Kendall Jenner's abs are famous; mine...not so much. Getting fit is hard enough, but getting and maintaining abs is a whole other beast. And abs are definitely not necessary to being fit, but everyone seems to make them a goal. Every body type is beautiful, especially when backed by confidence. Keep in mind that there is also nothing wrong with wanting to change how you look. Wanting to better yourself and challenge your body and mind is a great thing as long as it's done in a healthy way. That's why I challenged myself to do Kendall Jenner's ab workout every day for a week. I know not to expect too much from just a week of ab exercises, but I'm excited to see if my body reacts differently to this vigorous set of exercises.
Like most models, Kendall Jenner has a personal trainer to work out with, while I have the Internet, magazines, and my imagination. When she's working out on her own, however, she follows the same ab routine that Cosmopolitan Magazine graced the Internet with, and it looks intense! Models are athletes. They do have to workout to attain their amazing figures (because yes, life is fair.) I don't know if I'd have the mental focus, physical stamina, and ongoing dedication to cut myself off from my cheat days and laziness, but I guess this challenge is a start.
The workout is:
During this week, I'm going to be eating as healthy as I can (which might be average health for the normal human being), drinking detox tea, and incorporating this ab routine into my regular plyometric and cardio workouts.
Day 1
Wow, that workout hurts. From exercise to exercise, I tried to keep my abs engaged, whether it was keeping a plank or having a fast transition. The hardest for me was holding a plank while moving body parts (aka exercises 4, 5, and 6), and I really felt the burn at exercise 9. My arms and abs were visibly shaking, I think it would've been quite funny to see. My favorites of the workout were exercises 12 and 13 (sneak a little booty action in there with 13, which I'm all about) because I've had more practice with those exercises. We'll see how much these favorites change as the week continues!
Day 3
I woke up this morning super sore BUT with abs (like actually strong real looking ones), and I don't think I've ever been more proud of my body. I realize this challenge has really inspired me to push myself...for the past 2 days, but I'm going to try to maintain this level of enthusiasm about working out even after these 7 days. Yesterday, I found my soul cycling and followed the cardio with the ten minutes of abs, and today, I did a more plyometric HIIT leg workout and then abs.
Day 5
Yesterday and today's workouts were disgusting. Every Saturday, I attend a kickboxing bootcamp class (highly recommend if you have one in your area), and I end the class with my arms vigorously shaking. Doing planks after that was not fun, but I powered through. And then today, I cycled a SOUL SURVIVOR class, and those 15 minutes make a difference for every body part. Following that with abs was just a testament to my dedication to this challenge because this KILLED my body. My body is getting more and more used to side planks (thank God) and I feel my core a lot stronger in every movement I do. I realize now how little I focused on abs prior to this week and how much stronger I feel by doing this.
Day 7
I made it! Yesterday all I had time for was the ab routine, but today I definitely made up for it with my hard July 4th Red White and Burbee workout, consisting of cross fit style workouts. I definitely notice particular changes in my body that really are making me happy - my posture is so so much better, my core feels strong, and I feel a lot more controlled in workout movements. My mom even commented on how great my plank and side plank are looking. My favorite position overall is the rocking hand plank, and I'm definitely going to keep doing it...and I still hate positions 5 and 6.
Now for the before and after pictures...
Mind you, this only happened for a week so the changes aren't crazy, but I do really think they are there. My side view looks A LOT better, my stomach is definitely a lot flatter and side lines are way more defined. The front picture (excuse the lighting) do look pretty much the same definition-wise except for the side oblique lines.
This week, I learned how crazy committed I can be to working out if I give myself the appropriate place to do so. I really was dedicated to hitting the workout every week and I want to keep giving myself the opportunity to squeeze in a workout each day because it really did change my presence and mood. I'm happy I noticed some changes because these workouts were intense. Models don't just bank on their genetics, they're athletes with the focus on appearance rather than competition.
So leave your doubts behind and hit the gym. Challenge your body in a healthy way and see your body change in front of you.