How to get a body like Jennifer Lopez: Abs workout

The Set-Up

• Lie on your back, legs straight and together, hands by your sides.

The Movement 

• Bracing your core and keeping your legs straight, slowly lift them all the way up to the ceiling until your hips come off the floor.
• Slowly lower your legs back down until they are just above the floor. Hold for a moment.
• Repeat.

Trainer Tips 

• In order for the abs to be fully engaged, your lower back should remain in contact with the floor throughout this movement.
• If you are unable to keep your lower back on the floor, this exercise can be regressed by placing your hands underneath your hips, having a slight bend in the knees or reducing the range of motion so that you stop lowering your legs as soon as your lower back starts to lift.
• This exercise can be progressed by performing the exercise on an incline bench, adding weight (ankle weights work well for this) to the legs or performing the exercise whilst hanging from a bar.

The Set-Up

• Sit on the floor with your knees bent towards you and your feet flat on the floor.
• Lean back so that your upper body is at a 45-degree angle to the floor.

 The Movement

• Keeping your back straight and core engaged, link your hands together in front of your chest and raise your legs up off the ground, keeping the knees bent.
• Slowly and with control rotate your arms and twist your torso over to one side, then return to centre and repeat on the other side.

 Trainer Tips

• Perform this exercise very slowly and carefully as exercises which involve twisting the spine can be dangerous if performed incorrectly.
• Do not let the lower back to flex and keep the abs engaged and chest pushed out throughout the movement.
• To regress this exercise, keep the feet on the floor.

The Set-Up

•  Lie on the ground with your legs out straight and arms straight and by your sides.
• This is the start and end position for each rep.

The Movement

•  Keeping your legs straight, engage your core and lift your legs off the ground.  At the same time, lift your torso towards your thighs to form a ‘V’ shape and reach your hands up towards your feet.
• Bring your hands up to meet your feet then slowly lower back to the ground and repeat.

 Trainer Tips

• Avoid relying on momentum to perform the movement and keep your core engaged throughout.   Perform the exercise in a smooth and controlled motion.
• Do not let your lower back arch, if you are unable to keep this flexed you are not engaging your core muscles.
• This exercise can be regressed by performing the V-sit with one leg at a time, or by keeping your knees bent.
• This exercise can be progressed by adding resistance either by holding a weight in your hands or adding weight to your ankles.

The Set-Up 

• Lie down on your back with your arms stretched out overhead and your legs straight and together, toes pointed.

The Movement

• Brace your core and lift your arms and legs off the floor.
• Focus on pressing your lower back into the ground while squeezing your entire abdominal wall.
• Shoulders should be slightly lifted and your ribs are tucked in you are aiming for a banana shape.

Trainer Tips

• Focus on keeping your brace as tight as possible.
• This exercise can be regressed by keeping the arms alongside the body or bending the knees and flexing the hip so that there is a 90-degree angle at both the hips and knee.
• This exercise can be progressed by adding weight to the ankles or hands for added resistance.  Another popular movement for progressing this exercise is to remain in a dish position and slowly rock backwards and forwards whilst maintaining a tight brace.
• Remember to focus on your breathing.

The Set-Up

• Lie on a bench on your back, then reach your arms overhead and hold onto the bench behind you.
• With your legs together, bend your knees and raise them up so that your knees are directly above your hips, focus on pressing your lower back into the bench and engage your abs.
• This is the start and end position for each rep.

The Movement

• Keeping your abs engaged, slowly bring your knees towards you as if you are trying to curl up into a little ball.
• Your knees should be pressed against your chest and the aim is to lift your hips up slightly from the bench.
• Keeping your abs engaged, slowly return to the start position and repeat.

Trainer Tips 

• Concentrate on pressing your lower back into the bench and do not allow your lower back to arch between reps.
• Try and curl up into as small a ball as possible to get your abs into their fully shortened position.
• This exercise can be progressed by extending your legs so that they are stretched out in front of you, by adding resistance to the ankles, or by increasing the incline of the bench.
• Perform the exercise in a slow, controlled manner and avoid using any momentum. Control is key here to ensure you are using your abs throughout the exercise.

The Set-Up 

• Start by lying on your back with your legs out straight, lower back pressed flat into the floor, and your head and shoulders raised slightly above it.
• Place your hands by your ears.
• This is the start and end position for each rep.

The Movement 

• Lift one leg just off the ground straight and bend the knee of the other leg towards your chest.
• At the same time, twist through your core so the opposite arm comes towards the raised knee. You don’t need to touch elbow to knee; instead focus on moving through your core as you turn your torso.
• Slowly return to the start position then repeat on the other side.

Trainer Tips

• Be careful not to yank your head up or use momentum for this exercise. You should be engaging your abs throughout and you should not allow your back to arch.
• Perform this exercise very slowly and carefully, as exercises which involve twisting the spine can be dangerous if performed incorrectly.

The Set-Up

• Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent up and your lower back pressed against the floor.
• Softly place one hand either side of your ears.
• This is the start and end position for each rep.

The Movement

• Engaging your abs slowly, lift your head and shoulders off the floor. Pause at the top and contract the abs hard then slowly return to the start position under control.

Trainer Tips

• Keep the movement slow and controlled and avoid using momentum, which will take the emphasis away from your abs.
• Relax your neck throughout and avoid yanking your head up with your hands.
• Your range of motion should be fairly short and you do not need to come all the way up to a seated position. Just lift the head and shoulders off the floor.

The Set-Up

• Start by lying on your front with your elbows bent at 90 degrees and your forearms resting on the floor. Your legs should be straight out behind you.

The Movement

• Tuck your toes under, engage your abs and lift your hips off the floor so that your body weight is evenly distributed between your forearms and your feet.
• Keep your shoulders directly above your elbows and look at the floor.
• Focus on keeping your abs and glutes squeezed hard throughout so that your body is in a straight line from shoulder to ankle with a neutral spine.

Trainer Tips

• You can increase the intensity of the plank by slowly lifting one leg off the floor, reaching one arm forwards or slowly rocking backwards and forwards on your forearms.
• The plank is harder the closer your feet are together. For increased stability try starting with a slightly wider foot stance and slowly work your feet towards each other as you get stronger.