Who knew a wall could be such a great abs toning tool? "This is a variation on an exercise I learned from a Grand Master of Martial Arts that I trained with for eight years," says John Nies, owner of The Power Center, an elite personal and group fitness training facility in Red Bank, New Jersey. "He believed being in an inverted position, pushing yourself to exhaustion, directed blood flow to the brain and opened up dormant parts of the mind." If you can master it, this move will definitely open your mind—and exhaust your abs in the process!
Stand with your back to a wall, about two feet away. Crouch down and place your hands on the floor about 12 inches in front and just outside of your feet. Raise your hips slightly (about 6-10 inches), placing more weight on your hands. Jump up, kicking both feet simultaneously up on the wall (the height will depend on the person). Keep your knees bent and press only the balls of your feet against the wall. Pause in this position, contracting the core, then release the feet from the wall and return to the starting position. Immediately jump back up to repeat the movement.
To make it even more challenging, instead of ending up with your knees bent and your feet on the wall, jump up and fully extend both legs, finishing in a handstand position. From there, pull your feet off the wall, bend your knees, and return to your start position. Do as many reps in a row as you can until exhaustion.
Watch the move in action here.
