Psycle bootcamp week three: a yoga routine to strengthen arms and abs
This yoga-inspired workout is the perfect way to create stronger arms and abs.
Take a deep breath and move slowly through the sequence below, making sure that you test your body with the holds and clear your mind as you go.
There is no end goal here. This is a slow and steady strengthening process.
And exhale.
1. Downdog to tiger curl, centre, left and right
We all know that downward dog is tougher than it looks, and it tones the arms a wonder. To build on this, reach the right leg to a three-legged down dog and then hug the knee to the nose. Concentrate on protracting the shoulders, hugging the lower abdominals up to the spine and hugging the biceps towards each other. Then try taking the knee to the left and right upper arms to deepen the pose and awaken the obliques. The slower you move with your breath, the more effective this will be.
2. Single-leg, single-arm plank
Extending one leg and one arm in a plank helps creates a stronger and deeper sense of internal balance by switching on the deeper-set core muscles. Concentrate on lifting up out of the weight-bearing shoulder, lengthening the tailbone to the heels and squeeze the glutes. Try and hold a little longer each round.
3. Side-angle hold with arms extended
This is a traditional yoga pose on fire. Finding your side-angle pose (uttitha parsvakonasana), engage the legs and think of pulling in through the sides of the waist as you rotate the chest towards the ceiling. From here extend both arms by the ears and keep breathing. This will allow you to continue to work on trimming your waistline while building strength throughout your entire body. For an extra workout, try holding it for five to eight breaths before moving on.
4. Lunge twist
From a high lunge bring the hands together in front of the chest, try to rotate your torso around over your front leg. Go as far as you can without placing the arm over the thigh. This will work right into your obliques and tone the tummy. Make sure you keep the spine long and push the palms of the hands together.
Gemma Soul is head of yoga at Psycle, psyclelondon.com
Follow Gemma on Instagram: @gemma.soul
