Sculpt sexy abs, shoulders and glutes with this 7 minute plank challenge that you can add onto any workout.
Tone Your Core With this 7 Minute Plank Challenge
Forget crunches, if you want six-pack abs get to planking.
Not only will you slim your waistline and strengthen your core, but you’ll fire up every muscle in your body to burn more calories.
I love planking so much that I start every barre class I teach with a 4-minute plank sequence.
Now that’s a solid warm up.
Seriously, give it a try.
Crank up Ben Rector’s Brand New or one of my other favorite jams and turn these 12 plank variations into a solid 7 minute plank routine that you can add onto any workout.
You can start your workout with this 7 minute plank to get the blood pumping and wake up your muscles.
Or you can finish your workout with this routine to really tax every muscle in your body to fatigue and failure.
Talk about using your body as your ultimate piece of workout equipment.
ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH TO COMPLETE THE 7 MINUTE PLANK CHALLENGE?
TEST YOUR CORE STRENGTH.
7 Minutes doesn’t sound like much time, but try it out.
You’ll see that it’s actually quite long and tiring.
For some reason, while doing the 7-minute plank challenge, minutes aren’t passing as quickly as they usually do.
Can you relate? =)
This challenge doesn’t require any equipment or weights!
Foods to Eat After an Ab Workout
Everyone wants “Six Pack Abs.
” While it’s not always easy to get strong, sexy abdominal muscles, you can find your inner six-pack, or at least a stronger, flatter midsection, when you combine healthy eating, with a solid fitness routine that includes endurance, strength, and specific exercises for your abs and core.
Eating the right foods in the right proportions after your ab workout will help build lean muscle and allow you to recover more quickly.
Plan to eat your post-workout meal within one hour of exercising if you didn’t eat much before your workout and no more than two hours later if you had a hearty pre-workout feast.
The ideal post-workout meal supplies a man with 40 to 60 grams of protein, or approximately two palm-sized servings, and a woman with 20 to 30 grams from a single palm-sized serving.
Good choices include a smoothie containing low- or nonfat milk and protein powder; lean cuts of beef or pork; skinless poultry; tofu; beans and legumes; or eggs and egg substitutes.
Avoid fatty cuts of meat like regular ground beef and opt for grilling, roasting or broiling over frying.
The carbohydrates in your post-workout meal will help rebuild glycogen stores you depleted while exercising.
Go for fresh fruits and vegetables, low or nonfat dairy products and whole grains like brown rice, oatmeal, barley, quinoa, whole-wheat bread or whole-grain pasta.
If you’re a man, aim to consume two total servings of grains or fruits, such as 1 cup of cooked brown rice and 1 cup of fresh blueberries, along with two servings of vegetables such as steamed or stir-fried broccoli, carrots, onions and bell peppers.
Women should have one serving each of vegetables and carbohydrate-rich foods.
While a balanced post-workout meal shouldn’t contain too much fat, a moderate amount of mono- and polyunsaturated choices is necessary for you to better absorb fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins A, E and K from your food.
Cook your vegetables in olive oil or have a salad drizzled with an olive oil-based vinaigrette.
Tuck slices of ripe avocado into a whole-wheat sandwich or vegetable omelet.
Grill fatty fish like salmon or tuna, spread celery sticks or apple slices with sugar-free nut butter or simply eat a handful of nuts.
Steer clear of butter, lard, full-fat dairy products and processed foods containing trans fats.
Drink plenty of water after working out your abs.
If you don’t, you’ll be more likely to become dehydrated and go into your next round of exercise without having consumed enough fluids.
Doing this may inhibit your performance and the rate at which you see progress.
Consume at least 2 cups of fluid with your post-workout meal and more if you’ve exercised hard enough to lose several pounds from sweat.
Keep drinking water throughout the remainder of the day.