1. Abdominal crunch start. Lie on your back. Bend your knees, placing your hands behind your head or across your chest.Photos:SUPPLIED
2. Abdominal crunch: Slowly bring your shoulders off the floor as high as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles.
3. Cross crunch:Lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Cross your left leg on the right knee. Support your head with your right hand.
4. Cross crunch:Crunch and bring your right elbow across your body and towards the left knee.
5. Lie on your side with your legs extended and both feet flexed. Place top hand on your side and bottom arm under your head for support.
6. Lie on your side, lift your top leg up about 6-8 inches from the floor. Hold your leg for 5 counts before moving it down slowly to the start position.
7. Superman: Lie face down with arms stretched out. Keep your hands and arms straight.
8. Superman:Raise your legs and arms as high as you can. Arch your back.
TODAY is day 28 of the Covid-19 lockdown and one of the aspects that your body needs during this unforeseen situation, is daily exercise.
Fitness athlete and trainer Niki Human from Uitenhage said one does not need to have a gym at home for exercising, but just space and the will to keep your body healthy and fit.
“These exercises will take only a few minutes and it is best to do it at least twice a day,” said Niki. These exercises can be combined with the previous three weeks’ exercises for a full body workout. Do three sets per exercise (10 repeats per set).
Abdominal crunch
- Lie on your back. Bend your knees, placing your hands behind your head or across your chest
- Slowly bring your shoulders off the floor as high as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles
- Keep your neck straight and your chin up (imagine keeping a tennis ball under your chin, that’s the angle you want to keep the chin the entire time)
- Hold at the top for 5 counts before slowly moving back down
Cross crunch
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent
- Cross your right leg on top of the left knee and support your head with the left hand
- Crunch and bring your left elbow across your body and towards the right knee
- Repeat for 10 counts before switching sides
Hip Lifts
- Lie on your back with your knees bent, arms straight beside you and your feet flat on the bed
- Lift your hips up until your body is a straight line between your knees and your shoulders
- Contract your abdominal and gluteus (bum) muscles
- Hold for 5 counts before returning to start position
Also read: Easy exercises to do at home
Lying side leg raise
- Start on your side with your legs extended and both feet flexed
- Place top hand on your side and bottom arm under your head for support
- Lift your top leg up about 6-8 inches from the floor
- Hold your leg for 5 counts before moving it down slowly to the start position
- Repeat this movement 10 times before switching legs
Superman
- Lie face down with arms stretched out on the bed
- Keep your hands and arms straight throughout the exercise
- Raise your legs and arms as high as you can. Arch your back
- Keep position for 5 counts before you return to start position
