THE BEST 7 1/2 MIN MAT AB WORKOUT

Abs… we all seem to love them! I know I’ve shared this many times before but my very first fitness goal was: “get abs.” I literally googled how to get abs and likely religiously followed whatever advice the first google link provided lol. Thankfully, I’ve come a long way.
I now know that abdominal definition is all about three things: 
1) Effective Abdominal Muscle Training – I’ve come to find certain abdominal styles (not just the exercises!) are more effective than others
2) Nutrition – that cliche “abs are made in the kitchen” saying is so true. I’ve learned the hard way abdominal definition is more about what we eat than the ab workouts we do
3) Body Fat – in short, our ab muscles are only visible when we have a low enough body fat percentage to let them shine through
I’ve also come a long way in my mindset about those abdominal muscles. Rewind to 5 years ago, and I would have literally tried anything to “get abs.” Nowadays, I know one thing for sure… I am a whole lot more than what my abs look like.
I’ve accepted that even more these days now that I’m pregnant and just struggle to see my toes let alone my abs lol. In all seriousness, always recognize your worth – visible abs or not. It’s a fun physical goal and one I am happy to help you achieve, but know you’re already amazing!

 
WORKOUT NOTES:
-Aim for no rest in between exercises
-Rest as needed at the end of the circuit (ex: 1-2 minutes)
-For beginners, complete half the suggested time for each exercise
 
WHY THIS WORKOUT STYLE IS SO EFFECTIVE
I describe as this workout as “the best” for 3 reasons
1) The Mat – I typically do abs at the end of my workout and laying on a mat is sometimes all I can handle at that moment. The mat is an option that is both effective and “easier”
2) Circuit Style – a circuit style workout entails completing one exercise after another without resting in between. In this case, the ab workout has 5 exercises completed in sequence and a rest is taken at the very end, which leads to 2 1/2 minutes of time under tension in each round.
Time under tension is the amount of time spend working a targeted muscle. Keeping the abs contracted through the entire circuit and for that length of time is a highly effective way to deeply stimulate and breakdown (remember, muscle breakdown is good = results) the abdominal muscles.
3) Quick Timing – because of the nature of a circuit style workout, it doesn’t require a lot of time. In fact, this workout is just 7 1/2 minutes of abdominal work.