Well, it was bound to happen. Candace, who taught the Fri core conditioning class I LOVED got a FT job and is leaving the gym. So we had a sub on Fri and I don’t know who the new teacher will be. I’ve been taking the class from Candace for about 20 months, so I have learned a lot from her and hopefully I’ll keep using a lot of it during my own work outs. Here is a new one for you:

We started our “on the big ball” crunches with basic crunches to the ceiling – meaning you lie on the ball but as you crunch you are watching the ceiling and focusing on crunching up – not toward the wall in front of you.

2 weeks later – The next progression is to put one arm on the floor (while lying with your back on the ball) and raise that knee, hold the opposite hand behind your head and crunch elbow to opposite knee. 20 of those to one side, 10 to center, 20 to other side, 10 to center.

a few weeks later – The next progression is to put your feet up on the wall while crunching to the ceiling. You need to roll a bit down the ball so your rear is closer to the floor while doing these to maintain balance.

2 weeks later – The NEXT progression is to have one foot on the wall and one just kind of dangling there, and crunch elbow to opposite knee. Start these very slowly because you might wobble until you can train your core to help stabilize during these.

One thing I loved about the class was that we did one class as a circuit with a partner, then the next week with a partner on the floor, then the next week individual with a mat and ball, and then back around again every 3 weeks. Your abs never know what’s coming next! My daughters would come as my partner when they were off school on a Fri.

The teacher we had Fri had us get a step to lie on, and a mat on the floor, and we went back and forth between different types of crunches with weights on the bench – and then different types of planks on the mat on the floor. We did a bit of band work with a partner at the end. I never did a plank where you start on your elbows, then bring your right arm straight, then left arm straight – so you are in a top of a push up position, and then bend your elbows again – right-left – to a plank, up down, up down, first doule count, then single count quickly. I’ll be trying that one again.

Before core class I did a set of 20 pushups, single leg deadlifts, squats with 10 lb weights and lunge twist with weight. I probably won’t be back to the gym until Tues with the back-to-school stuff going on now.