The ManicaPost
WHATEVER you are searching for, whether it is ‘waist exercises’, ‘exercises for smaller waist’, or ‘exercises for your waist’, you have come to the right place.
Working on your core muscles (which knit together to create your waist) is one of the most important things you can do, with benefits reaching far beyond a slinky silhouette.
A strong core helps you lift, carry, stand, sit, run and jump.
The benefit of functional exercises extend way beyond your time in the gym.
Lifting weighty shopping bags, a small toddler or beloved pup?
You are using your core.
Squatting down to lift a heavy box or sofa?
You guessed it, your core comes into helping you do that too.
Making sure you are strengthening the muscles that work overtime, helping you complete work-outs and daily life, is never a bad thing.
And who are we to complain if they double up as waist exercises?
When it comes to waist qualms, this is one of the most frequently reported.
But, one thing to get straight from the start is that fact that fat loss, the process of retaining muscle but losing excess fat, does not work through spot-reduction.
Basically, you can’t choose where you lose fat from.
What you can do, is make sure that you are eating a nutrient dense diet that is suited to your goals, at the same time regularly exercising, mixing up strength training, weightlifting and cardio.
Side plank
Lean on the right side of your body in a straight line from your head to your feet, with your arm bent and your elbow directly beneath your shoulders.
Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the left.
Russian twists
Lie on your back, knees raised and bent at 45 degrees with feet hovering just off the floor and both hands holding the weight above your chest.
Use your abs to raise your torso to a 45 degrees angle with the floor.
Slowly twist your torso to the right side, keeping your arms straight and raised.
Pause and then reverse the twist to repeat on the left side.
That is one rep.
Alternating bird dog
Get into a tabletop position on the floor on your hands and knees, tuck your bum under and engage your core.
Raise your right arm until it’s next to your ear while simultaneously lifting your left leg until it is parallel with the floor.
Return to the starting position and repeat with the left arm and right leg.
That’s one rep.
Keeping your core tight will stop you falling to one side.
Bicycle crunch
Lie down with your head and shoulders raised, hands behind your head and legs in tabletop position.
Bring your right elbow to meet left knee while straightening your right leg at 45-degree angle.
Single knee crunch with twist
Start lying on your back, with one leg bent and the other straight out, and your fingers by you temples.
Crunch up from your core (don’t strain your neck forward or up) at the same time as twisting towards the bent knee, at a 45 degree angle.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
Plank hip dips
Start in forearm plank position.
Lower your left hip to the floor, twisting your torso but keeping upper arms and shoulders stable.
From the left hand side, reverse the move to drop your right hip down to the right hand side.
Keep your body moving as your drop from side to side but make sure to stay engaged in the core.
Thread the needle
Lie in a side plank position with your arm extended to the ceiling.
Lower your arm, ‘threading’ through below your hip and extend back up. Keep your hips up and high!
T-bar rotations
Start in high plank position, with shoulders over wrists and one straight, engaged line from your head to your toes.
Lifting your left hand from the mat, open up to a side plank position.
Lower your hand back to the mat and repeat on the other side.
Shoulder taps
Start in high plank position, with shoulders over wrists and one straight, engaged line from your head to your toes.
Lift your right hand up and tap your left shoulder – try not to let your hips or core move as you do so.
Return your hand to the mat and repeat on the other side.
Superman
Lie on your stomach with your arms (overhead) and legs fully extended while keeping your head relaxed and spine neutral by looking at the floor in front of you instead of up.
Contract your core muscles to stabilise your spine, while simultaneously raising both your legs and arms a few inches off the ground, keeping your head and neck neutral.
Hold at top for three to five seconds.
Gently lower yourself back to the starting position and repeat. — www.womenshealthmag.com
