Core-Slash-Ab Exercises

If you don't read the title and giggle, it's because your husband and his best (dude) friend don't do P90X ab ripper and make jokes about it all the time.

I'm going to tell you what core exercises I'm doing this week.  The piddly little ones GD gave me, and the ones C.C. also showed me.  I should make a video of me doing them, but there would be too much hot pink/lime green/spandex, and I would be laughing the entire time.

1) bridges
On back, knees bent, feet on floor.  Lift hips to make straight line from knees to shoulders.

2) mini-crunches
On back, knees bent, feet on floor.  Mini crunch.

3) leg lifts
On back, hands under tailbone.  Lift straight legs.

4) v-ups
Mini-crunch and leg lift at the same time.  The guy in the video goes a lot higher than what I can.

5) mini-back extensions
Lie on belly.  Lift chest off ground.

6) mini-reverse back extensions
Lie on belly.  Lift legs off ground.

7) mini superman lifts
Lie on belly.  Lift chest and legs off ground.

8) donkey pee
On all fours.  Donkey kick a leg behind you (knee bent, thigh parallel to floor, foot parallel to ceiling).  From there, move leg out to side like a dog peeing.  Put that leg down and do the other side.  Donkey kick + dog pee = donkey pee.  This is from C.C., so blame him for the name.

9) booty shaker
C.C. called this the tail wagger or something like that.  On all fours, scrunch your side and pull your butt and head toward each other.  It helps to look for your butt over your shoulder.  Then look at the other side.

Oh, and in all of the exercises, you have to keep your core tight.  Not like you are straining or anything, but not sagging around everywhere.  Sometimes I forget on the last 2.

I've been doing 20 of each exercise, one set in the morning and one at night.  Some of them hurt me more than others, so I rest during those sets (mostly just reverse back extension and superman).  I'll be able to do 4 or 5 reps, then get a spasm, shriek a little, and have to rest for a bit before doing 4 or 5 more.  Hey, it's better than when I started out a few days ago and could only do 3 at a time.  As they get easier, I can increase the range of motion and then add the swiss ball to increase difficulty.  Right now I'm working on being gentle.  grrr.