Focus T25 Day 4: Ab Intervals

It's day 4 and today is all about the abs.  Shaun T loves to work the abs and so do I!  This is a trouble area for me, so any workout that includes ab moves is a good one in my book.  Let's get right to it!

Workout:  Ab Intervals
Time:  25 minutes with a 2 1/2 minute cooldown
Equipment:  mat* (optional, but I do suggest something if you're working out on a hard surface because we will be on the floor the majority of the time)

The workout goes like this:  there is a "warm-up," then a set of ab exercises followed by a cardio interval, and then it repeats that pattern.  Even during the cardio work, you are reminded to keep your core tight and all of the moves work the abs in some way (knees above waist, abs tight).

Warm-Up:

• Child's Pose to Plank 
• Downward Dog to Plank
• Downward Dog to Spider Lunge (downward dog and then bring the right foot up to your right hand in plank position, back to downward dog, repeat on other side)
• Downward Dog with Oblique Knee (downward dog and then bring your right knee into your right elbow in plank position, back to downward dog, repeat on the other side)

Interval 1:

• Low Plank Hold (on the forearms, hold in plank)
• Side Plank Hold-L (on your elbow, other hand on the hip, squeeze your obliques)
• V Sit Arms Down (arms by your sides, keep your legs straight up in the air so your body is in a "v" position)
• Side Plank Hip Up-L (in side plank position, drop your hip to the ground and then squeeze to lift back up)
• Low Plank Pulse (yowza!  in plank position, contract your abs and tilt your pelvis forward, then back into plank position--this is a small movement, but you will feel this!)
• Side Plank Hold-R (same as above but the opposite side)
• V Sit Arms Up (same as above but your arms are up by your ears)
• Side Plank Hip Up-R (same as above but on the other side)

Cardio Interval:  Alternating Knee Slow (standing, lift the right and left leg slowly, making sure to keep your knees above your waist)

Interval 2:

• Alternating Straight Leg Lift (on your back, hands behind your head with shoulders off the floor, lift the right leg and then left with heels touching the floor)
• Same Arm Same Leg-R (one leg stays on the ground, the other leg moves up and down with the same arm coming up to meet the toe at the top)
• Same Arm Same Leg-L (repeat on other side)
• Both Arms Both Legs (you got it, both legs go up, both hands go up to meet your toes)

Cardio Interval:  T Shuffle (sprint up, sprint back, hips side to side, repeat)

Interval 3:

• Scissor Legs Heels Up (switch legs up and down, keeping your heels off the floor)
• Leg Lift Heels Up-L (lift the left leg and bring the left arm to keep your toes, keeping your leg off the floor when you return to the floor)
• Leg Lift Heels Up-R (same as above but switch sides)
• Both Leg Lift Heels Up (you knew it was coming...both legs up to meet both hands, keeping shoulders and heels off the ground when you go down)

Cardio Interval:  Hop Hop Squat (we've done this before:  do two hops to the left and go into a squat, keeping the core tight, then go to the other side)

Interval 4: 

• Alternating Heel Tap Slow (in a seated position with hands by your sides, bring your right heel in with your left leg straight, then switch legs)
• Both Heels Tap Slow (in the same seated position, bring both heels in to tap the ground, then back out and tap)
• Both Legs Straight Lift (keep your legs straight and hands down, lift your legs, keeping your heels flexed)
• Alternating Single Leg Hold (bend the back knee and bring your front leg up in line with your knee, switch legs)

Cardio Interval:  Sprint Turn Squat Center (we've done this before, too:  sprint, turn to the left, turn center and go into a squat, turn right and sprint; Shaun even invites you to hold your core and then punch yourself in the stomach here to make sure your abs are engaged)

Interval 5: 

• Alternating Heel Tap Fast (same as above, but this time keep your opposite heel off the ground and move the legs in and out faster)
• Both Heels Tap 6" Hold (bring your heels in and when they go out, keep them off the ground in a hold)
• Alternating Single Leg Hold (same as before, but this time you are going to lift the leg that is straight up and down, alternating legs)

Cardio Interval:  Speed Knee Kick-L then R (keep your left knee bent up to your waist and "kick" your foot out as fast as you can keeping your knee high, repeat on opposite leg; your hip flexors should be burning here and probably your calves, too!)

Interval 6:  This is probably my favorite interval.  I love to work the back and as Shaun T says, a lot of people forget or don't realize that the core is not just the front of the abs, but the back, too.  The best way to get a strong core is to work the abs and the back.

• Superman (lying on your stomach, arms out straight by your ears, feet and knees off the ground)
• Lat Pull Down (stay in the same position, but squeeze your arms down and contract your back muscles like you're doing a pull with one of those bars at the gym--I love this one!)
• Straight Arm Fly (arms are straight now, bring them back with your palms down over the backs of your legs and then return to by your ears)
• Rocketman (arms out straight behind you and lift up your chest) 

Cardio Interval:  Lateral Mountain Climber Slow (alternate lifting knees and arms, moving side to side, at a slow and controlled pace)

Interval 7: 

• Plank Toe Tap (in a low plank position, tap the right toe in, return to plank, then tap the left toe and repeat)
• Plank In and Out (in the low plank position, tap the right toe in, then left toe, then back to plank and repeat)
• In and Out V Up (in the same position, bring the right toe in, then the left, go up into a v position by pushing your hips up the ceiling, then back down and in and out with the feet)
• V Up (same as before, but this time the feet do not go out--I had to drop to my knees for a few seconds on this one!)

Cardio Interval:  Sprint Table Top (sprint and then arms up overhead, balance on your left leg and fold forward, back to spring and repeat on right side)

• In and Out Ab Pyramid (down into plank, one in and out ab, back to standing; repeat next time doing 2 in and outs, then 3, all the way to 7)

• High Knee Jog (Shaun reminds you to still keep your knees up)
• Slow Control Jog

Cool down:  My DVD actually stopped working here for some reason, so I did my own stretch, but I would imagine that it is similar to the others with focus on the legs, back, and abs.

I LOVE this workout!  It would be a boring (and probably impossible) 25 minutes if we just did core work the whole time.  I love Shaun's variety of moves and that he breaks up the concentrated floor work with cardio moves that still work the core.  He also uses a lot of different moves that you may not have done before, which I really like.  I definitely was challenged today and felt it in my abs with every single move.  I couldn't remember what this workout was like before I started the program, but with "ab" in the title, I figured it would be a good idea to not schedule a separate ab workout for yesterday or tomorrow.  Good thing I didn't, because I would have been dead today!  I will definitely be feeling this tomorrow.  Fun, challenging, workout!