- It's everyone's favorite, abs day.

Today, we'll activate deep core muscles and condition them.

Hopefully, you'll even be a little sore tomorrow, which will work to remind you to hold them in and stand taller.

Clear a spot on the floor and we'll get started.

[bright music] Remember, if you're not comfortable on your back, use a pillow or a wedge like this to support your head and neck.

All right, let's sit with our knees bent.

And we'll just start with some simple rollbacks, but don't go all the way to the floor, okay?

Tuck that tailbone under.

And if that doesn't make sense, think of your hip bones.

Move them back towards the floor.

So you get this nice curve, and then stop at the point where you think you're going to lose it and go all the way to the floor.

Just hold it here and check to make sure you're pulling your abdominals in instead of pushing them out, okay?

Just hold it here.

You can take a little pressure off if you need to, take an inhale, exhale, squeeze your bottom to help you keep that pelvis in the best position for you to activate your abdominals.

We're gonna hold it a little longer.

[inhales] Little pulses, okay?

Back and up, back and up.

Squeeze your hind end, pull in your abs.

Lean it back and lift, back and lift.

[inhales and exhales] If your abdominals are starting to shake, that's okay.

Hang in there; now, we'll hold it here.

Squeeze and twist, twist.

Now, as we twist, you're trying to twist through the shoulders, not just moving the arms, okay?

Twist through the shoulders.

If you need to take a break, that's okay.

Count to three and then join us again.

Three seconds is enough.

[inhales and exhales] All right, keep it going.

Five, four, three, two, and one.

Slowly as you can, control every centimeter.

Roll it back to the floor, excellent.

Okay, for this next move, start with your legs bent.

And I'd like you to extend your right arm up off of the floor.

So it's extended, but it's not resting on the floor.

And now, squeeze your bottom to get the low back onto the floor.

And the left foot is gonna lift just about four inches or so off the floor, and then press towards the floor without resting on the floor.

So it's a lift and press, a very small, intentional move.

And every time, you can feel your abdominals engaging.

So squeeze the bottom, press the foot.

Lift and press, lift and press.

Let's do about five more.

This cross body movement is great for activating those deep core muscles like your psoas.

[inhales and exhales] Okay, and we'll switch sides.

So extend the left arm.

And as you can see, it's not resting on the floor, just a little above it.

Get that low back on the floor, lift and press that foot.

[inhales and exhales] Take a few deep inhales and exhales.

Squeeze your bottom and press, press for five, four, three, two, and done.

Now for this next one, we're still going to practice pressing the low back into the floor.

And as you do that, the top of your pelvis is moving towards the floor, which means the bottom of your pelvis is tipping up.

This is great for activating those lower abdominals.

You can push your fingers into the lower abdominal area between your hip bones and you can feel them activating.

I have people ask me often if they're doing the move right, and they can't really tell 'cause they don't feel their muscles engage.

So by putting your fingers there, kind of helps the brain confirm that they're doing it right.

All right, let's add some windshield wipers to this move.

So you'll go over to the side, then do that hip lift again and over the other way, hip lift and over, hip lift and over.

Keep it going.

[inhales and exhales] And press the back into the floor, press it.

Let's do about eight, seven, six and try not to just throw the legs around.

Be intentional.

Lost count, let's do about ten more.

No, I'm kidding.

Just two and one, good job.

Feet on the floor.

Put your hands behind your head and press the ribs down and exhale.

Okay, lay back.

Again, press the ribs down.

Hands are lightly supporting your head, elbows are wide, and press that low back as well into the floor by just pushing your feet into the floor.

Good, so ribs down, low back in contact with the floor and a little lift through your upper torso.

And do your best to make sure your abs are pushing down and not poking up towards the ceiling, okay?

Lift, lift.

[inhales and exhales] Five, four, three, two, and rest the head and neck and extend those legs up in the air.

And now, reach the left hand and keep it going, reach and rest.

You can support your head with your other arm, fingers softly behind the head, not pulling, and reach, shoulder down.

Reach, relax, pulling in those abs.

Five, four, three, two.

Last one, switching sides, support your head, and reach.

Good, try not to pull on your head, support the neck, keep that elbow wide, lay it back.

Extend, [inhales] exhale.

[exhales] Pull the abs in, four, three, two.

Last one, good job.

All right, let's put your feet back on the floor and extend one leg about what?

Three or four inches off the floor.

Get that low back once again pressed into the floor by squeezing your hind end, and let's start by presses.

Little presses, imagine you're pushing your heel down into a balloon.

So there's a little resistance, press, press.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four.

Make sure your abs are pulled in and now lift.

You can feel your abs engage.

Lift, lift.

Go nice and controlled with every one.

We're not just throwing the leg around, and we're not letting gravity lower the leg.

Everything is tight and controlled.

Lift, lift, little circles.

They're small, controlled.

We've got the whole leg nice and tight.

Is your back still in contact with the floor?

Reverse, reverse.

Good, let's do the other leg.

Extend.

[exhales] Make sure everything's right, back's on the floor.

Do your presses, press, press and maybe you feel you have more control with one leg than the other.

I do; press, press.

[inhales and exhales] You can also press your other non-moving foot into the floor.

Give you a little more leverage, press.

Five, four, three, two, one, and lift.

Don't forget to breathe, don't hold your breath.

Lift, flex that foot, and circle.

Let's do eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, reverse.

Good job.

Small and controlled.

Go as slow as you need to to have a nice, controlled circle.

Okay, we're not throwing the leg around.

Five, four, three, two, and done, good.

You can feel that in your quads.

All right, kick up to a seated position and grab a pillow.

It might make this move more comfortable.

You might not need it, but I'm going to use it because it kind of, you can feel your hips, hip bones going into the floor if you don't have a cushy enough rug.

All right, and then lay on your side, okay.

And we're going to lift both legs up at the same time.

And if you can control it, lift the upper body too.

So we're over and up, over and up.

[inhales and exhales] Good, let's do about eight more.

Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and switch sides.

Good job, guys.

We have to work all our abs, front, back, and sides.

Okay, get comfortable.

Extend that arm and have your legs off the floor.

All right, lift and down.

[inhales and exhales] Let's do about 10 more, okay?

Nine, eight, seven, six, five.

The goal here is just to squeeze and engage the muscles.

You don't have to get a big movement.

Last one up and that's it.

Good job, everybody.

I hope you could feel those abdominals working.

If you come back to this class a few times a week, just skip a day for recovery.

I'm sure within a week or two, you'll notice that you're stronger and able to get through the class easier.

Log back on to pbswisconsin.org/quickfit for all your favorite classes, and tell a friend so they too can benefit from these easy and effective workouts.

See you soon.

- Announcer: Funding for Quick Fit with Cassy is provided by Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.