Olympia Bikini Champion's Ab Routine

Ashley Kaltwasser not only has an enviable booty, but she also possesses a rock-hard midsection that many women envy! So we got her to share her best training tips for abs and show us her all-time favorite moves to get a strong core. You can do this workout at home or at the gym.

Ashley’s Top Training Tips for Abs

1. Don’t do your ab moves mindlessly. Really think about the movement you’re doing and connect mentally to your muscles with each rep. That makes a huge difference in intensity, especially if you squeeze and hold each rep for a second or so.
2. Don’t be afraid to use weights for ab training. Plates, light dumbbells and even ankle weights are great to increase the challenge and make an old, easy move new and exciting again. I like to use ankle weights for lower-ab moves like leg lifts or my flutter kicks.

Related:A Champion Lower Body

1. Train all parts of your abs each time you work out and use different movements that hit the obliques, upper and lower abs, and your transverse abdominis. Go online and do a search for “unique ab moves” and you’ll come up with a ton of new ideas for all the muscles involved.
2. Hold your abs tight and contract them when you’re doing other movements, whether it’s a squat or a triceps pressdown. This helps strengthen your entire core while helping support and stabilize your spine when you’re lifting heavy weight.
3. Use a slow and steady speed with full range of motion to make the most of each ab move. Cheating your reps or doing them at warp speed doesn’t do anything for development and could put your spine at risk.

Stability-Ball Pass-Through

Setup: Lie faceup and hold a stability ball with both hands overhead so it’s touching the ground behind you. Extend your legs away from you in a V.

Move: Simultaneously lift the ball and your legs so they meet in the middle over your hips. Pass the ball from your hands to your feet, then lower your arms overhead and your legs toward the floor until the ball touches down. Then reverse the move and pass the ball back to your hands to complete one repetition.

Tip: As you’re passing the ball to your feet or vice versa, do a little crunch with your upper and lower bodies to increase the intensity.

Flutter Kick

Setup: Lie faceup on the floor with your legs extended straight, toes pointed. Place your hands underneath your hips for support and lift your legs so they’re about 6 inches off the floor.

Move: Quickly kick your feet up and down, using a small range of motion and remembering to breathe. Continue for the duration of time allotted.

Tip: The lower your feet are to the ground, the more challenging the move becomes.

V-Up

Setup: Lie faceup on the floor with your arms and legs extended.

Move: Simultaneously lift your legs up (together and straight) as you reach your hands for your toes, meeting in the middle, balanced briefly on your tailbone. Slowly lower to the start and repeat right away.

Tip: To make this move easier, do it with your knees bent and your arms reaching to the outside of your legs.

Photos by Corey Sorenson

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