Three Effective Quarantine Exercises to do for Abs

Right now, many of us are either locked down, social isolating, or in quarantine in order to slow/eradicate the pandemic that is Covid-19. Because of this, thoughts of summer beach days are a long way off. Just take solace in the fact that normality will return, and if we do our part, it will return much quicker.

The last thing you want when quarantine/lock down is lifted, is to emerge from your home several pounds overweight, having undone all of your hard work in preparation for the summer.

To help keep you busy and to help you get in shape for summer, why not focus on getting your abs looking sharper than the blade of a samurai sword?

Here are a few quarantine exercises to do for abs.

Alternating Toe Reaches

The first exercise for the abs that you might want to focus on today is the alternating toe reach. This exercise works the abs, obliques, and core stabilizer muscles and is much harder to do than it sounds. Here’s what to do:

• Begin by laying flat on your back with both legs in the air, and bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Next, with your arms extended outwards at your sides, slowly raise your right leg into the air, simultaneously touching the toes of your right leg with your left arm, making sure to keep your back flat on the ground.
• Lower your right leg and repeat the process again with your left leg and right arm.
• Repeat for as many reps as needed.

Laying windshield wipers

Don’t let the name of this exercise fool you, because it may sound a little silly, but once you see how it’s performed it will actually make perfect sense.

This exercise is fantastic for the obliques and for people looking for six pack abs.

Here’s what to do:

• Begin by sitting on a mat on your tailbone, with your body firmly propped up on your forearms.
• Now, slowly lift your legs into the air, keeping your feet together, and rotate them towards the top right hand corner of the mat.
• Now, in a slow and controlled motion, keeping your body stationary, slowly create a semi-circle shape with your legs, arching them up and over until they are hovering over the edge of the top left-hand corner of the mat.
• Return to the starting position and repeat for as many reps as required.

Laying leg raises

Finally, we have laying leg raises. This exercise is ideal for anybody looking to strengthen their upper abs and core muscles.

Here’s what to do:

• Begin by laying on a mat flat on your back, with your hands behind your head and your fingers interlocked.
• Next, keeping both legs together and your back flat on the mat, slowly raise both legs up into the air as high as you can get them.
• Ideally you want your legs and body to form roughly a 90-degree angle.
• Slowly lower both legs down to the ground, making sure to keep the legs straight and not allowing them to touch the floor.
• Hold for a second and repeat for as many reps as required.