No one likes to do ‘em and that’s why they’re the most overlooked area on the body. Strengthening and maintaining your core is much more important than you realize because it is what holds your spine up. If you sit in your chair in front of a computer day in and day out like I do, you neglect this area to such an extent that you inevitably start to develop pretty severe pains down your lower back and sides (and believe you me I feel ‘em). Since you really can’t avoid doing abdominal exercises and you can’t ignore them forever, why not at least learn how to do them efficiently; in other words, spend less time doing ‘em.

Donna Hutchinson from On The Edge Fitness Educators shows you the exercises that can maximize results. And because our bodies and muscles adapt as they grow stronger, she also provides progressions so that you can continue to be challenged. If you can do all of her suggested progressions and hold them for a minute each, you have my supreme admiration for your fitness abilities. Just doing the simple plank at the end of a workout can floor me…literally!