"This was one of our go-tos for getting our own abs back into pre-pregnancy shape," says Tanya Becker, a founder of
Physique 57, a boutique fitness class that combines ballet, Pilates and isometrics. She and co-founder Jennifer Vaughan Maanavi both used this move to trim down after giving birth, and they now recommend it to women with weak abdominal muscles due a recent baby, a not-so-recent baby or 9 months of nights at your desk.
1. Stand a forearm’s distance away from a waist-high sturdy piece of furniture, with your feet, knees and thighs together. Lightly place your hands a bit wider than your shoulders on the furniture.
2. With your upper body facing forward, rotate both feet and hips to point toward your right hand. Lift your heels and bend your knees over your toes, lowering your body five or six inches.
3. Bend deeper and pulse down and up. Remember to keep your abs engaged, your posture lifted with your shoulders stacked over your hips and your tailbone pointing toward your heels.
Reps: 15 slow pulses and 30 quick pulses
Bonus: From the same starting position, tuck your hips forward and back 30 times to target your glutes and the hard-to-reach lower abs.
