5 Ab-Blasting Moves That Will Transform Your Core From Home From AARMY Coach Sophia Goldstein

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Right now, it’s more important than ever to stay active and healthy, despite remaining indoors and isolated. AARMY coach Sophia Goldstein shared her favorite ab-blasting moves that can be done with or without a weight from the comfort of your home. When it comes to working the core, there’s some things she wants you to keep in mind, first! “Half the challenge is getting your body to acknowledge what you’re asking it to do, and that takes time and skill, it’s working on mind, muscle connection,” Sophia explained in an exclusive interview with HollywoodLife. “You have to actually think, ‘What am I asking my obliques to do?’ I’m asking my stomach to contract and then twist and come back center. When you do these moves, really try to pay attention to detail and focus on time under tension.”

1. Russian Twist with Flutter Kick
You can do a Russian twist with or without a weight. Focus on slowing the movement down and really contracting, squeezing your belly button towards your spine and supporting the twist as you drive your elbows towards the floor. Do four Russian Twists before going into four flutter kicks and continue to switch.

2. One Sided Hollow Rock
Hollow rocks are a really advanced move, and that’s why I love breaking them down into one side of your body because it limits the tension on the lower back by squeezing. By attaching your elbow to your knee it keeps your torso moving with your legs. That’s the biggest issue I see with hollow rocks, is the legs and the upper body moving separately. Although it looks like it’s a momentum based exercise, you’re trying to limit the momentum. So really control and squeeze as you come all the way back up. I love to do 50. So, 25 on each side, and I would recommend two to three sets.

3. Eccentric Sit-Up (weight optional)
You’re going to do three counts down and one count up, rolling through every vertebrae, really squeezing that belly button. You’re using your core obviously to come up, but you’re also using your quads. And if you ditch the weight and reach through your knees and tap your toes, you’re stretching your hips too.

4. Slow Mountain Climbers
For these, slowly bring your knee to your elbow across the body and encourage that twist, connecting with a two second hold and then four quick mountain climbers. The biggest burn you’re going to get is focusing on that really slow pull across, pausing at the top, making your knee connect and then releasing. It’s going to keep your whole core tense as you come forward.

5. Side Planks
Side plank with the same type of movement as the Pull Across Mountain Climbers — holding that side plank and connecting your top knee in the plank to your free arm. Squeezing two second hold, releasing, doing it again. Do 25 each side.

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One of the hottest new additions to the New York and LA fitness scene, AARMY has been at the forefront of providing daily Instagram Live workouts for their loyal followers and beyond, lead by their founders Akin Akman and Angela Manuel-Davis. With dedicated celeb recruits like Jake Gyllenhaal and Karlie Kloss and body-rocking bootcamps and electrifying spin classes, AARMY is leading the way in this unprecedented time, reminding us all to maintain a ‘championship mindset’ when we need to the most.

“There’s power in your people and in your team,” Sophia reminded, urging new AARMY recruits to take advantage of the social media fitness boom and interact with each other in the comments section while working out. “You never lose by starting a new challenge. Every day is a new opportunity to show up and push your body in a different way. You have nothing to lose. You only have strength and trust in your body to gain.”

Check out the @AARMY Instagram for their daily Live Workout schedule and following Sophia Goldstein on IG for more daily fitness inspo!