The Chiseled Six Pack Abs

How many mothers do you know of that have chiseled six pack abs? That population is pretty small. After all, our tummies have housed babies and for some of us, it's multiple babies all at once. After years, it is possible that the abs trim back down, but to actually have six pack abs where the muscles are popping out, is not in the game plan anymore.

This post is from my own experience of trying to find my abs. I work on my abs almost every workout, some days harder than others. I must admit that my core strength is pretty decent but that is only because of the work that I have put in to "finding" them. I feel that my core workout is one to get serious about and implementing it into your workout will help develop and find those muscles that have been missing. 

Get excited and motivated to try these abdominal exercises, and you will find that you will get stronger each time you do them. You only get out, what you put in. Now let's get moving!

Supplies:  Dumbbells, low table

Dumbbell Sit Up with a Twist (4 sets of 10 reps) Using a low table, place straight legs on table. Sit up and twist hand to opposite foot. Repeat on the other side, this counts as one rep.

Ab Bikes (25 per leg) Lying on your back, bring legs in to body like you are riding an upside down bike. Keep abs tight as you perform this exercise.

Dumbbell Straight Leg JackKnife (4 sets of 10 reps) Lying on your back, bring one dumbbell with both hands, and keeping arms straight over your head. With legs straight bring them up to meet your hands with dumbbell. Now, lower both to the ground to complete one rep. If possible, keep head lifted to really feel the abdominal burn. 

Mountain Climbers (20 per leg) In plank position, with hands holding you still, alternate bringing your legs in to your chest. Keep core completely tight as you perform this exercise. 

In Plank position getting ready to do Mountain Climbers, to strengthen the abs. 

HIIT Over Traditional Cardio

In my last post, I touched a bit on HIIT, but I thought why not dedicate a whole blog post to it? It really is that great. High Intense Interval Training or HIIT is definitely an effective and fast way to burn or rather torch the fat. Who has time to dedicate an hour to cardio? I must admit spinning and running have their place, time permitting of course. However, when we are addressing the needs of a mother who is in crunch time mode, the answer is HIIT.

Twenty minutes of explosive moves with rest periods in between are very doable. HIIT can be done pretty much anywhere, where ever there is space for you to move around. HIIT can be done with any sport, like running for instance. You tack on sprints for 30 to 60 seconds then bring your heart rate down with a light jog. Bring your heart rate back up with another round of explosive speed. Hard? Yes, very hard. However, your body will be in burning mode hours after your workout.

I like to do Plyometric HIIT training. I can do this in the comfort of my own home or in the gym. I have seen the most changes in my body (and that’s saying something because I am no spring chicken) by combining HIIT with weightlifting. This makes sense to a woman who is on a mission to get her workout done and see results from her training. This is why it rocks! If you can’t get to the gym, here’s a work out for you. Work it mama!

Supplies: Light Dumbbells, Low Coffee Table or Stepper for Box Jumps, Jump Rope

Fit Tip: In between each set, bring your heart rate down by jogging in place for 30 seconds. Remember, listen to your body! If you can’t get to 20 Burpee Box Jumps or 20 Jump Lunges, cut those numbers in half. Over time as you continue to HIIT, slowly raise those numbers. Now get to it and push yourself.

20 Burpee Box Jumps (Yes, burpee to a box jump. I do these on my low coffee table in my basement, or if in the gym, use a stepper with risers)

20 Push-ups

20 Ab Bikes (per leg)

20 Jump Lunges

20 Mountain Climbers

20 Squat and Press (Bring weight down to sides then as you lift from squat, bring weight overhead)

15 Dumbbell Straight Leg Jackknife (Lying straight on the ground, crunch your body together while keeping legs straight, and bring weight overhead touching feet)

20 Tuck Jumps (Jump up and bring knees to chest and back down, repeat)

20 Decline push ups (Feet up on table)

20 Dumbbell Bent Knee Leg Jackknife (Lying straight on the ground, crunch your body together while bending knees, and bring weight overhead touching knee caps)

100 Rotations with a Jump Rope

*Check out my Instagram account @fitmamaof6 to see some of these moves

Why I will never skip leg day

I have a love/hate relationship with Leg Day. Lifting, sculpting and toning the legs and bootie are all components of a good Leg Day, and it really does scare me to think about the hard work! But when I’m walking out of the gym after Leg Day I feel absolutely amazing (it could also be the endorphins that have kicked in).

During a leg workout, I typically incorporate dead lifts, squats, and lunges. If you’re hitting it hard, a leg workout session can burn 500 to 1,000 calories depending on your intensity.

Want to amp up your Leg Day even more? Try adding 20 minutes of HIIT. I love combining lifting with HIIT because HIIT is a quick and effective form of cardio to start or end Leg Day. I believe any form of lifting should always be coupled with HIIT.

So what exactly is HIIT? HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT is a training technique where you give all-out, one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short recovery periods. Your heart rate stays high and you burn calories faster. On Leg Day, I love doing my HIIT on the stair stepper, typically climbing as fast and hard as I can for one minute, then climbing at a slower pace for one minute.

Being a mother to six children, I often don’t have the time to get a work out done in the gym. On the days when I can’t make it to the gym in the morning (my preferred time to work out is always in the morning), I keep my workouts at home and can easily achieve the same results. There is always a way to make it work!

For you mamas who haven’t done Leg Day in a while, spruce up your routine and use this beginners guide to an easy yet effective Leg Day workout:

Supplies: Weights, Low Coffee Table or Stepper, Jump Rope (Use one of your kids), yoga ball

Warm up: 100 rotations of the Jump rope

Dumbbell Step Ups on a Stepper or low coffee table (Reps: 12, 10, 8)
        Make sure to go heavier with weights as the reps decrease
        Superset: Jump Lunges - 3 sets of 10 per leg
Bulgarian Squats - One leg up on coffee table, other one on the floor in a lunge position. Holding dumbbells, lower towards floor and back up. Make sure to keep that 90 degree angle. (Reps: 12, 10, 8)
        Superset: Dumbbell Walking Lunges (Count up to 30 - repeat twice)
Standing Calf Raise - Place dumbbells on your shoulders and lift up then down.
        (Reps: 12, 10, 8)
        Superset: Jump Sumo Squats (legs are wide and toes are pointed out, and squat)
Reps: 3 sets of 15
Lying Hamstring Curl (Use your yoga ball and place your feet on top, lift up your bootie and tighten, roll ball in to your glutes and then roll back out)
        Reps: 3 sets of 15
        Superset: Tuck Jumps (Jump up and bring knees to chest and back down, this
        counts as one rep)
        Reps: 2 sets of 15