the workout, try to complete more total reps in the same amount of time.
Reverse Crunch
Lie on the floor on your back, with arms at your sides, palms facing down. Bend your hips and knees 90 degrees, so your calves are parallel to the floor. Brace your abs and roll your hips back toward you so they come up off the floor and your knees are at your chest. Roll your hips back to the floor.
Crunch
Lie on the floor on your back, and bend your knees 90 degrees so your feet are flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest. Crunch your torso off the floor, coming up only until your shoulder blades are off the floor.
Plank
Get into push-up position and then bend your elbows 90 degrees so your forearms lie flat on the floor. Brace your abs and hold your body in a straight line for as long as you can.
5. Seven Minutes in Heck
ShutterstockUse a timer and spend one minute performing each exercise. Do as many reps as you can in that time, resting as needed. Every time one minute is up, go on to the next exercise, no matter how little rest you’ve had. For the plank and side planks, hold the positions for one minute each, or as long as you can. Each time you repeat the workout, try to perform more reps for each exercise.
Push-up Walkout
Get into push-up position, bracing your abs and holding your body straight. From there, walk your hands forward until you feel your lower back is about to sag. Walk your hands back and repeat.
Leg Raise
Lie on the floor on your back and reach back to grab a chair, bench, or partner’s legs for support. Keeping your legs straight, raise your legs up in the air until they’re vertical. Lower them back down but stop an inch above the floor.
Reaching Crunch
Lie on the floor on your back and bend your knees 90 degrees so your feet are flat on the floor. Reach your arms overhead. Raise your torso until your shoulder blades are off the floor.
Flutter Kick
Lie on the floor on your back with your legs straight and your arms by your sides. Contract your abs and raise your legs off the floor a few inches. Rapidly kick your legs up and down in a scissor-like motion.=
Plank
Get into push-up position and then bend your elbows 90 degrees so your forearms lie flat on the floor. Brace your abs and hold your body in a straight line for as long as you can.
Side Plank (left)
Lie on your left side, resting your left forearm on the floor for support. Raise your hips up so that your body forms a straight line and brace your abs—your weight should be on your left forearm and the edge of your left foot. Hold the position for as long as you can.
Side Plank (right)
Perform the side plank as described above, but on your right side.
6. Up and Down, Side to Side
ShutterstockAlternate sets of the body saw and windshield wiper, resting 30 seconds after the body saw and 60 seconds after the windshield wiper. Perform 3 sets for each. Resist the urge to chant “Wax on, wax off!”
Body Saw
Sets: 3 Reps 10–15 Rest: 30 sec
Get into push-up position and bend your elbows 90 degrees so your forearms are flat on the floor. Rest your feet on furniture sliders (available at any home improvement store), a towel (if you’re on a waxed or smooth tiled floor), or paper plates. Keeping your abs braced, slide your body backward by pushing your forearms into the floor. Go as far as you can without your hips sagging. Then pull yourself forward as far as you can. That’s one rep.
Windshield Wiper
Sets: 3 Reps: 8–10 Rest: 60 sec
Lie on your back on the floor with arms out 90 degrees to your sides. Raise your legs so they’re straight and vertical. Twist your hips and lower your legs to your left side, but don’t touch the floor. Repeat on the right side. That’s one rep.
7. Unstable Ground
ShutterstockPerform the exercises as a circuit. Complete as many reps as you can for one move in thirty seconds, and then move on to the next exercise. Rest forty-five to sixty seconds after the circuit, and repeat for three total circuits.
Single-Leg Ball Toss
Stand on one leg holding a medicine ball, soccer ball, or other light ball overhead with the opposite side’s hand. Brace your abs. Lightly toss the ball up in the air and catch it with the other hand while maintaining your balance. Toss it back. Each toss is one rep. Continue balancing on the same leg until fatigued, then switch legs as needed.
Reverse Chop
Get into a staggered stance and bend forward at the hips, holding a medicine ball to the outside of your front knee. Explosively swing the ball back and over the opposite shoulder (but don’t let go). Your abs will have to work to slow your arms down. Perform reps for 15 seconds on one side and then switch legs and do 15 seconds on the other side.
Russian Twist
Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the floor in front of you. Extend your arms, holding the ball in front of your chest. Explosively twist your body to one side as far as you can and then twist to the other side.
