5 Minute Ab Workout: Better Obliques for Better Breathing

Did you know that by strengthening your core, you could actually improve your breathing while running?!

A sign of oblique weakness is that people stop breathing when performing simple movement patterns to maintain stability. Huh? So if you find yourself holding your breathe when reaching for heavy objects or rotating to swing a tennis racket, time to focus on those obliques.

This doesn’t mean we have to spend HOURS rocking our core as proved by this ab workout!

Beginner: 2 rounds x 10 reps per side
Advanced: 3 rounds x 20 reps per side

Side Plank with Reach: From either elbow or straight arm extend legs straight out and then raise top arm. As you curl top arm around the core, raise hips and then rotate back

Cross with Leg Up: Laying on back with knees bent and feet on floor, start by twisting right shoulder towards right knee, then straighten arm and leg, twist again and reach.

Low Back Pull: Balancing our back muscles is key for a strong core. Quickly raise and lower upper body and legs, pull arms back and squeeze middle back

Arch and Kick: Pull knee in and arch back like doing a cat stretch in yoga, then fully extend leg behind you back to a solid plank position and raise leg WITHOUT arching back

The video below provides a complete demo of the moves!

See core work is about so much more than just doing crunches or planks! It takes dynamic movements to reach all the muscles and turn you in to a powerful running machine! I love that Old Navy asked me to do a challenge or summer bootcamp workout because it encouraged me to get creative with this 30 Day ab routine!

GEAR CHAT

I love talking about my running gear because I’ve learned that the right gear makes for a better workout! Pssst little secret, the right gear doesn’t mean expensive!!! Which is why I’m loving the Old Navy active gear I’m rocking here.

Prior to rocking my core, I headed out for a short run…because let’s be honest the way I get myself to do any cross training is start with a run! Once I’m in motion I am much more apt to do the extra work!The Go-Dry Printed Run Short is super lightweight, which is perfect for summer! They also have mesh on the sides allowing for great airflow. I know that for me Old Navy sizes tend to run a bit larger, so I went with a small and that fit comparable to the way a medium does in other brands.

Old Navy also has these amazing Go-Dry Semi-Fitted Performance Graphic Tanks with slogans that I LOVE. There’s something about wearing a motivational message on your chest that simply makes you work harder…I figure I can’t stop if I’m telling the world how tough I am, ha!!

What’s your favorite oblique move?

How are you doing with the 30 Day Ab challenge?

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This post is sponsored by Old Navy, but all opinions and fun had in the gear are my own.