Day 20 – two thirds of the way through!

Today we are practicing our paused push-ups and hitting the Ab Wheel (or The Wheel Of Woe)

Girls in #FoxFitAfterburn sessions are getting good at the Ab Wheel – so I need to catch up!

If you haven’t the wheel, you can use a loaded barbell, it’s less challenging but principle is the same, of course, you can always join our #Afterburn sessions!

Push-ups: legs strong, glutes and quads firing, elbows at 45 degrees, chest to the ground. Pause for the count of five, then push the ground away. See that the bum isn’t sticking too far up in the air and hips are not sagging, avoid excessive curve in the lower back.

If you need help with push-up pop into the Circuit class on Saturday or just find me in the gym 🙂

Roll outs:
The Ab Wheel is a really tough exercise – you won’t usually feel it straight away but the next few days…OUCH!

It’s important that you keep your back completely solid for this – in fact, think of the position as an upside down hollow.

Start the movement from your core – don’t cheat by rolling with your arms only. And finish the movement from your core – pull yourself back to the start position by contracting your abs hard!

Keep your wrists as straight as possible – they will want to fold back. Fight that and keep wrists in line.

Keep your upper arms connected to your lats. Imagine someone is trying to tickle you at your sides and you’re tensing up.

Squeeze your butt and squeeze your quads. This helps stabilise your hips – vital for core strength.

If you’re struggling to get anywhere near full depth, use a wall to act as a stopper and to measure progress. When you get stronger shuffle back a bit and practice with a bit more range of motion.