Barlates: Target 15/Standing Abs

I am 5 days post surgery and I have started exercising again. I have the usual limitations–no weights/resistance, no impact and no plank based moves. So I have to be creative to get an effective workout. This morning I did Cathe‘s Low Impact Step Lower Body Blast premix and finished the workout off with this little add on from Linda @ Barlates. Maybe I’m wrong, but I do not consider holding a stability ball “resistance” and I suffered no ill effects afterward. This was a great little standing core finisher. It works your core, your legs and gives you a little bit of mild cardio. Plus, it wasn’t terribly challenging. More of an intermediate level standing core workout.

Target 15: Standing Abs is a core workout that uses a stability ball and a chair. The workout is set up in 1 minute intervals with no breaks between each interval–you just go, go, go. There are 15 exercise intervals.

Target 15: Standing Abs is 16:30 minutes; 1 minute intro

1. Hold stability ball overhead and bring ball down from overhead to side, bringing elbow to hip when lowering it, then arc it back overhead to other side of body
2. Hold ball in front of you and shift ball side to side, every 3rd shift, swing one leg across the other, alternate legs
3. Stand facing forward, holding ball overhead, twist torso to side and hinge torso forward to to side, keeping back flat and legs straight, raise torso back up and face forward again
4. Repeat #3 on other side of body
5. In sumo stance, swing ball side to side 4x, then swing the ball up overhead to one side, lower ball and swing the ball up overhead to the other side
6. Extend one leg out straight in front of you, toe on floor and press ball with same side hand against shin, raise other arm straight overhead, raise leg/ball while also bringing straight arm down to tap ball, lower the leg/ball and raise the arm again and when you raise the ball/leg and lower the arm again, you pulse 2x
7. Set ball aside, stand beside chair back with hand on chair back and other arm is behind head, raise knee closest to chair across body while bringing elbow to knee then raise straight leg while bringing straight arm down to cross the shin then raise knee again but this time opened to side while doing a side bend toward knee and reaching elbow across toward knee
8. Still standing beside chair with hand on chair back, raise knee furthest away from chair and bring same side elbow to knee, pulsing 3x, then extend arm long overhead and leg out straight (foot will not touch the ground, you are holding the chair back for balance)
9. Still standing beside chair with hand on chair back, raise knee to front and bring elbow to knee, pulsing 3x, then extend arm long overhead and extend leg straight in front of you with toe pointed
10. In wide plie squat with hands raised to sides in goal post, bring one elbow down to thigh and pulse 3x, raise arm back to goal post then lower elbow down to thigh once
11. Repeat #6-10 on other side of bod

For more info on Barlates and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.