Abs for Days – Part 2: An Additional Core Workout for Paddlers

Dragon Boater’s Core Workout #2

The first core workout was such a hit that I thought I would add a few more exercises to it.

Do each of the following exercises for one minute:

Crunches: Note that the hands are only resting on the head, not pulling on it. You can just touch your fingertips to the side of your head to be sure.

Crunches with knees up: Shins horizontal, bring the knees close to the chest as you come up.

Leg raises: Start from 1 inch off the ground and don’t go more than 6 inches up.

Bicycle: Bring the shoulders down completely between sides, although only very briefly. The straight leg is pushed straight. Do this in a slow and controlled pace.

Plank: On elbows and tip-toes with a FLAT back.  No butts up in the air.

Right and Left planks: With opposite arm pointing up. 30 seconds each side.

Superman: Really focus on lifting both the upper body and the knees, so that only a small part of the stomach is touching the floor.

L-Ups: Flat on the ground, slowly sit up and make an “L” shape with the body, then touch toes, come back to a sit up and slowly lay flat again.

Push-ups: Maximum number of repetitions in one minute. This isn’t really part of the core workout, but is a great addition to your core workout and will definitely help your paddling strength.

This can be done every day, at least after the first few times. Over time, you can increase the intensity by either going beyond one minute per set, or repeating the entire sequence.

A huge thank you to Marc Applewhite for compiling the exercises AND for being the fitness model.