Hips Up is a great exercise that works your abdominal muscles and works to flatten your entire tummy. While keeping your legs nice and straight, holding them in the air, you can feel your hip and legs muscles at work as well.

This is an easy move, meaning not many steps or instructions, and it has great results. This abdominal exercise is especially great for those who do not have balance on top of the Swiss ball to do crunches. Your first few times doing this exercise you may notice it is hard to get your hips in the air. This is where the fun begins! PROGRESSION! The more you do this exercise and the stronger you become, the higher up your hips will go. When I first begin this move I had a 2-inch range, now look at me! Please do not be discouraged if you have trouble getting your hips up the first few weeks. If you do not begin here and now, then how will you ever be able to do them. Trust me you can do this! I train women of all ages and they can do it! I heard a lot of “I can’t” and you know what that got my clients? More repetitions! But they can do this exercise now and they didn’t think they could ever do it! What an accomplishment! So, DO NOT GIVE UP! I believe in you and you deserve this! Remember, take it slow, work hard and you can achieve anything you put your mind to! On that note, add this to your ab routine today and let’s get started!

Step 1: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides and your legs straight in the air above your hips (extending legs at a 90-degree angle). Place ball at it’s center, in between your feet and squeeze the ball. You will feel THE BURN in your inner thighs.

Step 2: Exhale as you lift your hips up in the air. Tilt your lower abdominal muscles towards your upper abdominal muscles (just like a reverse crunch), lifting the ball up and leaning it towards your head. Inhale as you lower gently your hips back down to the ground.

FIT TIP: No ball required! You can do the Hips Up exercise with the Swiss ball and get great results! Just keep legs straight and feet together above hips and lift up! It really is that easy!

For More Ab Workouts:
Abdominals 101: Scissor Workout
Abdominals 101: Bicycle Crunch Workout