Sprinters sit up: Start lying on your back with legs straight and the hands resting by the side of your head. As you sit up bring one knee towards you and bring the opposite elbow across your body towards you. Repeat to the opposite side.

V-ups single leg: Start lying on your back with legs straight and hands outstretched. Crunch up and lift one leg while keeping it straight and reach your hands towards the foot. Repeat lifting the opposite leg.

V-ups double leg: Same as above but lift both legs off the ground as you crunch up.

Crunch with leg switch: Start on your back with legs in the air in an alternating scissor position. Crunch up while keeping your legs still. When you return back to the ground switch your legs over and repeat.

Scissors with crunch hold: Keep your shoulder blades off the ground so you’re in the top position of a crunch. From here scissor your legs taking them as low to the floor as your can.

V-sits with ankle taps: Start in a v-sit position, extend your legs out while lying back and reaching your hands up. As you sit back up reach over your knees and touch your ankles.

Pommel horse:  Begin on one side resting on your hip with both feet held off the ground. Use your hands for balance, move your feet completely around to the opposite side without your feet touching the floor. Return to the original position and repeat.

TIPS:

: Aim to train your abdominals 2-3 x per week with at least one days rest in between sessions.

: Pick 2-3 exercises per session and aim to complete 3 sets of 12-20 reps of each one.

: Use a mixture of exercises rather than always doing the same ones, this will stop your body from adapting quickly and hitting a plateau.

: To achieve a flat stomach and the much sought after six-pack requires very low body fat. Alongside your abdominal exercises make sure to include aerobic training and an effective resistance programme that uses large compound exercises to target the whole body. As well as this, make sure you follow a healthy well balanced diet. All members of this site can contact me for help and advice on both an eating plan and training programme to help you achieve your goals whatever they may be.

Warm up:

We began by warming up with a light medicine ball using exercises such as swings, rotations, squats and lunges.

Lower-body workout:

We performed a 3-exercise circuit that focused on movements that not only hit the legs but also heavily involved the core.

TRX single leg lunge

Reverse balance lunge

Side lunge

Core workout:

After the lower-body we moved onto the core doing a superset of 2 exercises.

Resistance band woodchops

Medicine ball crunch with alternating leg lifts 

Once we had completed this we finished off the workout with 20 minutes of focus pad work to help burn plenty of calories. We performed 2-minute rounds with a minutes rest in between. Once this was done we cooled down and stretched.

Complete all these exercises back to back with little rest in between. At the end of the circuit rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat. Complete 3-4 circuits.

Warm up: Spend 5-10 minutes warming up before starting the workout.

Stability ball press-ups: By performing a press-up with your feet on stability ball this will force your core muscles to work harder compared to a basic press-up as they work to keep you balanced. The less of your body that is in contact with the ball the harder the exercise becomes. Aim to complete 12 reps.

Stability ball jack-knifes: This is a great exercise that will target your abdominal and hip muscles and requires a lot of core stability to perform. Get into a press-up position with your feet on the ball. From here bend your knees and draw the ball towards your chest. Extend your legs back out to the start position and repeat for 12 reps. Check out the technique for this exercise at http://www.resultsconditioning.com/archives/512

Burpee: This exercise will get the heart and lungs working and burn plenty of calories. From a standing position bend your knees and place your hands on the floor. Drive your legs back until they are fully extended and you are in a press up position. From here jump your feet forward bringing your knees up to your chest and then stand back up and repeat for 40-60 seconds. This exercise can also be performed with a press up and a vertical jump as you stand up.

Single leg squat: As well as targeting the lower body this exercise will hit the core muscles as well. Stand on one leg and slowly squat down keeping your floating leg slightly in front of your body. Squat down until your thigh is parallel to the floor or as low as you can without losing balance or it compromising your posture. Stand back up by pushing through your heels and glutes.

Single leg one arm row: By taking your basic single arm row and performing it on one leg will help to activate your core muscles as they work to stabilise and help to balance the body. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and balance on the opposite leg. Tip forward at the hips so your chest is around a 45 degree angle to the floor whilst maintaining a flat back. Row the dumbbell into your side by contracting your back muscles and pulling your elbow up. Complete 12 reps per arm. Members can check out this exercise in action by going to the dumbbell and step workout post.

Double leg squat thrust: Keep that heart rate up with this tough cardio exercise that is also very taxing for the lower body. From a press up position jump both feet forward bringing your knees up to your chest. Return to the start position and repeat for 40-60 seconds.

Medicine ball woodchop: This is a great rotational exercise for hitting the abdominals and obliques. Stand with your feet slighlty wider than your hips and hold a ball in both hands by your right hip. Twist the ball across your torso keeping your arms extended. Rotate the ball until are arms are extended slightly above your left shoulder. Return the ball back to the start position and repeat for 12 reps and then repeat on the opposite side.

Medicine ball Russian twists: Another great exercise for targeting the abdominals and obliques. Balance on your bottom with legs in the air and maintaining a straight back. Hold a medicine ball in both hands and then twist the ball side to side by rotating the torso and keeping your lower body still. Complete 12 reps per side.

Medicine ball jump squats: Finish the circuit with this taxing lower body exercise that will keep the heart rate elevated and keep your body burning fat. Hold a medicine ball across your chest with both hands. Perform a basic squat and as you stand up jump into the air. Land softly and then repeat for 40-60 seconds.

Once you have completed all 3 circuits then spend 5 minutes cooling down and stretching.

Squat to press: Hold the plate at chest height. Perform a normal squat and as you stand up press the plate above your head.

Burpee: From a standing position place your hands on the floor and kick your legs back to full extension before jumping your legs back in and standing back up to your start position.

Press up: Perform a normal press up with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. If you cannot do full press-ups then complete your reps on your knees.

Alternating lunges: Hold the weight at chest height and perform alternating leg front lunges. Each lunge counts as 1 rep.

Alternating leg squat thrusts: From a press up position bring one knee up towards your chest and then switch legs. Complete the reps as fast as you can. Each time your knee comes into your body this counts as 1 rep.

Weighted crunch: Lie on your mat with your legs up in the air and knees bent. Hold the weight plate above your head and crunch up. Reach the plate above your knees before returning to the start position.

Once you have completed the 12-minute challenge count your reps up to give you your challenge score.

For the resistance exercises aim to complete 3 sets of 12 reps using a weight that will challenge you. You should be struggling to complete the last couple of reps by the 3^rd set. Rest for 45 seconds between sets.

Warm up: Spend 5-10 minutes warming up at the start of the workout.

Dumbbell chest press

Dumbbell squat

Barbell bent over row

Alternating leg lunges with dumbbell lateral raise

Arm superset: Barbell bicep curl and tricep pushdown (Perform these 2 exercises back to back with no rest and then rest for 45 seconds at the end of the pushdowns)

Core superset: Stability ball crunch and stability ball lower back extension

Cycle: Perform 2 minutes on an exercise bike at a moderately comfortable resistance whilst keeping your RPM (speed) around 70-80. Then for 30 seconds work at the highest resistance you can without letting your RPM drop below 70. Repeat for 12 minutes.

Rowing machine: Complete 1000 metres in your quickest time.

Spend 5-10 minutes cooling down and stretching at the end of the workout.

Spend 5-10 minutes warming up before starting the challenge and cool down and stretch at the end.

Regressions: If you find the circuit tough to start with then try some of these regressions.

: Instead of the v-up perform a basic crunch.

: Do basic press ups instead of walk over.

: Keep your heels on the floor for the Russian twists.

: Keep your legs in the air when you do the kettlebell double crunch.

: Perform burpees without the press up and jump.

Warm up: As always spend 5-10 minutes warming up before starting this circuit.

Section 1: Upper body

Press-ups

Dumbbell shoulder press

Bent over dumbbell rows

Section 2: Lower body (For this section use a weight plate. Hold it in both hands at chest height and aim not to put it down till the section is complete).

Wide to narrow squats. (Start with your feet hip width and perform a normal squat before stepping your feet together. Perform a squat from this position and this counts as 1 rep).

Alternating leg front lunge (5 reps per leg).

Stand up; kneel down (From a standing position place one knee on the floor and then the other so you finish in a kneeling position. Return to standing and repeat).

Section 3: Cardio

Bunny hops over step box. (Stand next to a low step box and place both hands onto it. From here jump your legs back and forth over the box).

Burpees

Star jumps

Bonus challenge:

If at the end of the workout you still have time or energy left then you may want to try this as a great little finisher. Start with 2 press-ups followed by 2 burpees and 2-body weight squats. Then increase each exercise by 2 reps until you have completed 10 reps of each. Do all this in the quickest time possible.

Spend 5 minutes cooling down and stretching.

Warm up:

Spend 5-10 minutes warming up with a mixture of light cardio, mobility exercises and stretching.

For each round, move from one exercise to the next with little or no rest. Once you have completed 10 reps of each of the exercises this counts as one set. Complete as many full sets within the 8 minute round.

Round 1

Barbell clean and press

Press ups

Double leg squat thrust

Crunch with legs up

Round 2

Barbell squats

Jump lunges (Start in a lunge position and then jump into the air by driving off the front leg. As you jump switch legs in mid-air so you land back in a lunge position with the opposite leg forward).

Burpees

Oblique twists (Start with your legs in the air and knees bent. Twist your elbow across the body towards the opposite knee whilst extending the other leg. Repeat to the other side keeping your shoulder blades off the floor throughout the movement).

Round 3

Barbell high pull

Wide press ups (Same as a normal press up but place your hands in a slightly wider position than normal)

Rotational squat thrust (Begin in a basic squat thrust position. Jump both feet forward bringing your knees up to your chest. Jump both legs back and out to the left off your body before returning both knees up to your chest and then repeat to the right side).

Reverse crunch (Start with your legs in the air and hands by the side of the body. Contract your abdominals and lift your hips so your bottom slightly lifts off the floor).

Round 4

Barbell bent over rows

Jump squats (Start with a basic squat. As you squat reach down to the floor with your hands before exploding back up and jumping into the air and reaching up with your arms. As you land drop immediately back into a squat and repeat).

Jumping jacks

Russian twists (Balance on your bottom with legs in the air and maintaining a straight back. Rotate your arms from side to side whilst keeping the legs as still as possible. You can do this exercise whilst holding a medicine ball or weight plate).

At the end of the 4 stations spend 5 minutes cooling down and stretching.

Add up all the full sets completed on stations 1-4 to give you your final score.

TIP:

For the barbell exercises use a weight that is challenging for 10 reps. Aim to maintain a good technique throughout the 8 minute round even when fatigue starts setting in.

Chest Challenge:

Destroy your upper body in this press up challenge.

This challenge involves nothing more than your bodyweight. Start with one press up and then go into a kneeling position and perform one kneeling sprawl. Each time increase both exercises by one rep.

Example:

1 Press up with 1 sprawl

2 press ups with 2 sprawls

3 press ups with 3 sprawls

See how many press ups and sprawls in can complete within the 5 minute round.

Exercise technique:

Kneeling sprawl: Start from a kneeling position and place both hands on the floor and then jump your legs back and out to the side dropping your hips to the ground whilst keeping your chest up (same as a standing sprawl). Kick your legs back in and return back to a kneeling position.

Ultimate Abs:

Combine a crunch and a guard sit up to hit your core whilst getting your heart and lungs working too.

Again this challenge only requires your bodyweight. Complete one abdominal crunch followed by a guard sit up. Each time increase your crunch by one whilst keeping the guard sit up to a single rep.

Example:

1 Crunch with 1 guard sit up

2 Crunches with 1 guard sit up

3 Crunches with 1 guard sit up

See how many crunches you can complete within the 5 minute round.

Exercise technique:

Guard sit up: Start in a crunch position and as you sit up tuck one foot under your bottom whilst extending your opposite leg straight out. From here get onto the knee of your bent leg and then push yourself up into a standing position without using your hands. Check out the sample round at the MMA Conditioning link and on it you will see a medicine ball guard sit up being performed.