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Trying to hit your middle by banging out a bunch of abs-only moves like crunches? HIIT-ing it hard isn’t your only option.
Putting form first means you get the full range of motion to create real change. And according to pilates instructor Leah Simmons, abs are an inside job.
“The focus needs to be on training the entire core so you’re strong from the inside out. By employing specific muscle-isolation exercises alongside dynamic movements, you’ll recruit your whole body.”
The proof is in the pose: pilates hits your core unlike any other workout.
A Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise study found after 36 weeks of pilates training, the women in the study strengthened their rectus abdominis (the muscle responsible for six-packs) by an average of 21 per cent, while eliminating muscle imbalances between the right and left sides of their cores.
Work through these fives moves three days a week and you’ll have a smokin’ hot midsection. Tsss!
