360-Degree Core Ladder Workout - Oxygen Magazine


Whether your goal is to lose weight or get shredded, everything begins and ends with your core. “This workout incorporates all the abdominal muscles and works to strengthen your midsection, improving performance,” says Ruben Belliard, CPT, group fitness instructor, weight management specialist and youth performance specialist at The Training Lab in New York City.

This program, designed by Belliard, follows a descending ladder scheme. “Ladder workouts allow you to increase your overall training volume while maintaining proper form and technique,” Belliard says. For all moves, Belliard gives this tip: “Imagine you are about to get punched in the stomach and notice what muscles you contract 360 degrees around to brace your core. Now hold that contraction throughout the exercise as you breathe to create stability in your trunk and reduce the risk of injury.”

Instructions

  • Do these four moves in order for a total of five rounds.
  • With each round, do fewer and fewer reps, starting with 20 each move, then 16, 12, 8 and 4.
  • Rest 30 seconds between moves and 30 to 60 seconds between rounds.

Dumbbell Sitting Cross Jab

Dumbbell Sitting Cross Jab

Focus: Abdominals, obliques

Sit with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and hold a dumbbell in each hand at your chest, palms facing inward. Incline backward slightly with your torso, spine straight, and pick your feet up so your shins are parallel to the floor. Hold your legs here as you alternately punch your hands straight across your body to the outside of your opposite knee. A punch with each hand counts as one rep.





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