Keeping It Hard Core: Core Stabilization Moves You Can't Live Without

Are you enjoying your Fit Fem Flash Series? Well here's another one that might tickle your fancy. It takes less than 5 minutes and you need nothing else but a mat to get yourself a fantastically hard core with this fitness routine.

What's the most popular area that women like to target? You guessed it, abs! Having flat abs is probably the most important part of the body that all women want to have. But getting there takes a lot of hard work; an intense fitness routine along with clean nutrition will get you there. Not only you get a six pack (just by reading this article… I'm just kidding) but you will strengthen your back as well. Gosh, I can't tell you how many people, men and women, complain about their backs. So many neglect their backs and only focus on wrongly executed crunches that they fail in both areas of achieving those flat, hard abs and strong back. The spine is the most vulnerable to injury. Well, you have no excuse now. I will show you ways to strengthen your back and abdominals. This fitness workout helps in reducing back pains, enhances sports performance and promotes balance and helps improve your posture.

Crunches, that we are all familiar with is a fine and dandy fitness exercise. I've got no problems with it, but there are other more effective core exercises you can add to your fitness routine. And, you need to follow the appropriate way of doing it in order not to get stiff neck cause by pulling on your neck. There are several fitness machines that are marketed and being sold that will make it easier for you to support your body while performing this exercises. But if you are so done with the regular crunches and need a change in your fitness regimen, do the following exercises .

Master these core fitness exercises by performing 16 repetitions of each. Here we go Fit Fem'rs!

• V- Sit – Famous in Pilates, if you can master this one, you have made it to the Six Pack Club! Dead serious! It's so freakin' great because it targets the external and internal obliques as well as your rectus abdominus area. This exercise works on your hip flexors, which is part of your core. You can start by in sitting on the floor and start contracting your core and abdominal muscles and start lifting your leg straight up in 45 degrees angles and stretch your arms to forward. Hold this position for several seconds and release.

• Bicycle Crunch – One of my favorites too. Ask my clients, sometimes I make these women bicycle crunch for 2 straight minutes. It's sick, but don't worry I won't ask you to do that today…maybe another day? MWAHAHAH! (That was my evil laugh). Anyway, awesome for your obliques as well, begin by lying on the floor with your hands behind your neck while putting your knees up in a 45 degree angle and start doing a bicycle pedaling motion. Make sure you extend the opposite legs all the way out when you alternate your knees in. Try to touch your left elbow to the right knee and vice versa.

• Plank Jack – Ok, so here is a fat burning type of plank exercise that'll definitely get you that hard core. Get in a plank position with your forearms on the floor and toes on ground supporting the body. Keep the body aligned, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles should be leveled. Legs should start together and then jump them apart same you would in a regular jumping jack, hold, then jump them back together again. Repeat. Tighten the core and move your legs in a fluid motion.

• Dorsal Raises – The variations of crunches and sit ups that we usually perform are all considered spinal flexion exercises. Not to get fancy on ya…just wanted to show off my personal training knowledge. Just kidding. Anyhow it is equally important to perform spinal extension exercise and this particular one is an active spine extension exercise. Lie prone (on your belly that is) with your hands out in front of you. Relax your shoulders, do not shrug. Lift up toward the ceiling by simultaneously lifting your shoulders and chest off the ground and extending your spine. Hold this position for as long as feels comfortable, for a few seconds for each repetition, making sure you continue to breathe throughout. Slowly return to the starting position.