It’s just about that time of year again when the birds start chirping, the sun beats stronger and the bikini and tank tops in your closet start to rustle for some fresh air. We all love the dawn of summer, but let’s be honest: Months of sweaters, turtlenecks and gym membership cards that weren’t used as often as they should have been makes us all a little timid about baring our midriff.

Getting a flatter stomach by summer does not have to involve fear, thousands of crunches and lunches after lunches of un-dressed salads topped with a plain chicken breast. Instead, focus on these next three months of spring to start or ramp up your yoga practice for a lean and bikini-ready middle by summer.

Here’s how.
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There are many benefits to having strong core muscles. Not only are these muscles important for balance and stability, but they also support the movements of the leg and arms while preventing injury.

Core Fitness is a new iPhone app that can help you strengthen this area. It uses a 40-minutes workout comprised of yoga stretches and resistance training exercised that work your upper legs, hips, buttocks, back, abs and shoulders. The creators of the app promise that you can see results by doing this workout just three or four times per week.

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This 8 minute ab routine is here to knock the socks off your current ab routine. This routine is designed to be done in the gym, unless you have the correct equipment at your house. Good luck and have fun!

8 Minute Ab Routine:

(video examples of all exercises appear below)

Crunch on decline bench with arms behind head (1 minute): This exercise targets the entire core region including the low back. The goal is to perform at a moderate pace for one minute.

Leg raise on incline/decline bench (1 minute): This exercise isolates the hip flexors and lower abdominals. If you experience low back pain, slightly bend your knees and continue the exercise.

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The following ten minute ab workout is designed to target your all your core muscles while firming and toning your entire midsection. Each exercise targets a little bit different part of the core and by adding them all together, you get an amazing, complete- and quick- ab workout.

Ten Minute Ab Workout (video examples of each exercise appears below):

• Crunch with arms across chest (1 minute): While lying on your back, bend your knees and place your arms across your chest. Crunch forward slightly raising shoulder blades off the ground while releasing your back to the ground. Keep your chin pointed up towards the ceiling to avoid neck pain.

• Crunch with arms across chest and feet up (1 minute): While lying on your back, bend your knees and raise feet perpendicular to the ground. Crunch forward slightly raising shoulder blades off the ground keeping your chin up.

• Bicycle crunches (1 minute): While lying on you back, bring one knee in towards your chest while taking opposite elbow towards your knee. Repeat while switching knees and elbows.

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The plank exercise is one of the most effective core exercises in today’s fitness world. ACE (American Council on Exercise) ranked the plank as one of the top ten exercises for the body, stating that it is a great tool to build core and low back endurance, while it also improves the ability of the stabilizer muscles.

The plank can be modified to accommodate all fitness levels or be modified if you are experiencing any pain.

The plank exercise  can also be used as a testing mechanism. You can assess your core strength and progress by maintaining the exercise for as long as you can and then retest on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis to keep you motivated and give you something to train for.
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