Hilary Lindsay has turned NFL players into mewling kittens, so we figured her abs routine would be challenging enough for us. These exercises will create strength but not bulge-out bulk, the kind that can come with more standard abs work. Lindsay says her proballers and boxers have hard bellies for a purpose: to protect vital organs during violent collisions. Unless you really need your abs to be your armor, she says, you don't need crunches. Plus, these poses are cheat-proof: They prevent you from using the hip flexors—the muscles you use to lift your legs—instead of your abs.
Boat Pose (Navasana)
Sitting on the mat, with sit bones grounded, press your ankles together, lift your shins parallel to the floor, and lean back at a 45-degree angle, keeping your back straight. Straighten your legs all the way without collapsing your belly. Extend your arms forward, palms up. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths.
Next time, do this variation: Start on your back with your hands clasped behind your head. Bring your legs 45 degrees above the ground while pulling your interlaced fingers slightly apart. Move your elbows away from each other slightly while pressing your head down. Now do a mini situp, creating the V-shape again by curling your upper back off the mat and holding your torso just inches from the floor. Your elbows should come slightly off the floor as your lower abs engage. It's not a lot of movement, but it's tons of effort. "Lift the shoulder blades first. Most people won't get their head more than an inch off the ground," Lindsay says. Next, stretch your arms to the ceiling. After 5 to 10 breaths, come back down.
Rockin' Cobbler (Baddha Konasana variation)
Sit in Cobbler's pose (soles of the feet together, knees pressed toward the mat). Reach out in front of you, grab your inner thighs, and then begin to lean back on your sit bones. Your legs will come off the ground and you'll keep reclining with your back straight, your transverse abdominals doing the work until you can't lean back any farther. Hold yourself there for 10 breaths, roll onto your back for a mini-release, and then, using your abs, rock yourself forward again. Repeat this five times.
Extra Credit: Boat with Extended Hands (Uttita Hasta Navasana)
Start Boat pose variation but with your back slightly off the floor. Hold your bent knees, then stretch your arms straight behind your head but slightly off the floor. Raise your arms toward the ceiling, lift your sternum slightly, then straighten and grab your legs. (You are now in a skyward-facing V, balancing on your sit bones, stabilized by your abs.) When you can barely hold, stretch your arms up into the air again and roll your spine to the floor slowly, arms coming behind your head. "It's sick, I know, but I have a million more," Lindsay says.
