STS 2.0: Abs/Core Workouts

These workouts are part of Cathe Friedrich‘s STS 2.0 program which contains 26 workouts. I am doing the 12 week STS 2.0 rotation.These workouts are not included in any of the rotations but in her the STS 2.0 Users Guide she recommends doing one a week and fitting them in wherever works best for you. Abs/Core contains 4 core focused workouts that vary in level and intensity. I really enjoyed the 2 standing abs workouts. I did them together, starting with the Metabolic Core Warm Up and ending with Core Plus Floor. They were very enjoyable, get your heart rate elevated and work your core nicely. Plus, I really like standing and weighted core work in general. They are the easiest of the 4 workouts. Mini Ball Abs and No Equipment Abs are the most advanced of the 4. Since I do not normally enjoy core work, they were not my favorite. They actually burned while doing them, so no fun! But very effective. I have to add the disclaimer that it has been a long time (a year or more?) since I have done one of Cathe’s core workouts but these do not seem as advanced or difficult as what I remember. Cathe doesn’t rep you out in these workouts so, for me, even when it started to really burn, she gives you a quick break before moving on to the next exercise. I seem to remember that with a lot of Cathe’s older core workouts I had to take breaks in the midst of the exercise because she would do 16 or 24 or more reps of an exercise. So I did like that about these workouts. None of them were “killer” but they all do a great job.

Standing Abs: Metabolic Core Warm Up is 10:44 minutes; 50 second warm up and 35 second stretch. Equipment: one 5 pound barbell plate and one 10 pound barbell plate. One of the background exercisers uses dumbbells instead of plates. This was a very enjoyable core workout. As the title indicates, you are standing for the entire segment. Though your heart rate will get elevated, Cathe does not rep you out on any of the exercises so my heart rate never got super elevated.

1. Oblique knee pull (5# plate) (hold plate in both hands at chin level, do knee raises while rotating plate toward knee when it raises) 8 reps each leg then flip the plate so it is held at a different angle and repeat
2. Oblique twist (5# plate) (hold plate in both hands, keeping hips facing forward, twist plate side to side; add a knee raise every 3rd twist, alternating knees)
3. Figure 8 (5# plate) (hold plate in both hands, keeping hips facing forward, draw a figure 8 pattern with plate)
4. Tap and rotate (5# plate) (still holding plate in both hands, extend arms straight in front of you at shoulder level, rotate plate to side, turning hips with it and pivoting slightly, rotate side to side keeping arms extended and straight)
5. Diagonal wood chops (5# plate) (holding one plate in both hands, legs are wider than hip width, lower plate between legs while squatting slightly then raise plate overhead and to the side on a diagonal, alternate sides)
6. Squat press squat deadlift (10# plate) (hold plate in both hands, squat and when you stand push plate overhead, squat again and when you stand, hinge forward into a deadlift reaching plate toward floor)
7. Overhead side bends (5# plate) (hold plate in both hands, extend both arms straight overhead, do alternating side bends)
8. Attack it (5# plate) (hold plate in both hands, extend plate overhead with arms straight then bring it down between legs with force while squatting, swing back overhead while straightening)
9. Side lunge halo circle (10# plate) (hold plate in both hands in front of thighs, do a shallow side lunge while swinging plate to side and when you return to standing, halo plate around head, alternate sides)
10. Rear lunge oblique rotation (10# plate) (hold plate in both hands, step back into reverse lunge and hold, rotate plate to side (same side as front leg), alternate legs)
11. Side bends (10# plate) (hold plate at side in one hand, other hand is behind head, do side bend, lowering elbow toward floor, 10 reps each side)

Standing Abs: Core Plus Floor is 16:40 minutes. Equipment: 10 pound barbell plate, sliding devices and fitness mat. One of the background exercises uses a dumbbell instead of a plate. This workout is a little more advanced than Standing Abs: Metabolic Core Warm Up. It contains a few of the same exercises but this workout makes the exercises more challenging and advanced by adding sliding devices and using a heavier barbell plate. I really enjoyed this workout and felt it worked my core nicely. Cathe never reps you out with any of the exercises so I never felt like I couldn’t eke out another rep.

1. Sliding rear lunge with rotation (hold plate in both hands, stand with toes on sliding devices, slide one leg back into lunge and hold, twist plate to side toward front leg, alternate sides)
2. Sliding rear lunge plate pass (hold plate in both hands, stand with toes on sliding devices, lower into a partial squat, slide one foot back while pushing plate in front of you, alternate legs)
3. Driving figure 8 (hold plate in both hands, draw a figure 8 with plate, hand positions will rotate as you do this as if turning a steering wheel)
4. Alternating front lunge side bend (hold plate in both hands, extend arms/plate overhead, keeping arms straight do one front lunge each leg then one side bend each side, keeping arms/plate extended overhead the entire time)
5. Toss water over the shoulder (hold plate in both hands in front of thighs, bend elbows, flipping plate over shoulder as if tossing a plate of water over your shoulder, alternate sides)
6. Circumference circle (hold plate in both hands, stand with legs wider than hip width, extend arms/plate straight overhead, circle plate to side and down toward floor (keep legs straight) then circle up to other side until plate is overhead again, repeat in other direction)
7. Bus drivers (sit on mat with legs extended and slightly bent, hold plate in both hands, rotate plate side to side like a steering wheel, lean torso back then raise back up while continuing to “steer” plate)
8. Oblique twists (sit on mat with legs extended and slightly bent, hold plate in both hands, twist plate side to side/hip to hip; raise feet off mat and continue twisting plate side to side)
9. Elevated hip arm and leg drop (lay on back with knees bent and feet close to glutes, extend one leg to ceiling, hold plate in both hands and extend plate to ceiling, raise hips/glutes off mat and hold this position, lower leg while also lowering plate overhead toward mat in a pullover then raise both leg and plate back to start)
10. Sliding mermaids (sit on edge of mat with legs bent in pretzel, place sliding device on floor and barbell plate on top of it, place hand on plate, slide plate out to side while reaching other arm overhead and to side then slide back to start)
11. Sliding push pull planks (place barbell plate (still on top of sliding device) on floor in front of mat, get into elbow plank with elbows near edge of mat so hands can touch plate, hold this position; place one hand on plate and push it away from you, place other hand on plate and pull it back)

Mini Ball Abs is 11:51 minutes; 35 second stretch. Equipment: fitness mat and a mini ball. A mini ball is just a pilates ball or a child’s playground ball. One of the background exercises does not use a ball. This workout was definitely more challenging than the first two. I was struggling with a few of the moves by the end–specifically bike maneuver (#6) and the final level of Bird Dog Balance (#9). My abs definitely felt these exercises!

1. Crunches (sit on mat, place ball between mat and low back, place hands behind head, do basic crunches in this position)
2. Elbow drives (same position as #1, but the ball is a little lower and torso is a little more upright, extend both arms above and in front of you, do basic crunches again but when you lower down, pull one elbow down and tap it to mat behind you, alternate arms/sides)
3. Hip lift reverse crunch (lay on back with legs raised and knees bent at 90 degrees, ball is held between calves, do a reverse crunch, lifting hips and pushing feet to ceiling, when you lower legs, keep them bent but tap toes to mat)
4. Ball pass unders (lay on back with knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, hold ball in one hand, raise hips into bridge and pass ball under body to other hand, lower hips while passing ball above body back to starting hand)
5. Roll ins (lay on back on mat, legs are extended straight with ball under achilles and arms are extended overhead, do a full sit up, bending knees as you come up and rolling ball to you, hands tap heels)
6. Bike manuever (lay on back one leg is extended straight, other leg is bent and pulled into chest, place ball against knee and hold it in place with opposite elbow, bring other knee into chest so it is touching ball and swap elbows, extending the other leg straight)
7. V ups (rest on one hip, ball is between ankles, upper body rests on one elbow/forearm, extend legs straight, raise and lower legs)
8. Piston planks (get into straight arm plank, ball is between thighs just above knees, bend knees while pushing hips back and turn hips to one side, driving one knee toward floor, alternate sides)
9. Bird dog ball balance (start in bear pose (on hands and toes with knees bent at 90 degrees and hovering a few inches off mat), place one hand on ball, lift ball and opposite leg off mat, hold briefly then lower ball and both knees to mat, move ball to other hand and repeat on other side of body; for the final rep of this exercise, while holding the position you will also “write” STS with the ball)
10. Superman (lay on stomach with arms extended in front of you and holding the ball, raise chest/arms/legs and, holding the ball in one hand, bring arm/ball around behind you and pass the ball over glutes to other hand, when the other hand brings the ball back to start, you lower your arms/legs)

No Equipment Abs is 11:19 minutes. Equipment: fitness mat. This was a tough core workout. I felt all of the exercises burning my core. Luckily Cathe doesn’t rep you out so even tho my abs were on fire a few times, I was able to complete all of the reps. Though at the end of most of the exercises I definitely needed the mini breaks she gives us!

1. Crunches (lay on mat with knees bent and feet on mat, hands are behind head, do basic crunches); changes to reaching hands to knees as you crunch
2. Bent leg sit ups (lay flat on back with legs extended straight and arms extended straight overhead, do a full sit up bending one knee and placing foot on mat and hands on mat on either side of foot, extend leg while lying back with arms overhead, repeat on other leg then repeat doing both legs 2x then repeat entire combo)
3. Sit up with rotation (lay on back w/ legs open wide and arms extended overhead, do a full sit up, at top of sit up reach one arm to opposite foot, twisting torso while reaching other arm behind you, alternate sides)
4. Progressive hollow hold series (lay on mat with hands behind head, raise head/shoulders, pull knees into chest then extend legs out, pull legs back into chest then place feet back on floor and lower head; add extending arms overhead when you extend legs; changes to holding legs isometrically when extended, hands are behind head again; repeat the isometric hold but add extended arms overhead; repeat last version of isometric hold and add rocking)
5. Side plank thread the needle (hold elbow side plank, reach top arm overhead then bring it under body)
6. Prone plank reaches (hold forearm plank, reach one arm out on a diagonal and tap floor while also stepping opposite foot out to side, alternate sides)
7. Plank bear crawl climb (hold straight arm plank, step one foot in under body, step other foot in under body so you are in bear pose then step feet back out to plank)
8. Mountain climber run shoulder taps (do 3 mountain climbers then hold the last one with knee pulled in under body, tap hand to opposite shoulder–once each hand)
9. 8 point superman (lay on stomach with arms extended overhead, every time you raise into superman move your arms a few inches to the side, it should take 8 supermans for your arms to be beside your hips, reverse the supermans to get your hands back to start)

Premixes:

Standing Abs: Metabolic Core Warm Up + Core Plus Floor 25:15

No Equipment Abs + Mini Ball Abs 21:35

Standing Abs: Metabolic Core Warm Up + Mini Ball Abs 20:44

Standing Abs: Metabolic Core Warm Up + No Equipment Abs 20:13

Standing Abs: Core + Floor + Mini Ball Abs 27:02

Standing Abs: Core + Floor + No Equipment Abs 26:31

Mish Mosh: Standing Abs 20:30

Mish Mosh: Mini Ball Abs + No Equipment Abs 19:42