Spring Break is 12 days, or 288 hours, or 17,280 minutes away, but who’s counting anyway? A lot of you may be taking this opportunity to escape the tundra that we call HWS and jet off to somewhere where you won’t find yourself saying “20°??? Its finally spring!” If this is the case, you may have to expose yourself on a beach sooner than you’d like.
We’ve all suffered through this long winter together. We are all far paler than we ever thought would be possible and let’s be honest, we’ve probably packed on a couple extra pounds to keep ourselves warm. If this is the case, have no fear! Take the trek down to Bristol Field House and try out these exercises that will help minimize your muffin-top and get you feeling a bit more confident about yourself come Spring Break.
1. Abs and Oblique Side Crunch
This alternative take on a crunch is a great way to burn stomach fat quickly and easily. All you’ll need is a yoga mat and a medicine ball, which can both be found at Bristol. Start by balancing yourself so your thighs and your torso form a V shape, then cross your ankles for extra balance and start swiveling from your right to left while bringing the medicine ball across your torso.
2. Donkey Kickbacks
Although you may feel ridiculous while doing this, this exercise is great for burning calories while simultaneously strengthening your core muscles. Start by kneeling on all fours with your toes tucked under, then lift your knees an inch or two off the ground and bring one knee up towards your nose, next kick that same leg straight back and tense your butt muscles. Repeat this about ten times on the same leg and then switch.
3. Diagonal Crunch
This crunch helps to target your side abdominal muscles to help give your stomach a fully toned look. Start by laying flat on the ground, then keeping one leg straight, angle your leg diagonally in relation to your torso. Next, take your other leg and bend your knee and cross it over the leg that is at a diagonal. Once in position, start your crunches like normal. After you’ve completed your reps for one side, position your legs the same way on the opposite side of your body and complete the same amount of reps again.
4. Plank
Planks are pretty well known, and not for a good reason. Planks are painful. However, if you can get yourself to suffer through them, they do wonders to not only your core, but also your abs, butt, and thighs. Place your elbows on the mat at a ninety-degree angle, then lift your body and tuck your toes under your feet. Make sure that your body stays straight, and that you don’t let your hips fall too low, or hold your butt up too high. Once you are in position, hold for a minute or two and then release, repeat this as many times as you wish.
5. Elevated Leg Circles
This exercise works to tone not only your core, but also your inner thighs, outer hips, and butt! Start by lying on your back with your arms flat at your sides, lift one leg about 5 inches off the ground while lifting your other leg straight up and perpendicular. If you aren’t flexible enough to lift your leg to a 90 degree angle, then keep it at about 45 degrees. Once you are steady, start to circle the leg that is in the air in small circles that are about the size of a softball. Circle your leg clockwise 5 times and then counter-clockwise 5 times, then switch legs.
In the next twelve days try and dedicate as much time as you can to completing some, if not all of these exercises. If you’re feeling ambitious incorporate some cardio into your workout, this will help you burn more calories and work to tone your entire body.
Bristol Field House is open 7 days a week, so there are no excuses to not make it to the gym! Here are the hours so you can plan your workouts:
Monday-Thursday: 6 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Friday: 6 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Good Luck!