The season of change is just a spring away, which means those dreams about having toned abs need to become a reality. To get the fittest abs in the fastest amount of time, look no further than the workouts of beach volleyball players – the ones who are constantly showing off their sports skills and bodies.
Fitness expert and NYC physical therapist Karena Wu, owner of ActiveCare Physical Therapy, is now preparing pro volleyball players for their upcoming spring competitions. To help you get their abs, she is sharing her top 5 workouts to beach volleyball abs.
Get to work with these:
1. The Roll Up
Works all 4 abdominal muscles at once
Assists with segmental mobility and stability of the core.
Steps:
♦ Lie on your back with arms overhead.
♦Bring the arms forward until they are above your head (fingertips pointing to the ceiling).
♦ Lift the head and together with the arms roll your spine up one vertebra at a time, keeping your navel pulled into your spine.
♦ Roll up completely until you are bending forward reaching toward your toes.
♦ To return, stack your vertebra one at a time, until you are sitting erect and then slowly roll down starting from the sacrum (pelvic tilt backwards to touch sacrum down first) one vertebra at a time until you are lying flat on your back again with arms overhead.
♦Repeat up 10 times.
2. Plank with Pelvic Rotation
Works all 4 abdominal muscles with emphasis on obliques
Assists with rotatory movements during digging, reaching, 1 arm blocks, spiking
Steps:
♦ Lie face down on the floor with elbows propped under the shoulders (sphinx position).
♦ Pull navel into spine and lift the rest of the body up so you are resting on your elbows and toes.
♦ Push back through the heels to activate the legs and keep the navel into the spine throughout.
♦ Lower right hip down to ground approximately 1-2 inches by rotating in the lumbar spine, then repeat on the opposite side.
♦Repeat 20 times each side.
3. Bicycle
Works all 4 abdominal muscles
Assists with digging, reaching for ball on an angle, spiking.
Steps:
♦ Lie on your back with knees bent, feet on the floor.
♦ Clasp hands behind your head, elbows out to the side.
♦ Bring both knees up into table top position (hips and knees bent to 90 degrees).
♦ Bring head and shoulders up and rotate right elbow to left knee while right leg extends out straight. Repeat on opposite side.
♦ Repeat 10 times slow each side, 10 times fast each side.
4. Pike
Works all 4 abdominals
Assists with spiking the ball.
Steps:
♦Lie on your back with arms overhead.
♦ Pull navel into the spine and at the same time, lift arms and legs straight up into the air to touch.
♦ Try to keep your back flat and not rounded.
♦ Repeat up to 10 times.
5. Double Leg Raise, Scissors
Works lower abdominals
Assists with running in the sand and powering the legs.
Steps:
♦ Lie on your back with arms at your side.
♦ Pull navel into the spine.
♦ Lift both legs up at once until they are perpendicular to the floor.
♦ Slowly lower back down. Do not let back arch up off the floor.
♦ Add a scissor kick vertically and horizontally up to a few inches (legs stay straight and move up and down or side to side and crisscross each other).
♦Repeat up to 20 times.
Enjoy these mini workouts
Dedicated to your health
Zuzana & Nikki
