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Almost everyone has a long-term fitness goal, such as losing 50 pounds or reducing your body fat levels to a certain percentage. Long-term fitness goals are those goals that require a lot of time, hard work, and patience. The problem is that since these goals take too much time, it is easy to lose motivation and get away with them. We at BetterMe have a solution for that; short-term challenges that lead to an overall fitness goal. These short-term challenges are shorter, easier to track for progress, and keep you more motivated. An example of an excellent short-term challenge is the 30 days abs challenge. We shall highlight everything you need to know about the 30 days abs challenge calendar in this article.
Abs are the envy of most people, male and female alike, but they are seen as more of a guys’ thing due to society. Nonetheless, six-packs are always in demand. People with six-packs are seen to be way more attractive than people without them, which is among the many benefits that come with abs. Abs are not the easiest thing to get, and if they were, everyone in the world would probably have them. They require a lot of hard work as you have to do various exercises that are not necessarily as simple as a walk in the park. They require commitment as you can’t just start a fitness routine and leave it halfway and expect results. They also need a lot of discipline that needs you to change your eating habits, lifestyle choices, and more.
The 30-day abs workout is not created to get you from having the biggest stomach overhang to having nice chisel-shaped abs by the end of the month. What it will do is steer you in the right direction to attaining those abs. The results will be more visible for fit people, and that is what you want.
There are so many different exercises that can be put into the 30-day flat stomach workout, but there are things to consider before you do that. The first thing to consider is if the exercise is working to build the strength of your core. If it is not equipped to do that, then that exercise should not be part of this 30-day abs challenge calendar.
The second thing you need to consider is if the exercise will help build your core’s endurance. Endurance helps keep you going for longer and since this is a marathon to your long-term goal, exercises in this challenge should be able to help with that. The final thing to look at is if the training works most, if not all, the abdominal muscles. What is the point of doing an exercise that will help you broaden your thighs, yet you are looking for a six-pack? If an exercise ticks all of those boxes, then it belongs in this challenge.
Read More: 28-Day Abs Challenge That Will Rock Your Core And Leave No Trace Of Belly Fat
Having abs means you have a strong core. A strong core is fundamental to sustaining a healthy life. Most of the movements you make start from your core. It also helps stabilize your body and thus helps with balance. With that said, here are the benefits of having a strong core:
Having back pains is a problem most people have. Most people feel pain in the lower back, and other times it’s usually the whole back. A good way of making sure you don’t experience this is by strengthening your core. Studies show that people with weak core muscles have higher chances of getting back injuries, pains, and aches. All this is from the fact that they lack adequate spine support (2). People who are already experiencing such pains and aches are usually advised to do exercises that help strengthen the core and increase its endurance. This only shows that having a strong core translates to less back pains and hence a healthy back.
Having a good posture is everyone’s goal. A good posture will prevent back pains and even neck pains. Exercises that help strengthen your core usually work all your torso’s muscles, which helps with your posture as they will help align all your limbs when you stand tall. A good posture will also lead to better breathing as it makes it easier for you to breathe deeply. It also prevents much wearing and tearing on your spine, which is something you want (3). All this comes from having a strong core.
Almost all sports require you to have a strong core. The stronger your core is, the better you can perform in different sports. For example, a baseball pitcher needs to have a strong core to generate the power they need while pitching the ball as the power comes from it. For a golfer to strike the ball with strength and get it to go as far as they want it to, they need to have a strong core. A runner will require a strong core since it helps their hand and legs not to get tired quickly (2).
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Your core is responsible for stabilizing your body and enabling you to stay balanced no matter the terrain you are standing on or the direction you move in. The stronger your core, the more stable you are (3). When people get older, they start losing their balance and stability, and, mostly, these people are usually advised to do exercises that strengthen their core as balance increases as your core strength also increases.
These may be activities that you need to do every day in your job like lifting goods or sitting at your office desk for hours or things you just generally need to do like tying your shoes or standing and walking; all these engage your core (3). When you have a strong core, these activities become easier and less likely to cause injury and pains, hence another reason to have a strong core.
The abs are part of your core. Have you ever opened a magazine and saw a shirtless model with a big belly? Well, that answers the question. Having a strong core can also translate to having abs that lead to you being perceived as being more attractive. This also boosts your confidence as you can go to a pool party and confidently remove your shirt without worrying that people are looking at you and all.
Since you are now aware of the many benefits associated with having a strong core and abs, how about we work on getting you those abs.
The 30-day abs workout challenge contains five exercises that you will have to do every week. The exercises chosen will help you build your core’s strength, build your core’s endurance, and work all the abdominal muscles in your core. The exercises in this challenge do not require any equipment as they are bodyweight workouts, and hence you can do them anywhere at any time. You have no excuse not to join this workout plan or fail to exercise on each particular day.
For you not to get used to the exercises and feel like they are not working, every day, you will add 10 seconds to the exercise until it is 60 seconds long, then you reset the exercise. It also resets at the beginning of each week. In addition to all that, you will also add a new exercise every week until you have all five exercises incorporated. This is to say that if you start with two exercises every day in week one, in week two, you’ll be doing three exercises every day and so on, until the end of the challenge.
Included is also a day where you only do high-intensity interval training. You get to do the HIIT for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds. This will help work on your core’s endurance, as well as help you shed those extra pounds of fat concealing your six-pack (1). On the last two days, you go out with the hardest HIIT workout and abs workout. The exercises chosen for this 30-day abs challenge are mountain climbers, sit-ups, side-planks, squat jumps, and crunches. The exercises for the HIIT are high knees, frogger, tuck jump, and burpees (1).
Read More: HIIT Workouts For Men: Pack A Ton Of Work Into A Short Amount Of Time
Here is the calendar and how long you should be doing each exercise:
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, 40 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, 50 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, 60 seconds for each
Frogger, 5 sets of 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest in between sets
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, 60 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, 30 seconds for each
Burpees, 5 sets of 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest in between sets
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, 30 seconds for each
Tuck Jumps, 5 sets of 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest in between sets
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, 30 seconds for each
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Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, Crunches, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, Crunches, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, Crunches, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, Crunches, 30 seconds for each
High Knees, 5 sets of 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest in between sets
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, Crunches, 30 seconds for each
Mountain Climber, Sit-ups, Side-planks, Squat Jumps, Crunches For 2 rounds, 60 seconds for each exercise
High Knees, Frogger, Burpee, Tuck Jumps for 3 rounds for 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest
As mentioned earlier, the 30 days abs challenge calendar is to guide you towards your dream body. If after 30 days you still don’t see significant progress, keep at it! As even Rome was not built in a day. You can replace the existing exercises with other abdominal exercises like scissor kicks, high planks, Russian twists, leg lifts, and the likes in case you do not feel comfortable with any of the exercises highlighted. Before you start your daily exercises, make sure you warm up to prevent injuries.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!