This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. This was a tough little ab burner! You are working for 2 solid minutes with only 15 seconds of rest between complexes. I was taking my own mini breaks! I had to! It was burning out my hip flexors. And the plank work on the ball at the end was very challenging. It also alerted me that my stability ball needs more air!
This workout consists of complexes; each complex contains 2 exercises. What this means is you are doing 2 exercises with no rest between exercises and you do not stop alternating those two exercises until the time is up. Each complex is done for 2 minutes then you get a 15 second rest before moving on to the next complex. The complex you are working through is listed in the lower left hand corner of the screen for your reference. It lists each exercise you are doing and the amount of reps you do for each exercise. This is especially useful if you cannot keep pace with Caroline then you can still keep track of your complex. There is a timer in the upper right hand corner of the screen, counting down your 2 minutes of work as well as your 15 seconds of rest. Caroline previews your next complex during the recovery. There is also a little bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.
Stability Ball Ab Complexes is 13:04 minutes (this time does not include the optional 11:38 minute warm up) with a 1:10 minute stretch. Equipment: stability ball and fitness mat.
Complex 1:
- Ball pass, 10 reps (lay on back holding stability ball in both hands, extend arms/ball overhead while lowering straight legs until they are a few inches off the mat, raise ball and straight legs to ceiling passing ball to feet so ball is gripped between feet/ankles, lower legs/ball until it is a few inches off the floor while also extending arms overhead, raise arms/legs and pass ball back to hands)
- Toe reach, 20 reps (still laying on back with straight legs extended to ceiling and ball between feet/ankles, crunch upper body, taking the ball from between the feet, when you crunch up again you place the ball back between the ankles/feet)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2 minutes
Complex 2:
- Alt deadbug, 20 reps (extend arms and legs to ceiling, holding ball against feet with hands, lower one leg toward floor while also extending opposite arm overhead to floor, return to start and repeat w/ other arm/leg)
- Leg lower to tuck, 10 reps (lay on back with legs straight and ball between feet/ankles and legs/ball extended to ceiling, lower legs/ball until it is a few inches off floor, bend knees pulling them into chest then straighten legs raising ball back to ceiling)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2 minutes
Complex 3:
- Crunch, 20 reps (lay on back, ball is on mat and calves are resting on ball with knees bent at 90 degrees, crunch upper body, reaching hands past knees)
- Reverse crunch, 10 reps (lay on back with legs straight and ball between feet/ankles and legs/ball extended to ceiling, lower legs/ball until it is a few inches off floor, raise legs/ball back to ceiling and lift hips into a reverse crunch)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2 minutes
Complex 4:
- Crunch on ball, 10 reps (ball is on mat, lean back onto ball with feet on floor, hands behind head, crunch upper body, at bottom of crunch, arch over ball, stretching abs)
- Pulses, 10 reps (same position as #1, but keep upper body elevated in crunch and pulse upward)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2 minutes
Complex 5:
- Saw, 10 reps (elbow plank with elbows/forearms on the ball and feet on floor with legs wide, shift arms forward and back)
- Alternating circles, 10 reps (same position as #1 but circle the arms first one way and then the other)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2 minutes
