ADVENT CALENDAR OF CORE: DAY 23

ADVENT CALENDAR OF CORE: DAY 23

Sit Up, we’ve got one last level!

Hey Wild Runners,

With Christmas nearly upon us and 22 day of (hard) core workouts behind us, you are in the zone and ready to smash it – so that is what we are going to do! Today were are not only going to level up on our Sit Ups again, we are also going to perform the difficult versions of all of the exercises in the set. AND we are doing it three times through! Excited? Thought so!!

Remember, the Calendar of Core email stream will dry up with the last of the Christmas bubbly so get yourself onto our main mailing list to stay in touch, participate in more challenges like this or keep up to date with some exciting new training opportunities which we will announce next year.

Check out the cues for all five levels of push ups and then jump on in for another core-fest.

Remember, ‘difficult’ is all in your mind (well, a little in your core.. but mostly in your mind). You are well conditioned so dig deep and give it your all. You’ve not got long until the end of the line where lots of yummy food and celebrations hopefully await you.

Level 1

Hold your arms out straight towards your knees. Sit up until your hands pass your knees and then return back to your laying position. See the photos:

SitUpLevel1_Down_WildRunners

SitUpLevel1_WildRunners

Level 2

Hold your arms out straight towards your knees. Sit up until your elbows pass your knees and then return back to your laying position. See the photos:

SitUpLevel1_Down_WildRunners

SitUpLevel2_WildRunners

Level 3

Cross your arms in front of you as in the picture. Sit up until your arms push against your thighs before returning to the laying position. See the photos:

SitUpLevel2_down_WildRunners

SitUpLevel3_WildRunners

Level 4

Cross your arms in front of you with your hands on your shoulders. Sit up until your arms push against your thighs before returning back to the laying position. This is only slightly harder than Level 3 so give it a really good go. See the photos:

SitUpLevel4_Down_WildRunners

SitUpLevel4_WildRunners

Level 5

For Level 5, you need to hold your hands behind your ears. Be careful not to pull your ears or head up with your hands. Just hold them there lightly to make sure it’s your abs that are working hard! From this position, sit up tall before returning back to the laying position. As with the other levels, make sure you don’t wedge your feet under anything. See the pictures for visual cues:

SitUpLevel5_WildRunnersLevel 5 sit up

The Exercise Set

As well as the Sit Up, we will be performing the Front Plank – Knee to Elbow, the Side Plank – Leg Up and the Glute Bridge – Leg Up. If you are unsure about the cues please go back and check each one before you begin. Performing these exercises with good form is vital to getting the best results and preventing injury.

Dig deep in this set and hold your form. If you find yourself sagging or feel any pain other than muscle fatigue, STOP, reposition and try again. If that doesn’t help, stop. We want you to be able to run. Let us know how you go too. All complaints about feeling wrecked and/or bragging pictures and posts can be directed to our Facebook page #CalendarofCore or by responding to this email.

StepInstructionLevel 1Level 2Level 3
1Sit upSit Up Level 1 x 5Sit Up Level 2 x 7Sit Up Level 3 x 10
2Rest30 seconds30 seconds20 seconds
3Front Plank Knee to Elbow4 on each legs 6 on each legs 10 on each legs
4Rest30 seconds30 seconds20 seconds
5Hold a Side Plank on your left armRaise Leg. 15 secondsRaise Leg. 25 secondsRaise Leg. 40 seconds
6Rest30 seconds30 seconds20 seconds
7Hold One Leg Glute Bridge20 sec per leg30 sec per leg35 sec per leg
8Rest30 seconds30 seconds20 seconds
9Hold a Side Plank on your right armRaise Leg. 15 secondsRaise Leg. 25 secondsRaise Leg. 40 seconds
10Rest1:30 mins1:15 mins1 min
11Repeat CircuitRepeat twice more (3 sets total), increasing Sit Up difficulty level by 1 each time. Repeat twice more (3 sets total), increasing Sit Up difficulty level by 1 each time. Repeat twice more (3 sets total), increasing Sit Up difficulty level by 1 each time.

Nice job!

Persevering this long in with the Calendar of Core means you are already a winner. With the mental strength to get this far, you are on the way to bigger and better things. Come back tomorrow with that can do attitude and lets smash our cores together!

See you tomorrow, Wild Runners