Flat-Abs Workout - this week's workout

Do your all-new ab routine!

Time to shake things up a bit. Now that you’re a week stronger, Bikini Blast trainer David Barton has raised the difficulty bar on your cardio routine and these ab exercises—just enough to give you a new belly-busting challenge. Remember: Aim for three sets of each move.

Your cardio workout for the week

No matter what kind of cardio you do (run, swim, walk, bike, etc.), to burn even more calories, try Barton’s new interval routine (for more about how intervals work, see Tip 4):

• Warm up for five minutes.
• Up the intensity for one minute
• Slow down to a more moderate pace for 30 seconds
• Repeat these intervals for a total of 20 minutes
• Cool down for five minutes

Your ab workout for the week

1. Straight leg raise Lie on your back with legs straight up perpendicular to the floor, toes pointed, hands by sides. Pull your bellybutton in and up and lift hips straight off the floor; pause. (Imagine your toes shooting straight up like an arrow and try not to let legs drift in toward your chest.) Lower to the starting position. That’s one rep; do 20 reps.

2. Weighted extended-arm crunch Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, holding the ends of one dumbbell in each hand, arms straight behind you by your ears. Pull bellybutton in and up and lift shoulder blades off floor; pause. Lower to the starting position. That’s one rep; do 20 reps.

3. Oblique chair lift Lie back on your back, hands resting lightly behind head, feet on the seat of a low chair or the edge of your couch, knees bent 90 degrees. Keeping shoulders flat on the floor and knees together, drop knees to the right. Pull your bellybutton in and up and lift shoulder blades off the floor, twisting left shoulder across your body toward your hip bone; hold for a 10 count. Lower to the starting position. That’s one rep; do 15 reps, then switch sides and repeat.

4. Weighted roll-up Lie on your back, legs together and straight out in front of you, holding the ends of a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight up over chest. Pull bellybutton in and up, lift shoulder blades and sit all the way up. Lower to the starting position. That’s one rep; do 20 reps. (Form tip: Imagine peeling each vertebrae slowly off the floor as you roll up.)